Thomas Hardy and I go way back. Not quite 50 years way back mind you, but way back, to the 90s anyway. Though I have in fact read Thomas Hardy the author, he is not the topic at hand today, at least not directly. No, I am here to speak of Thomas Hardy the ale; specifically, Thomas Hardy’s Ale Golden Edition 50^th Anniversary. A little background would be in order, then.

Thomas Hardy’s Ale is indeed named for the famed English Author, who died in 1928. Upon the 40^th anniversary of Hardy’s passing, the Eldridge Pope brewery of England brewed a commemorative barleywine they called Thomas Hardy’s Ale. Eldridge Pop brewed this on and off until 1999, just before the brewery closed in 2000. I sampled a number of the original maltages over the years, and scored a few sampler backs of 4 different releases in 2000. You can read about my experiences with the original Thomas Hardy’s Ale here.

In 2003, Thomas Hardy’s Ale was reborn, this time brewed by the O Hanlon brewery, also of England, and they brewed the beer until 2008. I enjoyed the new version, but from some reason never took notes on it. In 2013, the brand was transferred to England’s Meantime brewery, where it resides today. I have not yet been able to locate a bottle of this new version, but I did manage to buy a bottle of the aforementioned 50^th Anniversary Edition, released in 2018. This is not the standard Thomas Hardy’s Ale, a bit stronger at 13% alcohol by volume as opposed to the 11.9% Thomas Hardy’s Ale clocks in at. I paid $8.99 in December of 2019 when I bought this at Green’s in Atlanta.

Meantime says on the bottle:

First produced in 1968 to commemorate the renowned English writer, Thomas Hardy's ale is a limited edition barley wine ale. Numbered and vintage-dated to be stored for years, even for over 25, this bottle conditioned ale matures in flavour like fine wines. To discover how to store and taste it at its best, visit www.thomashardysale.com

On the front of the label they add:

In “The Trumpet Major” Hardy wrote of Dorchester’s ancient beers: “It was the most beautiful colour that the eye of an artist in beer could desire; full in body, yet brisk as a volcano; piquant, yet without a twang; luminous as an autumn sunset; free from streakiness of taste, but, finally, rather heady.”

My first ever experience with Thomas Hardy’s Ale was back in the mid-nineties, and I had been going crazy trying to find this beer, to no avail. One night, I had a dream that I found some. For some reason this possessed me to go beer hunting in Connecticut the next day. I hit all the familiar beer stores and had no luck, even located a few new ones with good selections, but of course no Hardy's Ale. I had given up hope, but as we passed through Groton my companion noticed a small liquor store on the roadside and suggested I stop there to see if they had the beer. I, of course, sneered at the sheer lunacy of the thought. We had been to all the larger stores, certainly this little mom and pop would not be The One. I stopped. I looked in the coolers, on the shelves, and of course came up empty. After giving my fellow beer traveler a stern, "I told you so", I headed for the door, for some reason turning my head to the shelf that stood by it....and spied a three pack of Thomas Hardy's Ale. Which, of course, I quickly purchased. Have I mentioned that Thomas Hardy's Ale is a great accompaniment to humble pie?

Thomas Hardy’s Ale Golden Edition 50^th Anniversary pours to a cloudy orange amber color with almost no head and a nose of butterscotch and fresh bread. Taking a sip, the beer is full in body, rich with caramel and toffee. There is butterscotch and fresh baked bread as the nose promised, a hint of plum, a subtle note of sherry, and a jet fuel alcohol finish. The beer is extremely boozy, and this is definitely a sipping beer that you can linger over.

My impressions are that this is not quite as wonderful as the original Eldridge Pope Hardy’s. My bottle of 50^th Anniversary edition has almost 3 years on it, though it could go far longer. I will now be in  search of the Meantime-brewed Hardy’s, as this edition has truly piqued my interest, and reminded me why I sought the original out so desperately in the 90s.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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