Gales Conquest Ale Masterbrew

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Barley Wine
Horndean, England

2001 Bottle: Tastes like an English Ale with no carbonation. Flat. Malty. No hops. Disgusting aroma like a locker room full of dirty socks saturated with sweat. Crap now. May have been very good in 2001. But I am drinking it now.

2001 Bottle: Poured a clear amber with no head. Aroma, boozy dried fruits, some sherry notes, and hints of port wine. Flavor, traces of honey, but really just very bland, completely flat, it really just didn’t have any flavor what so ever.

I found it to be raisiny, almost Madeira-like, also pleasantly nutty and malty. True to aged Old Ale fashion, it had almost no head to it at all -- but, this is aged brew, so you mustn’t think of it as "flat" beer. No more than you’d consider whisky to be flat. It does profit from being consumed not cold from the fridge, but letting the temperature rise some. It got better as it got warmer. I also found it best by itself (in sips, not gulps!), or with salted nuts. I remember thinking it might pair well with mild Asian (Chinese) cuisine.

Copper in colour, no head, no lacing, lots of floaties. The aroma is sour and acidic, no malts, light sugary sweetness. The flavour is very sour, tart, some vinegar, very light bitterness, musty, some citrus. Fizzy mouthfeel, thin body, prickly carbonation. Finishes thin and sour. Wow, if this was a Lambic the scores would be higher. No longer has any Barley Wine characteristics, just a sour mess.

275ml bottle from the <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/new-york target=blank>Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York.
Purchased in November 2004 and opened on September 15, 2007.
Vintage 2001.

bottle, 2001 vintage. Aroma smells like stank vagina, and alcohol (I’m being serious). Medium cognac brown hue with no head and no lace. Flavor is better than smell but is still weird and with a metalic after taste. Palate is thin, watery, and flat. What a piece of crap, not worth a second look.

Looks like garbage in the glass. Pours absolutely no head at all and has a muddy amber colour. I think this one might be infected or could have been stored improperly prior to purchasing it at Half Time in Poughkeepsie, NY. I’m not implying at all that Half Time had anything to do with this. Vinous and sour nose with tons of oak, molases, sherry and port notes, and poorly hidden alcohol. Flavour is tart and winey with no carbonation at all; I think this one is definitely bad. There is some caramel, port, raisin and rotten cherry. The lack of carbonation is really offensive on the palate. Horribly thin, watery and short palate that can’t support flavour for more than a second. Alcohol is poorly hidden in the flavour, too. Because I’m a real man, I don’t do drain pours, but this was just not enjoyable at all.

From notes 2/2007. Pours a clouded orange brown with no head. Nose is strong with alcohol and a very slight touch of fruit. Flavor is tangy with a woody presence. Feel is thin with little carbonation to speak of. Very drinkable, though the extreme tang of it might not be appreciated by some. I am glad to have gotten the last bottle where I did, but even if it were available, I wouldn’t go for it again.

Name: Conquest Ale
Date: 04/21/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, 50 More Beers on the Wall
Vintage: 2001

clear dark amber, headless, fruity dark caramel aroma with a slight tart edge, a bit thin, winey fruity flavor, caramel sweetness, green apple tartness,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4