Gales Millennium Brew

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

A rare beer brought by Laurent Mousson, 7 years old, in the classic Gale’s corked bottle
Brown color; almost flat. Wood, cask, cork, caramel aroma, too much alcohol. A bit thin; Madeira character, very complex and peculiar, but also too much alcoholic.

Pours very oily apple cider color. Aroma is apple cider with white wine and vinegar. Flavor is rancid cider with some alcohol kick. Definately past it’s prime, but I bet it was good a few years ago.

Cork was very difficult to remove. Pours a very dark iced tea color with just a little bit of sediment. Lots of small bubbles cling to the glass, but no head. A slightly oxidized aroma of a maple syrup. Hints of cherries and dried apricots. An intriguing aroma that I have found in other older Gale’s brews. The taste is older iced tea with some oak and a slightly sweet finish of dried apricots and some almonds. Strangely interesting. Flavor finishes a little tart. I think that this is enjoyable if you like older brews. This is probably a little past its prime.

No head, just a couple of large bubbles clingling to life on the surface. No carbonation either. Slightly sour aroma with lots of caramel and wet leather. Color is a very murky dark reddish brown. Flavor is flat and and gritty. Not as sour as I expected. Almost remids me of bad wine like Nighttrain or something like that. Sharp grapes with a strong alcohol kick. Finish is smooth and alcoholic. I imagine it was better in its prime. Oxidation? who knows.

Medium orangey amber body with absolutely no head. The aroma is brightly fruity, herbal with notes of wood. The flavor is dry, with a bit of butter. There’s also a vague kriek lambic quality to the aroma, but there’s not the big sourness to back it up. An interesting, vinuous beer, but not really something you’re going to want to try more than once.

amber-brown colour, absolutely no foam, wood, herbs, licorice and alcohol in the nose, no carbonation, dry and bitter, long bitter alcohol finish - strange and not really my kind of beer

Pop on the cork, and with the pour.... carbonation! Attractive deep copper. Sherry and nutty aroma. Some oxidation in the aroma. Raisin and touch of must in the flavor. Dryish, with well hidden alcohol. Definitely has a sourness to it, I agree that its rather kriekish, but hiding its alcohol quite well. Probably right about the end of its lifespan.

Pours no head. Its a slightly darkened red whiskey color, with a hint of cloudiness. Pretty big musty/yeasty orange rind aroma along with some brown sugared eggs. Slightly sour bitterness with a soda cracker like plain/stale twang. Nothing too bad, but not exceptional. The alcohol is well masked though.