Gales Christmas Ale

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: English Strong Ale
Horndean, England

Bottle 2003 vintage poured a clear reddish orange with a minimal lingering ring of amber foam. Aromas of fruitiness, carmel and coriander. Palate was light bodied and smooth. Flavors of fruitiness, carmel and coriander with a smooth lingering lightly tart finish.

This felt like it was retired. The year was 2003 and it felt like it had changed. No carbonation, and a little sour. Maybe it was better while it still had a job.

9.3 oz bottle with no year indicated. Cloudy amber beer with a thin fine-laced white head. Aroma is quite nice, rich sweet caramelly malt, lightly oxidized with a lovely spearmint, clove, cinnamon and ginger aroma. Lightly plummy and sweet. Flavour is still fairly sweet, with quite a bit of sherryish notes showing. Light plums and dried apricot. Very fruity. Soft carbonation and decent palate. Minty and spicy with a soft lingering dried fruit. The first of these old Gale’s beers that seems to have held up pretty well. Lingering mint and spice with a soft hoppy fruity finish. Lingering ginger and light apple/pear flavour. A little light on the palate, and with a light tartness. Much better than I expected and a steal at $2 a bottle.

9.3oz 2001 corked bottle. Good aromas of barleyy grain and malted caramel. Diry dishwater colored body with no head. Waterdown flat and some resemblace that it was beer is it had some caramel flavor. Uck and at 5 bucks a bottle no wonder its retired.

Found this well um gem, and figured had to try it. not sure how long it has been on the shelf but lets say there was a bit of dust on the bottle. Orangish amber brew, barely any head visible, very cloudy and heavy large sediment. Very heavy sweet cider aroma, with a foboding sourness. Extremely sour apple then bitterness flavor. ugg not drinkable. Oww.

2002 bottle purchased at Falling Rock Tap House. Pours clear tawny with no head, rather like syrup. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel), average hops (flowers, grass), average yeast (earth) with notes of green apple and brown sugar. Full bodied, oily texture, flat carbonation, and a bitter finish. Long duration, light sweetness and acidity, moderate bitterness; some vinegar notes. This one may be well past its prime.

330. Corked. Pours caramelly golden brown. Virtually headless. Laceless. Big caramel and honey nose. Medium sticky body. Honey, plums, caramel, and toast on the mid-palate. Clean, fairly neutral finish. This is a nice little sweet winter beer, pleasant.

Vintage 2001 corked, bought in Buffalo. Pours like a wine, reddish and murky. Absolutely no head with a few bubbles. Sweet like a sour wine, I would think that it’s gone bad except for the other reviews in here. Tastes like a slightly sour wine, a bit smokey with notes of apple followed by a bitter aftertaste. Has no real body. It’s ok, but can’t really think of a time that I’d actually want to drink it :)