No idea what this is actually worth ...

soccerdad · Nov 27, 2021

and I'm not going to sell it.. I'm going to drink it. With my brew mentor. In snifters

I was recently gifted a bottle of vintage 2008 Thomas Hardy Ale. A world renowned barleywine. I was given this the night a friend and a I drank a 2004 vintage of Thomas Hardy Ale. It was amazing.

I assumed that this might be a $50 beer, but nosing around on line it seems like it might be worth more. It was the last year that O'Hanlon's Brewery made this beer. There are some 2017 and 2018 vintages of THA that look like they sell for $15 to $30 But those are hardly aged yet. I'm not even sure the 2008 is aged enough, but I don't have a place to cellar it. So best to drink it.

Anyone have a guess as to it's value?

soccerdad · Nov 27, 2021

This is the one we drank already.

Ward Chillington · Nov 27, 2021

No idea the value but I wanna hear your tasting notes! As a drinker of "fresh" beer, aged beer not being "old" takes some thought for me!

soccerdad · Nov 27, 2021

Ward Chillington said:
No idea the value but I wanna hear your tasting notes! As a drinker of "fresh" beer, aged beer not being "old" takes some thought for me!

In reading up on barleywine, I get more confused as opposed to achieving greater clarity.
Apparently American barleywine is treated diffently than English barleywine. In several places I have read that American barleywine should age for at least 3 years but won't change after 5 years. Whereas English barleywine have great reverence after even 25 years. Anybody know why?
What I recall from tasting the 2004 vintage was that there was no boozy aroma at all. Even though almost 12% ABV. It was more toasty than carmely. No real hop flavor. I assume it dissipated over time. A great sipping beer.

Ward Chillington · Nov 28, 2021

soccerdad said:
no real hop flavor. I assume it dissipated over time. A great sipping beer.

I
Yeah, that's what I've heard, that the "hoppy-ness" dissipates ...I wanna say one of the early Experimental Brewing podcasts I've heard talks about barley wines. I wanna say it was Denny Conn who said he brews one every year where the drink one of the old ones...5ish years old to check the progress.