Gales Jubilee Ale

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Barley Wine
Horndean, England

Bottled. Dark amber. Rich woody malty nose. Extremely malty, gente warming mouthfeel, incredibly rich, but still not overly sweet. Mature with notes of fine malt whiskey, really complex. By far the best example of British barleywine I’ve sampled.

Carmel color and flat. Rich fruity aroma of plum and raisin and many other fruits that I cannot identify. it just smells good. Malty sweet flavor, that has notes of fruit and even maple syrup. No real hop to mention. A little alcohol in the background. Well aged flavor as well. A most notable find!

Orange brown beer. Fruity aroma with chocolate and malty tones. Almonds, kernellike. Vinous flavor with pear ,cinnamon, raisin and molasses tones. Dry with big bitter finish. Like a white german wine of really good quality paired with lots of hops. You will become a monarchist for less. Definitely one of the best beers i´ve ever tasted.

Splendidly aged barleywine! Color has taken on a very tannic deep orange, oaken shade. No carbonation but for a slight suggestion on the finish (yet to the chagrin of many, myself not included, for a beer to be truly historic this will be a very common feature save in the Belgian family which has spontaneous carbonation). Strong but basic malty element to the aroma. Full of dry-yeasty, malty raisin element as the base of the flavor, with a strong wild cherry/lemonade tang that’s provocative yet pleasing on the palate both in the mouth and in the finish. I’m not a big fan of barleywine but for this I’ll make an exception (probably the best I’ve ever had of this style, in fact) -- it may better to let barleywines age a few years in general if they’re to be given proper credit. Yes, the alcohol in this beer is extremely well hidden -- making only a quick sensory presence late in the finish. Hail to the Queen!

Bleak caramel. Foamless. Classic Gale sweet and sour, vinous aroma. Vague notes of alcohol drenched bread, mint, cinnamon, lemon, must, caramel, ginger, apple jelly, maple, wood, diacetyl, toasted bread, metal, sherry, fig, and biscuit. Thick, soft mouthfeel. Minuscule carbonation. But who cares? Apple, iron, and concord grape notes alongside firm woodish notes, must, caramel, candied pecan, bready maris otter, and traditional earthy hops. Faint leathery bitterness. Warming vinous finish matched with mellow shades of iron and apple. Leave it to Gale and Co. to astound me yet again with their masterful display of rich, complex, luscious malts. Complex, given its array of subtleties.

Seems to have been released in 2002. Aroma of dark fruit and alcohol. Not plummy, just dark. The color is brandy with ruby glints. Head? At 12% and aged, I don’t think so. Starts with wood, smooth malt sweetness, some arguable raisin. Finishes astringent rather than bitter. Very smooth. There is some bitter in the finish, and it arguably balances the malt. The finish suggests aging in brandy barrels. Get this if you can. There will be no more. In February there were a very few at Tops in Phoenix. Reminds me of the stronger Sam Adams beers. Like weak Calvados, rather than strong beer. Here’s to Gales. May it long be remembered.

Very fruity beer. Dark brown in color. Yeasty. Very complex maltiness. Rich and complex beer. Enjoyable.

Finally a beer from this brewery I like. Smells like a molasses barleywine, as it should. Very very woody flavor and a funky finish. Different, but nice.