Thomas Hardy Ale and a New Addition
October 7, 2008
This has been a pretty momentous week for me, our first grand-child was born on Friday October 3rd, at 5:15pm!
I had worked from home that day; I had attended a conference call, written up notes from two other calls and spent six hours slaving over a hot spreadsheet. At about five I decided that I deserved a beer and as I was heading down to The Curlew I received the call that little’un had arrived so, needless to say, I wet the baby’s head with a pint (or two) of my usual.
However, this was a pretty significant moment and deserved a more serious drink, and I knew just what was needed – you just know there’s a story coming don’t you?
About twenty years ago my son, now the proud father, was working at our local brewery – Crouch Vale. In those days it was pretty much a two men and a dog operation, and Gaz was the dog. He did manage to inadvertently ‘invent’ one of their brews, but that’s a story for another day. While at Crouch Vale, he invested in a case of Thomas Hardy Ale – the 1985 vintage – brewed in those days by Eldridge Pope. Thomas Hardy Ale is legendary for being bottle conditioned and primed to continue maturing, it is said to be best after twenty years of maturation, but forty year old bottles can be found.
The case has been stored in my garage, and while we tried a bottle about ten years ago, after discussion with the proud father we agreed that the arrival of his first-born was a good justification for breaking open a bottle or two!
So with due reverence and a steady hand I opened the bottle and carefully poured it into a goblet. An ale like this should be treated with respect. This was bottle M51919, and I put another bottle alongside the glass for the photograph.
As you can hopefully see the beer is a dark ruby colour, with no noticeable head, and no lacing on the glass. The nose was closer to a sherry than any beer I’ve tasted, this is beyond beer, this is where beer goes when it has a chance to grow up. The flavour itself is again close to sherry, rich and vinous, with nothing to betray its humble hops and barley origins. As you might expect, there’s a full mouth experience and a distinct warming as you finally swallow.
As for the strength, I estimate this coming in in the upper teens, maybe 16-18% alcohol, very waming. And yes after a full 6.34oz of the ale I knew I’d had a drink!
All in all an interesting experience, I just hope we can save a few bottles for young Kelin’s coming of age!
Rating: 
Bob the Brit
Posted in 2 Star Reviews, Ales, All Brews Reviewed, English Beers, European Beers, Guest Reviews, Views from a Brit
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October 7th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Congrats on your first grandchild! My wife and I are months away from offering Father Beer Love his first as well.
You are absolutely right that this was the perfect occasion for a cellared Thomas Hardy’s. I’m glad to see you explain how exactly it ages. We did a relatively new one a year or so ago and just marveled at the mouthfeel on it.
I’ve got four of these cellared now myself and can’t wait to pop them open in 10 or 20 years!
October 7th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Congrats to you both!
I have to look into this 20 year old beer business. Completely new concept to me. Just another of the many things I’ve learned about Beer from ‘Bob the Brit’!
October 8th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
17% alcohol? Are you kidding? Where exactly are you getting that number from? Because the beer aged for 20 years? Sorry man, it doesn’t work like that. You’re lucky to pull an extra 1% out, and even that’s a stretch.
October 9th, 2008 at 4:30 am
Okay, I stand corrected… In the eighties this was 12.5% when it was bottled and so an extra percent maybe on top?
My estimate of strength (and I did say estimate) was based on the effect that the drink had on me, which was equivalent to a sherry at about 18% or a port at 20%.
One glass (6 fluid ounces) of Thomas Hardy’s had about the same effect as a couple of glasses of sherry or port, and so that’s where I got me estimate from.
I guess I should open my ‘95 Sam Adams Triple Bock (17.5%) for comparison?
January 15th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Great Review…
I enjoy hearing about the experience of drinking the beer and personal history affixed to it along with the qualities of the beer itself.
Nate’s last blog post..Do you want to brew?
February 9th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Interesting to read about your Thomas Hardy Ale – I bought a few in 1970 and some more around the mid Eighties. I thought I had drunk them all a year or two back -(superb poured like treacle) but I came across a bottle under my stairs a week ago which has remained unopened I will have to check the date and number. Any offers?