The Return of the Native - Thomas Hardy’s Ale makes a comeback

Thomas Hardy’s Ale is back in the UK and arriving on bars and speciality beer shop shelves, near you, from this week. This quintessential Barley Wine will be finally available on the UK market again thanks to an agreement between Italian distributor Interbrau Spa, and James Clay & Sons, the new official distributor for the United Kingdom. This is what the headlines were proclaiming the other week, but the story that precedes this announcement, and the 50 years of history behind this classic beer, is even more fascinating.

Before going back to where this all started, let’s take a look at what was happening at the end of last year. It was back in December 2024, that blogger and peripatetic master brewer, Ed Wray described on his site, how he’d been fortunate to participate in the brewing of the latest batch of Thomas Hardy’s Ale. Widely regarded as one of the greatest vintage beers ever created, Thomas Hardy’s Ale was a legendary beer, with a pedigree going back to 1968. For those not old enough to remember, Hardy’s Ale was originally brewed, at the now, sadly closed Eldridge Pope brewery, in Dorchester. It was a special and rather strong ale, brewed to celebrate one of Dorset’s most famous sons, the writer and poet Thomas Hardy.

The year 1968, saw the 40th anniversary of Hardy’s death, and to commemorate the event, some prominent members of the Dorchester Society founded a cultural association, the Thomas Hardy Society, to promote the author’s works. It was clear from Hardy’s writing, that he appreciated a decent drop of ale, and in his novel The Trumpet Major, he describes the local Dorset, Strong Ale, as follows:

“It was of 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. The masses worshipped it, the minor gentry loved it more than wine…”

Poetic licence, of course, but amongst the Thomas Hardy Society’s associates was a member of the Pope family, who owned the town’s Eldridge Pope brewery. The group approached Eldridge Pope and asked the brewery to produce a beer that matched Hardy’s description, above. The brewery went ahead, and came up with a sumptuous, and dangerously strong, barley-wine, weighing in at an impressive 11.7% abv. Amber in colour, sweet, syrupy, and awash with English hops due to the generous dry hopping, this was a beer designed with aging in mind. Therefore, the first batch had a label on the bottle stating, “This beer will improve if kept lying down at 13°C, and will last at least 25 years. DO NOT OPEN BEFORE JULY 1969.”

Designated a “celebratory beer,” Thomas Hardy’s Ale seemed destined to be a “one-off” until suddenly, in 1974, production resumed again. It was then brewed virtually every year until 1999 when production ceased. Eldridge Pope blamed high production costs, for the beer’s demise, but in the meantime, the bottles brewed at Dorchester had developed a cult-like status because of the complex nature that the vintages took on over time. It was claimed that at ten-plus years, Hardy’s Ale starts to resemble a fine Madeira or a port rather than a beer, with flavours such as apricot, fig, pipe tobacco, molasses, umami, and leather all sharing the stage.

Hardy’s Ale was originally packaged in pint-sized bottles which sold for a whopping one pound, a substantial sum of money in 1968! Packaged in numbered and vintage-dated bottles and given the predisposition of this Barley Wine to age in the cellar for decades, the “one off” brew of 1968, became a highly sought-after collector’s item.  When production began again in 1974, the beer was packaged in much smaller “nip” bottles, making the product easier to handle, and much more appealing to collectors. Beer enthusiasts from all over the UK, and indeed the world, began filling their cellars of with bottles, from each vintage, and this tradition continued right through to 1999 when the Eldridge Pope discontinued production, again blaming rising costs. As an aside, the brewery itself closed in 2003, apparently due to “serious financial difficulties.”

At the beginning of the new century, Thomas Hardy’s Ale began another chapter in its long and illustrious history, when American importer Phoenix Imports, arranged for Devon based O’Hanlon’s brewery to produce the beer. Unfortunately, history seemingly doomed to repeat itself, and this third incarnation of Hardy’s was short-lived, with production only lasting from 2003-2008. The cause again was high production costs associated with the beer, which requires copious amount of malts and hops, an ultra-long boil, and a lengthy maturation time. It was around this time that I lost touch with what was going on with Thomas Hardy’s Ale, although some years previously, I’d purchased a bottle of the 1991 vintage. This was the year our son Matthew was born, and we decided to lay down the bottle for keeping and open it on his 21^st birthday. Spoiler alert, the bottle didn’t age well.

Next on the scene was specialist brewer and Italian beer importer Interbrau, who took ownership of the brand in 2012. It was Interbrau co-owner, Michele Vecchiato, who was inspired to rescue this great beer, explaining, “We can’t accept that one of the most important beers would be lost forever. We discovered Thomas Hardy’s Ale in 2008, which was the time when O’Hanlon’s decided to stop the production.” Michele had been thinking about importing the beer, only to discover that it wouldn’t be possible. This was the spark that inspired him to brew Thomas Hardy’s Ale at Interbrau. A brewing team was assembled in England, and three test batches followed until the final result met Interbrau’s expectations, and bottles could be shipped off to industry insiders for a sneak peek. The first vintage of Thomas Hardy’s Ale from the new owners, was released in 2015, and their commitment to such an important beer in British brewing history has ensured that it will be enjoyed well into the 21st century, and hopefully beyond.

We are now approaching the latest chapter in the story of Thomas Hardy’s Ale, and over half a century later from its first release, the reborn beer is now being produced at the Hepworth’s Brewery, in Sussex. under the guidance of the iconic brewmaster Derek Prentice. This is where we catch up once more with Ed Wray. Thomas Hardy’s Ale is finally available again on the UK market, thanks to the collaboration between the Interbrau and long-established, beer wholesaler, James Clay and Sons.

Thomas Hardy’s Ale vintage 2024 is now available in numbered and vintage dated 25 cl bottles as well as 10 litre key-kegs, and I managed to catch some on draught (key-keg) at Tonbridge Fuggle’s, last weekend. The beer was certainly attracting a lot of interest, although quite sensibly, Fuggle’s were only selling it in half, or third of a pint measures. With an abv of 11.3%, it was definitely a beer for sipping and savouring, but not surprisingly has already sold out. I’m pleased then, that 56 years after it’s first appearance, I was finally able to taste and enjoy this legendary beer, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Fuggle’s are able to get their hands on another keg of Thomas Hardy’s Ale, before too long.