1968
Eldridge Pope Releases Thomas Hardy's Ale
Eldridge Pope released Thomas Hardy's Ale in Dorchester in 1968 to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the novelist's death. The strong ale drew inspiration from Hardy's description of local beer in The Trumpet-Major and appeared as a special commemorative bottling. The bottle-conditioned beer became associated with numbered, vintage-dated bottles and prolonged cellaring. Drinkers were encouraged to keep it for years, making Thomas Hardy's Ale a notable expression of barley wine as an age-worthy beer. Initially conceived as a one-off, it returned in 1974.
Sources
These sources support the dating and historical claims in this entry.
Thomas Hardy's Ale, official history. Records the 1968 commemoration, numbered vintage-dated bottles intended for storage, and the second vintage in 1974.
Dan Thomasson, "Producing Thomas Hardy's Ale," Malt Advocate, pp. 19-20, scanned article hosted by the brand. Records first sale in 1968 and Ray Botting's account of initial brewing on November 21, 1967, followed by bottling in July 1968.
Ben McFarland, "Thomas Hardy's Ale," The Oxford Companion to Beer. Supports the Dorchester origin, literary inspiration, bottle conditioning, cellaring, and 1974 return.
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