Judge’s Review: 93 Rating – Thomas Hardy’s Ale, The Historical 2018 by Meantime Brewing Co.

Wood-Aged Beer | Limited Release | United Kingdom

By Scott Birdwell

Judges Rating: 93
Aroma: 22
Appearance: 5
Flavor: 37
Mouthfeel: 10
Overall Impression: 19

Thomas Hardy’s Ale, The Historical 2018 by Meantime Brewing Co. is being judged under category 33A, Wood-Aged Beer, with the base style being 17D, English Barleywine.
This strong ale pours deep mahogany brown in my glass, with a low level of carbonation and foam. Not surprising is the shock of alcohol in the nose. The beer checks in at 13.7% ABV, so, there you go! After you have recovered from the booze, you are enticed with intense notes of caramel and malt. Very attractive. Also apparent are assertive yeast aromas wafting up from the glass. Finally, in the back end of the aroma, you can detect those vanilla, oaky notes from the six months the beer spent in “Fine Scotch Whisky Barrels.” No doubt about it. 
Upon tasting, you’ll discover that those malt and caramel notes definitely carry through into the flavor. Very luxurious sweet notes, but not overly sweet. Just enough. In fact, while I don’t think you will consider this beer to be hoppy in the least, you can pick up just enough hop bite to balance out that lovely sweetness. Good balance! I can detect the barrel notes in the finish, but they’re not overpowering. I guess six years of aging has smoothed the edges off. Obviously, the beer is very full-bodied on the palate. Carbonation is low (slow leakage over six years?). And, yes, it is very warming, indeed! My initial tasting revealed some astringency in the finish, but I noticed that as the sample warmed up, the astringency receded. Score adjusted! Serving temperature should be cool, but definitely not cold. My current sample is nearly room temperature, and I am just fine with that.
The base beer here is a wonderful English Barleywine. Excellent beverage for a cold winter evening (or just turn the air conditioning up!). The beer is well-balanced and delicious. My only complaints were the low carbonation level (big deal!), and the bit of astringency from the oak. Ultimately, allowing the sample to warm up took care of most of those concerns. It might be worthwhile to stock up on this and allow some of the bottles to age several more years. Perhaps the last of that astringency will go away. In the meantime, just don’t over-chill! And, no, I’m not sharing this one!