Gales Trafalgar 200

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Old Ale
Horndean, England

I bought this in 2005 and have cellared it until now, July 07. It has been stored lying down as the bottle says. When I remove the foil around the cork, I can see it has leaked a bit, and there is a thick layer of dark green mould on the top of the cork, and it’s difficult to remove. The beer is light mahogany and has a small, but firm head. The aroma is vinous with notes of sherry, plum and sweetness, but also some vinegar. The mouthfeel is oily. The flavour has notes of sherry, raisin, plum and a dry bitterness. But sadly also a sharp vinegar-sourness, that disturbs me quite a bit. The finish is very salty. I don’t think this one has developed as it should.... 2460

Flaske. Er meget i tvivl om denne øl. Nærmest portvin til at begynde med, men med en sur note der er meget gennemtrængende. Til at begynde med lå den en del lavere som rating end den jeg har givet den. Men langsomt vokser den på en. Meget mystisk øl, men sjov oplevelse.

27.5 cL bottle (2005), thanks to faroeviking. Pours amber to deep orange with no head. Aroma is dark malty, slight dried fruity. Flavour is slight sour portish, still dry and also dark malty flavoured. Slight woody finish. Nice but somewhat too old in flavour.

Bottle 2005. Shared with Grovlam and yespr. Pours a a nice amberish colour with no head at all. The aroma is sweet and bready, alcoholic with dark fruits. Thick and sticky flat mouthfeel. The flavour is is toffee sweet with a good soft roasty maltiness, plenty of dark fruits, alcohol, bitter and with a slight tobacco touch. Quite vinous port!

Bottle. [Courtesy of faroeviking , tasting @ yespr] No head what so ever. Some thick oily lacework in glass. Particles in flow. Light cloudy amber colour. Heavy malty bread aroma, caramel, raisin. Very vinous, with a mix of fruit. Light pepper feel over the palate. Medium to full bodied with a light alcoholic texture and a flat carbonation. Moderated to heavy sweet flavour. Port wine like sweet raisin finish that lingers.

Tasted 2007-06-18. Two years old. 27,5cl. The cork was in a hurry. Poured orange, clear with a white/yellowish head. Aroma of raisins, basement, port, dirt. Actually not bad. Taste is primarily bitterness and acid. Some prunes also. It’s not very accessible. Also figgs, grape fruit, cough sirup in there. I’m puzzled by this beer. I feel like it should have either 20 or 0 in the general grade. Well I made my choice!

Interesting beer, I guess the infected flavour imparts a certain historic authenticity to the experience. Sour, with some dried apricot, rancio and higher alcohols. Smooth warm finish.

A Mes rate: Bottle at Chrisfest.
When Gales get it right it’s just bloody lovely. A rare and special treat. Aged old barley wine. Superbly smooth on the palate. A simply excellent old ale. There is so much going on. Toffee apples, cheeries, port, definite sherry, a lovely bitterness and just a hint of acidity. A great beer and a fine way to finish a superb bottle fest.