Gales Conquest Ale Masterbrew

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Barley Wine
Horndean, England

Head consists of maybe 10 bubbles. Cloudy brown, looks pretty gross. Aroma was nice, vinous and malty. Taste is vinous and thick, with over the top malty sweetness. Dark molassis in the finish. Only slightly oxidized. This would have been good 2 years ago....or maybe 2 years in the future.

Draft @ Buckeye 4-02-05. Hazy orange -brown color, no head. Has an orange citrus feel, chewy, woody, whiskey. Gets a little sweet.

bottle from brickskeller. this one’s been around for a while (4 years, if the description on ratebeer is right). pours a slightly cloudy copper color, low carbonation. aroma is very fruity, estery. flavor is a bold mix of peach, various fruits, and a noticably boozy note. not hoppy enough for my taste...possibly lost some of it over the 4 years.

Woody with a whiskey-like aroma. The flavor was Acidic and fruity while flat and thin. Finish is dry with a strong sour aftertaste. Not one of my favorite Barley wine’s

On tap @ Buckeye British Ale Fest 4/1/05: Hazy coppery medium amber w/a short lived, thin, off white head. Toasted malt, raisiny, slighlty cinnamon & green apple aromas. Caramel malt, sweet brown sugar, and sort of port like as well. Well balanced & very caramelly. Herbal hop is light. Raisiny, port like flavors, medium sweet finish. Green apple, raisiny finish & aftertaste; also has hints of sourness. Medium body, low carbonation, smooth m/f. Nice & malty, just the way I like it. This beer was sort of like drinking a caramel apple. Nice complexities, very drinkable.

Absolutely no head with only a slight bit of carbonation. Sour fruit aroma. Pretty sure this is not how it is supposed to smell for a barleywine. Vinuous, almost smells like a blush wine. Color is a slightly cloudy dark brown amber. Flavor is flat and weak. Barleywine my butt. Sour flavor. Little bit of caramel and fruit. Warming from the alcohol which is still apparently present. Dry puckering finish with more wine qualities. I am constantly dissapointed with these George Gale brews. They do not age very well although they should. And after all that work of removing a cork from a 9.3 oz bottle. What a waste. Should be more of a reward.

As suggested by Silktork, neutral rating. This beer was overwhelmingly soured with infection. There was ample carbonation, but the head fades to nothing. The aroma, although it resembled a lambic, was not much more than sour, with no dimention. Flavor was malty but sour, and I thougnt I coulld detect some hops underneath. Being a homebrewer, I have tasted this before. Also noted a ring on the neck of the bottle.

Pours without any head so the glass is squeaky clean. Cloudy amber color with chunky bits left in bottle. No carbonation and medium bodied. Nose is raisins and prunes. Starts on the sweet side, malts are there and the hops are hidden some alcohol overtones. Nice Old ale, the 275ml bottle is not enough, $5.49 from Oliver’s Beverage Albany, NY.