J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale - J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd

Tupperwolf

Washington

4.97/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2000 vintage poured into my Stone Old Guardian stemmed barleywine glass.

Pours a deep, dark cherry-wood color topped with a biscuit of light tan head; It leaves thin, reaching lines of lacing. Lots and lots of very excited bubbles are visible rising up to keep that thin head fed.

The scent is extremely strong - my first instinct is to credit the strength to alcohol, but further examination reveals that little to no alcohol is to be found. The strength is built on big, complex packages of scents - It smells like a bakery, like rye bread and hot oil cooking up doughnuts, honey-drizzled almonds - big, huge, mouth-watering scents.

Now this is just an unreal beer. It's an experience. I bsolutely couldn't beleive the flavors packed into this one! It's incredibly malty sweet, but balanced and complex to absolute perfection. For the first time ever in a review, I wish the scale went higher than five, because it's honestly like nothing I've ever sipped before. Describing the flavors is almost an excercise in futility, because they defy description. Fruity - fermented - nutty - oily - sugary - buttery - Waffles, banana pancakes with maple syrup and almonds, hazelnuts - Hazelnuts! That's a big one. Unbelievable.

The mouthfeel is many things at once. Crisp, oily - fluffy, zippy - with the tiniest warming of alcohol, the only place it's present in the drinking experience.

The more I drink this, the more I keep bumping up my review points. I think I'd better just shut up before I ramble myself off into space. I'm afraid to try other vintages of this beer now, because they might not live up to the 2000! An absolute must. The best. WOW.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2006 06:46:04 | More by Tupperwolf

Dave_Treat

Virginia

4/5  rDev -6.5%

06-15-2013 22:21:51 | More by Dave_Treat

Supergenious

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

06-15-2013 16:21:08 | More by Supergenious

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

06-12-2013 16:58:00 | More by ShanePB

bradfordjohnson

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -24.1%

06-12-2013 02:42:34 | More by bradfordjohnson

BuckTuckian

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

06-10-2013 13:56:07 | More by BuckTuckian

CORKSCREWFISH

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

06-09-2013 07:53:37 | More by CORKSCREWFISH

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.79/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 1.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

9.3 oz bottle into a snifter. 2009 vintage.

A: Pours a rather murky dark brown color. Very little head is featured here, just a thin collar that's white with big bubbles. Not to mention, further examination reveals some huge white-colored chunks of sediment. This is what we in the business call "ass-ugly".

S: Wow. This is hugely sweet - almost like a barleywine that's been distilled even further. Huge dark fruit and caramel sweetness abounds, with plenty of underlying chocolate. I also detect some toffee and some mellow earthiness. Fascinatingly rich, if perhaps a touch too sweet.

T: Indeed, this is one sweet bitch. It opens with plenty of caramel maltiness and dark fruit esters. After the midpoint, the focus switches more to toffee, vanilla, tobacco, and chocolate. Alcohol is mildly prevalent on the back end, but takes on an excellent character, more similar to rum than vodka. After about 3 oz, it does transcend into the realm of "too sweet", with its strong toffee notes ultimately becoming the dominant flavor. There's good depth and complexity to compensate somewhat.

M: The body does a decent job of keeping the sugary sweetness in check by slightly drying out on the finish, which has a side effect of intruding on the softness of the texture somewhat. Even with that, it's a heavy, smack-your-lips sweet brew, with almost no carbonation.

O: Well, it's everything a dessert barleywine should be - big, rich, complex, and decadent. However, even at 9.3 oz, this is best split between two people due to how cloying it is. Compare that to, say, Sucaba, which I can finish a 750ml bottle of with little trouble. Absolutely worth trying...just don't drink it before dinner.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 23:18:56 | More by ThisWangsChung

BColton1

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev -6.5%

06-08-2013 12:34:30 | More by BColton1

BillHilly

Washington

4/5  rDev -6.5%

06-08-2013 00:25:25 | More by BillHilly

HoppyLuckyGoGo

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

06-06-2013 19:09:46 | More by HoppyLuckyGoGo

Mscarpen

Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

06-03-2013 18:07:37 | More by Mscarpen

GimmeGumballHead

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

06-03-2013 15:25:57 | More by GimmeGumballHead

maxwelldeux

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -24.1%

06-03-2013 01:12:32 | More by maxwelldeux

Greywulfken

New York

4.35/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2006 bottling

A: murky brown ale with no head at all in a stout flute glass

S: toffee, molasses, caramel, suggestions of booze-soaked orchard fruits

T: following nose, a very sweet drink - lots of fruity, sugary treats, no trace of the alcohol; vague allusions to spices common to fall/winter holiday meals, and dark, wet fruits soaked in bourbon

M: no palpable carbonation, very smooth and slick, touch of stickiness, light-to-medium body- feel

O: perhaps just as good as the cask-aged editions, but I have only had this (and them) after some aging - not sure how this would taste fresh - I enjoyed it as much as the aforementioned versions (having sampled the Lagavulin cask 2011 and 2007, Calvados cask version 2006, and Sherry edition 2011 and 2007) - perhaps I expected less, or perhaps the aging wore away the casks' flavorings. This was a very elegant drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 17:09:11 | More by Greywulfken

yamar68

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -12.4%

06-02-2013 00:44:24 | More by yamar68

dctriman

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

06-01-2013 23:20:41 | More by dctriman

ajzy

Wisconsin

2/5  rDev -53.3%

05-25-2013 16:56:26 | More by ajzy

Callmecoon

California

4/5  rDev -6.5%

05-23-2013 02:22:55 | More by Callmecoon

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

05-22-2013 01:12:57 | More by mikeincharleston

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

2008 vintage.

This will mark the occasion of my 2,200th review on this site and I figured that it should be something worthy of the milestone. I was at the Knickerbocker Hotel in Altoona following the Pints for Pets fest when I spotted this beauty in the cooler. I was pulling beers out left and right when I noticed a small sign on the right-hand side of the cooler advising me to ask my server/bartender/waitstaff for assistance in gathering beers from said cooler. Whoops! In my defense, although I am right-handed, I like to work from left to right and simply glossed over their note. It did not matter to them as I was summarily dragged into the courtyard, pilloried and accordingly whipped by a buxom central-PA beauty while still wearing my infamous monk's robe. Admission was charged for the sight and I was comped the beer, so it all worked out. Except for the fact that I am still unable to sit down comfortably. Ah well, c'est la guerre.

From the bottle: "This fully fermented strong ale has been brewed as a celebration of the brewer's art. It can be enjoyed now or laid down like a vintage wine for enjoyment in years to come. [undersigned] Head Brewer".

I initially employed a gentle pour so as not to disturb the (potential) lees, but to no avail. I was still getting a murkiness with floaties so I went back to the drawing board and used a heavier hand, resulting in a quickly disappearing finger of light-tan head and a LOT of floaties. It really depends on how much such things bother you as far as which style of pour to utilize, I suppose. Color was a murky, deep-amber with loads of evident floaties. Nose was enough to make me want to pay homage to my sinuses for finally clearing up. Holy dried dark fruit, Batman! This smelled of raisins, prunes, worn leather, tobacco, a newspaper mustiness and alcohol heat. Jeezus. My first sip was thick and viscous and sat on my tongue like a big glob of something that I might not want to swallow. The taste was sweet and smoky and my first thought was "S. Clyde Weaver's Sweet Lebanon Bologna". Finish was still sweet and smoky, but now with a tobacco-like smokiness, like I had partaken of a stogie. Double Jeezus. I almost wish that I had purchased more than one, but how many of these types of beers do I have left in me?

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 23:07:25 | More by woodychandler

cp45

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

05-19-2013 19:12:04 | More by cp45

midlifec

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +11%

05-19-2013 17:46:08 | More by midlifec

ShawnMH

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -12.4%

05-19-2013 15:36:34 | More by ShawnMH

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

05-18-2013 22:03:43 | More by Photekut