The loss of a great beer is a tragedy - and it’s even more tragic that I haven’t tried Thomas Hardy’s Ale and soon it could be no more. Damn this economy!
Beer devotees have hailed the ale as one of the world’s best but English brewery O’Hanlon has had to plug the keg citing the time and money it took to produce the liquid gold made it a necessary decision. The packaging itself is time consuming as each bottle is individually numbered, is topped with gold foil and has a hand-hung gold medallion.
Thomas Hardy’s Ale was created 41 years ago by brewer Eldridge Pope as a tribute to the author.
A quest is on to find another brewery to produce the beer so it’s not a hopeless situation yet. But just in case, grab a bottle of Thomas Hardy’s Ale for one hand and a copy of Tess of the d’Urbervilles for the other and toast good old Hardy himself.
I sat on a couple of bottles of this stuff for years, as instructed by the label, and guess what? It was disgusting.
Sorry to hear that it wasn’t any good. But you’ve made me feel better about not having tried it! :)
I disagree. I’ve had this beer 3 times in my life and loved it. It’s easily one of the top 3 beers I have ever had, and I’ve toured belgian abbey beers for many years. I miss it and can’t find it for sale anywhere.
Thomas Hardy is an amazing beer. I had a 4 year old bottle of the stuff a few months ago and it was absolutely fantastic. With this bit of news I guess I’ll have to go out of my way to procure as many bottles as I can. It’s certainly not a beer for everyone, but if you enjoy big flavorful ales than you should definitely try it.
Okay - it sounds like I will have to go on a quest to find some and give it a try. I do like stronger, darker beers . . .
This is a sad moment in Beer Lover’s History. Thomas Hardy Ale is one of the best ales I’ve ever had. It is a smooth adventure in a bottle, just loaded with myriad flavors and dimensions. Kathleen, I hope you find some!
Thanks, Larry - so do I! I’ll let you know if I do.
Sad loss. I recently sampled the first of my stockpiled 1998 vintage and it was sublime (and no, I’m not selling any!). I also have some 1999, the last Eldridge Pope year I believe? - It’s a shame as I’ve only recently started buying the O’Hanlon’s version. I hope someone can be found to do it justice…