on THE TAPHANDLE

Thomas Hardy's Ale by O'Hanlon's Brewery of Whimple, Devon, England

One word: heaven.

This bottle was from their 2004 bottling. It has its own identification number, No. P 54232. I drank it in a snifter, as recommended for barley wines. In fact, the wife, child, and I wandered around town today and picked up the snifter in one of the local antique shops. It was nice to wander again, after all of the rainy weather, and especially nice just to enjoy my day off with the family.

First, the appearance of this ale...
Beautiful. A slightly murky brown, translucent ruby around the edges. No head on the pour. Soft, slow carbonation. It sits well in the glass.

Second, the aroma...
Molasses and caramel at the forefront. A slight hint of alcohol, which one would expect with an alcohol by volume of 11.7 percent! Raisin and cherry. A very light smokiness well-hidden in the background.

Third, the flavor and palate...
A sweet beginning that continues for a long while and then adds just a touch of bitter in the finish. The flavor moves across the tongue from front to back then into the back of the mouth before moving into the upper throat. The full body has a slightly oily feel to it which coats the tongue while melting into and around it. Once Thomas Hardy's hits the stomach a rich warmth builds and radiates out. This is not a beer to gulp down but to quietly sip.

Fourth, the food pairing...
I had this with homemade chili. The flavors of the chili—chili powder, cumin, black pepper, tomato, hot pepper sauce—worked nicely as a contrast to the dark fruitiness and maltiness of the ale. I would imagine that this would be a wonderful barley wine to accompany dessert as well, perhaps a light, spiced or fruited, cake.

This was a wonderful surprise and an ale that I plan on having again.