[THC] Beer By The Year

[Dr. L. A. Swihart]

Speaking of old bottles of Thomas Hardy Ale, see the article
at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17188361/site/newsweek/

In the fall of 2001 Bill Friday had a meeting and on short notice 
decided to treat us to a Tom Hardy tasting.  There were only about six 
of us there so it worked out well.  Was anybody else here there at that 
time?  He got out a bottle (or two if it was the small one and he had 
two) from every year he had collected and not yet finished off, up 
through about 1998 or maybe even 2000.   It's been a while and memory is 
a little lame, but I seem to recall that there were not very many years 
missing.  They were all quite wonderful, similar and still a little 
different too. 

Aging beer was not a new concept to any of us there; we had known about 
and tasted aged beers like TH, which can be consumed right away but 
improve for at least 5 or 6 or even 25 years depending on who you ask.

But *never* before had any of us seen a line-up and tasted them all 
together, comparing.  I doubt that I ever will again.

But I'm going to bid on those 15 year old THs at Jim's.  . 

las

PS the Allagash Tripel Reserve is from 2000.  The Allagash person wrote 
a very nice reply to my inquiry.