Gales Prize Old Ale Special Reserve

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Old Ale
Horndean, England

Bottled. Amber coloured. Unclear. Sweet and fruity aroma with some pruny notes. Alcohol, madeira and calvados comes to mind when drinking this. Is medium bodied. Has a alcoholdense and warming end. Quite good.

(Bottle 27,5 cl) Pours an unclean, muddy brown with the tiniest, off-white head. Completely flat. Vinous and very alcoholic sherry like nose. Medium-bodied with lots of caramel and oak and overripe fruit. Ends on an alcoholic bitterness. Very subdued bitterness. An experience indeed. 290806

Bottled. Slightly hazy amber coloured. Loads of calvados in the aroma. Slightly oxidized flavour with dark fruits, wood and malts. Sweet and soft. Alcoholic apple finish. Pleasant. Low carbonation level.

2003 bottle reads: "Matured in Estate E. Dupont Normandie, France Calvados casks for 7 months in 2003." The stinkin’ bottle was impossible to open, as the cork broke all up multiple times. Managed to save the beer w/ only one little cork crumb floating on top after about 10-15 mins of work. The color is cloudy, muddy brown with no head. The aroma is sharp and vinous, lots of alcohol that ain’t hiding. The flavor is sharply vinous, somewhat cider like, raisins, oak, and again alcohol. Did I mention alcohol? Like an excellent wine (although I wouldn’t know one). This one definitely talks to you and finishes with a slightly acidic mouthfeel, moderate to heavy body. Very different from Old Peculiar.

275ml corked bottle. 2003 Vintage. Tasted side by side with a regular ’02 vintage. Unlike the regular ’02 we opened, this one did not pop and poured rather flat. Poured a medium to deep and cloudy brownish color with virtually no head. Aromas of vanilla, wood, caramel, cherries, and all around vinous. Tastes of cherries, light vanilla, and some caramel. Stronger alcohol in the finish. Almost remined me of cough syrup. Enjoyed the regular one much better.

Poured a murky brown color with no head or lacing. Aroma of vanilla, caramel, apples, spices, and nuts. Taste of spruce, caramel malts, citrus fruits, some cardboard, and sharp alcohol.

Thanks to hopdog. Bottle from 2003. Tasted side to side with the regular version. Pours a hazy darker orange amber with no head. Aroma was vinous, vanilla, caramel and dark fruits. Flavors were similar, it was smooth but very flast compared to the regular version.

Smells of light fruit in the nose. Pours out an interesting orange color. Tastes of strong whiskey. In my opinion the whiskey flavor overpowers, which makes it a fairly harsh brew. It was a very interesting drink, but it is not something that I would drink again.