Gales Prize Old Ale Special Reserve

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Old Ale
Horndean, England

Beautiful deep light chestnut body with a very slight haze, big bubbled off white lasting head (A prime example of what this kind of beer should look like); Amazing nose, the barrels gives the usual Prize Old Ale notes the final and perfect touch, an amazingly deep super balanced mix of caramel, fruits accompanied by a barrel warmth, amazing; Amazing body too, super soft velvet texture, very very little sharp carbonation biting the tip of your tongue, amazingly complex and perfectly balanced, a perfect salt sweet touch; It finishes a very little to short, the only not perfect part of this beer, superb balance in both aromas and texture, alcohol bite from the Calvados barrels is very well fitting and perfectly balanced. This is a prime example of what barrels can do to a beer, something every other brewer playing with barrels could learn from. Why is this style of beer disappering? I don’t know what this world is coming to!!!

2003 bottle, thanks to WeeHeavySD for sharing. Pours a hazy, muddy, dark brown with no real head. Huge apple aroma, with a lot of spices, like a good apple cider, with a hint of booze and malt. Huge sweet malt taste, with apples and alcohol. Lingering richness. Fantastic, like sipping a great liqueur.

From Badgerben. This is great stuff, and I can’t believe there are only 31 ratings. A stereotypical English style, but at the top of its class, and I think it is more of a barleywine than an old ale. Butterscotch aroma with malt. No carbonation. Some apple and spice, like calvados, and oak. Very smooth and easy to drink. Excellent.

Bottle with that sticker added. Pours orange and clear with no carbonation. Marvelous aroma of sherried plums, raisins and calvados. Flavor is a combination of maple sugar, malt, and sherry. Very liquor-like. Dry finish.

9.3 oz bottle, Vintage 2003, via beerbeing. Pours a slightly cloudy amber brown body with absolutely no head. Completely still. Nose is classic Gales, very vinous with some fruity apple, light oak, light alcohol, and just a little oxidation. Flavor is a nice fruity vinous mix of apple, toffee, light oxidation, and slight alcohol. Finishes with some hints of oak tannins and moist tobacco. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with a slight sweetness that clings a little on the finish. Completely still carbonation level, which really enhances the vinous nature. Overall, this was another winner from Gales, wish this would come back. Delicious to a Gales fan, not so sure about if you aren’t.

Cellar Reduction Night, Oct 20, 2007. Murky brown color with no head. Very sweet malt aroma. The taste is much the same, with some mild apple from the Calvados cask. Some molasses. A little syrupy. Delicious. Wish I would have bought a few more a few years ago.

Clear rufous. Thick body coats the sides of the glass. Lovely aroma of sugared malts and apple brandy. Musty wood undertones coupled with melted dates, rose, dessert apples, honeyed graham, and sherry. Soft and slippery on the tongue. Completely still. Multilayered with sweet malt flavors topped with spicy alcohol, early on. The already-massive body gains more thickness and rich fruit flavors due to the extensive Calvados-aging. Alcohol is more restrained in the center, allowing the tangy plums and vague sherry tones to briefly penetrate. Plump apples and fresh wood provide a solid counterpoint to the malty richness. Short-lived buttered toffee notes are curbed by the sharp alcohol toward the finish. Tannic astringency soon grabs foothold and encompasses the immensely bready Maris Otter malt base. Toffee and hints of chocolate linger on as the tannins continue to tickle the palate and clash with the alcohol. My only complaint is the brash alcohol in the finish. Otherwise a superb brew that will unite and fascinate malt fans and Calvados fans.

Cloudy oxidized copper color with a few tiny bubbles rimming the glass. Sweet fruity and malty aromas. Lots of apple cidre as expected, mild raisins, hints of floral hops. Fairly thin feel, but it works well with all that is going on it this one. Light sweet malt start with a touch of wood. Middle seems to be lost, but the finish is warming alcohol and and flavors of sherry and maple candi. Wonderful long linger of butterscotch with a mild brandy kick. The youngest of any of the Gales I have tried, and likely the highest rated. I will be nipping at the last half glass for some time. Noticed the aroma gains significantly as this one warms. More malty and full with less Calvados influence. Thanks SecretSantaScott ala Tom.