Thomas Hardy's Ale

I thought for a second when I wrote the title for this post, should I title it after the year the notes were taken or the year of the bottle I recent consumed? And here's why that's an issue. I often use my old notes taken years ago when I consume a beer today. That's one of the cardinal rules of this beer blog. I have a back log of almost 12 years of beer reviews, and I don't want to re-write notes every time I try a beer again. Also, beers won't be in this blog if I'm not currently drinking it. If I wrote notes in 2005, and will never try it again, or won't have a session where I take a picture of the new drink, then it will not appear here.

So, the other day, I had a 2008 Thomas Hardy's Ale, and did not takes notes. Here's why. It was the final bottle out of a case I bought for the Blue Nile the year it was released. After the penultimate bottle was purchased last year, I pulled the last one aside and reserved it for my final drink on my final night. And I was certainly in no shape for taking notes on that wonderful ale.

Here you have a photo of that bottle that lasted nearly 6 years in the coolers at the Blue Nile, but we're checking out the notes I took in 2005 on a bottles from 2003 that I somehow amazingly saved for 2 years. I haven't gotten any better at aging beers at home. Managed to do it at work, though.

From November 2005, notes on 2003 Thomas Hardy's Ale:


2003. #07043. Somehow I manged to hang onto this in the ol' closet for nearly 2 years.

Dark mahogany with crimson edges, slim toasted tan head.

Intense aromatics, big prune, sour cherries, bright, shining burgundy, leather, wood...a complex collection of flavors. Peppers meet raisins. Very port-like.

Immense in the mouth, rich, thick, juicy and wet. Floods the mouth with dark fruitiness, well-conditioned. Intensely flavorful. Tangy and tangible, a wonderful thing on the palate, coating goodness with every drop.
Amazing.
Astounding.
And very mellow, compared to the new bottles. I've got to exhibit such patience more often. (Hear it's a virtue.)

Full-bodied, long, sweet, languid finish.
Smooth and relaxing, luxurious.
Well worth the asking price.
And finally, if there's a finer wine than this ale, I want to know.
(Doubt it.)