I’m writing about wine this week but I’m not encroaching on Julia Jenkins’ territory for this is about barley wine. It was developed in the 18th and 19th centuries when Britain was often at war with France and patriots refused to drink French wine.

As a result, brewers made strong ales that were drunk with meals and replaced the produce from across the Channel.

Even when peace was restored, barley wine continued to be brewed and one of the most popular versions was Thomas Hardy’s Ale.

The beer commemorates the life of the novelist who lived and worked in Dorchester. The ale named in his honour has a turbulent history that could have stepped from the pages of one of his Wessex novels.

The original brewery, Eldridge Pope, closed in 2003. The brand was bought by George Saxon, an American beer importer, who had it brewed by O’Hanlon’s Brewery near Exeter.

It stopped making the ale in 2008 as it interfered with the production of the regular beers.

In 2013 George Saxon sold the rights to Thomas Hardy’s Ale to Sandro and Michele Vecchiato who own Brew Invest, Italian drinks importers and exporters.

In 2015 they launched an edition brewed by Meantime Brewery in Greenwich, London. Meantime was bought by the Asahi brewing group that also owns Fuller’s in Chiswick.

When Asahi closed Meantime, the Vecchiato brothers looked for a new home for the beer, which they felt had to be in England to be true to its roots.

The new edition has been brewed at the Hepworth Brewery in West Sussex, with Master Brewer Derek Prentice in charge.

Eldridge Pope brewed the beer as a one-off in 1968 for a literary festival that marked the 40th anniversary of Hardy’s death.

The beer was based on a 19th-century recipe and was aged in wine casks. It created so much interest that it became an annual vintage.

Thomas Hardy would no doubt have approved of the beer. In his novel The Trumpet Major he described the beer of Casterbridge – his name for Dorchester in his novels – as “the most beautiful colour the eye of an artist in beer could desire, full in body, yet brisk as a volcano, piquant, yet without a twang; luminous as an autumn sunset; free from streakiness of taste, but, finally, rather heady”.

At 11.3 per cent ABV the beer is certainly heady. As it’s bottled conditioned with yeast it will age and mature, and will also gain a little more in strength.

The version of Thomas Hardy’s Ale Derek Prentice has brewed is made with pale malt, a small amount of crystal malt and cane syrup. The hops are Fuggles and Goldings.

The beer is matured for three months and yeast is pitched several times to ensure a strong fermentation continues.

The finished beer has a red-bronze colour with a massive hit of caramel and sultana fruit on the nose, with hints of butterscotch and sweet grain. Luscious vinous fruit dominates the palate with notes of caramel and spice.

The finish is smooth and mellow with sweet grain, sultana fruit, butterscotch and a gentle hint of spicy hops.

The Vecchiato brothers also asked Derek to produce a “historical” version. It’s the same beer and strength but, in the manner of the beer brewed by Eldridge Pope, it has been aged in French wine casks for three months.

It’s a little darker and has an oak aroma with vinous fruit. The palate is sweet and vinous with a continuing oak note and gentle spicy hops.

The finish is long with Cognac notes, sweet grain and a hint of hops. It’s a memorable beer and one to lay down and treasure.

The beers are available from the British distributor James Clay: www.jamesclay.co.uk.