Gales Conquest Ale Masterbrew

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Barley Wine
Horndean, England

Caramel port like aroma. Copper color Totally flat beer with no head. Oaky medicinal initial taste. The finish has a intriguing smokiness with raisin. For me, this beer is more like a port than a beer.

Thanks to MW for the warehouse-stored sample. Corked 11.2-oz bottle poured into snifter glass. Wow, is this beer ever sour! Sourness prevails, with hints of caramel and fruit. Somewhat acidic. I’d like to get my hands on more of this. (Yes, I’m a fan of sour beers and this is truly unique!)

2001 Vintage - Just ever so slightly past it’s prime, or perhaps that is the way it’s supposed to taste, either way.not my bag baby. Vinous and sour, stale fruits and some old musty caramel maltiness.

. . . and now to find out if this was a mistake to pick up @ Hi-Time Wine. 9.3oz bottle, no date. I see this was from 2001 now. Hazy orange with some light brown highlights and about two bubbles for a head, but only from how I pour. . ...Aroma of vinegar and acidic fruits--mainly lemons, sour grapes, and unripened oranges. Some old stale caramel is present if I sit with my nose in the beer for a bit. Flavor is still sour and acidic, but not as much as the aroma had let on. Added flavors are raisins and light leather with a tang, if that makes sense. Some nice caramel sweetness does come forth a little stronger as well, probably what was combating the sourness. Alcohol is present but very nicely warming in the back of the throat. Bitterness peaked at a 2-3. Full bodied with just the slightest tingle of carbonation. I don’t necessarily need to try this again, but I did enjoy what this was.

275ml bottle, 2001 vintage, cork finished. Clear copper with no head - this is a still beer. Big raisiny nose, brown sugar and alcohol, some fig and date. As interesting as the nose was, the flavor is pretty boring - mildly vinous and boozy, oxidation is apparent. Oily, medium-full body. Meh. Guess this one got away...

275ml bottle, 2001 vintage according to the description here. Sweet, vinous aroma with notes of madeira, light brown sugar, cotton candy, tobacco, golden raisin and honey, along with faint wafts of medicinal alcohol. Mostly clear light-medium orange in color, no head or lacing to speak of. Flavor begins predominantly sweet and malty but with a rather incongruous tartness in the background and touches of apple wine throughout, finishing cidery and gently acidic, some faint cherry late. Mouthfeel is smooth and thin, body is fairly full. I’m not sure what this would have been like fresh, but it doesn’t seem to have aged very gracefully.

Bottle, 2001. Pours an attractive rust color with long legs and no carbonation to speak of. The aroma is very nice- raisin, plum, sweet fruitiness, and toffee. The flavor is lots of tannic bitterness, some raisin and sweet malt, and some really harsh ash and leather tones. The finish is a tad acidic. The mouthfeel is very offputting... viscous in a slightly slimy sort of way without any carbonation to liven things up. I wasn’t able to finish the bottle.

275 ml, 2001 vintage. Clear and dark red-brown (looking not at all like what is pictured in the glass to the left!), with no carbonation at all. Nice aroma of spicy fruitcake, with raisins, and rum icing. Also some musty leather. The dark fruit front turns to some nice oak and earthy merlot flavors. Mild chewing tobacco aftertaste. Body is light-medium, smooth, and watery. Surprisingly good; the other aged Gales I have sampled were awful.