Brewed By:
J.W. Lees
Self-Defined Style:
Barley Wine J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale is only brewed once a year for release on December 1 of each year. It is a Limited Edition Vintage to celebrate the first brew from each year's harvest of barley and hops. Pale in color it has a warm, estery aroma, a good deal of malty flavors on the palate, and a lot of hoppy dryness in the finish.
Best With:
Primarily thought of as a digestif, it turns out that barley wines have an affinity to lamb, venison and wild boar. Classic cheeses such as English and Vermont cheddars as well as aged Gruyeres from Switzerland. Caramelized desserts as crème brûlée and crepes as well as a good vanilla ice cream can finish a wonderful evening of food and beer.
Special Attributes:
Big Beer (+8.0% ABV)
Special Attributes:
Dessert Beer
Special Attributes:
Vintage Beer (Evolves with Age) 
Comments
J.W. Less Harvest Ale 2008
Appearance: poured from bottle into Brooklyn tulip sniffed. bronze clear bright hues of Orange light off white head light carbonation.
Aroma: maple, honey, cooked Apple, peach cobbler. alcohol liquer or port.
Taste: grainy notes in younger vintages are fading, still a touch woody and grassy hay, gives way to sherry, port wine, pinot, fresh maple syrup, raw honey.
Mouthfeel: full bodied, warming with still some touch of bitterness, still slightly astringent. very sweet coating finish balanced by the alcohol.
Overall: Just beginning the peaking process in aging. Will only try any vintage of this beer again completely fresh or four plus years of age. Love it but a gem with more time.