Harvey's Elizabethan Ale

Wow. This was a random purchase at Galeville or Party Source. 8.1%. More or less an old ale? Or a stock. Not sure what the difference really is. Bottled in 1998. This stuff is just fucking gorgeous and I wish I had discovered it sooner. Huge brandyish nose rife with dried fruits and chocolate. Very much like chocolate and dark, dark sour cherries. Rich, viscous palate that is sweet, but not at all cloying--very well balanced by a sizeable amount of hops, but quite without roughness. The fact that it's been in bottle for SEVEN YEARS can't hurt. I was still taking graduate seminars when they bottled this thing. Wonderfully lingering brandy/sherry finish. Very sherry-ish actually. Nosed around a little on line but there's not a lot on this beer. It's brewed with Maris Otter, Pipkin, and Crystal malts, hopped with Golding, Progress, and Fuggle, with a dry-hopping of the latter. DAMN, I like this. Bottle # 4892, you rock. This should encourage me to do some Old British Beers.