Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
. The brand has gone under numerous owners over the years, but now is currently brewed under contract at
Meantime Brewery
Meantime Brewing Company is a brewery based in Greenwich, London, England, and owned by Japan's Asahi Breweries .
The company was founded by Alastair Hook in 1999, and was purchased by SABMiller in May 2015. As part of the agreements made with r ...
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History
In 1968, Eldridge Pope Brewery created a barley wine recipe to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the death of Thomas Hardy. A pint bottle sold for an English pound, a large sum of money at the time. It was meant to be a one-off brew, but in 1974 a second vintage was created. In 1999 the brewery stopped making the beer and the following year the brewery shuttered its doors. In 2003 beverage exporter George Saxon bought the recipe and licensed it to be produced by O'Hanlon’s Brewery, but that arrangement ended in 2008. In 2013 Interbrau purchased the recipe and after three years began brewing the beer at Meantime Brewing.
Products
Each label has the date and batch number. The original label suggested "This beer will improve if kept lying down at 55°F 3°Cand will last at least 25 years. DO NOT OPEN BEFORE JULY 1969.”
See also
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Barrel-aged beer
A barrel-aged beer is a beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel. Typically, these barrels once housed bourbon, whisky, wine, or, to a lesser extent, brandy, sherry, or port.Official website English beer brands