Having a bit of post New Year clearout I came across a bottle of J W Lees Harvest Ale 2000 that I must have been given to celebrate the millennium. It's what's known as a 'barley wine' - a strong sweet beer, in this instance made by the J W Lees brewery in Manchester.Most beers would have been as dead as a dodo 10 years on but at 11.5% ABV, Harvest Ale is clearly built to last. Still, it was a big ask to expect it to be drinkable after all this time and I was amazed how good it was.
It was so rich, sweet and dark (see below) it was more like a sherry or madeira, mind you. Only a background note of maltiness reminds you that this is beer but I suggest you drink it like a fortified wine with blue cheese, dark chocolate or a slice of dark sticky fruitcake. (In my view cheese is the best of all three, but then I'm one of the rare mortals who likes cheese more than chocolate.)
It's a shame in a way the weather has warmed up. It's the perfect beer to sip on a cold winter's night. Not that I'm tempting fate . . .
Don't think I've ever had a barley wine before... it's something I definitely need to check out soon.
ReplyDeleteOh, you should Joshua. They're amazing. The ports of the beer world!
ReplyDeleteFascinating, never heard of barley wine before. Would obviously try it with a mouthful of blue cheese, chocolate AND sticky fruitcake LOL ;)
ReplyDeleteI whole heartedly agree, barley wine is delicious stuff. And yes, i'm sure we are going to get plenty of cold nights before spring appears. lol.
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