Gales Prize Old Ale

Brewed by Fullers
Style: Old Ale
London, England

A: pours nut brown with no head, and when I same none, it was flat with none to be found. The strange thing is there are lots of tiny bubbles stuck to the side of the glass. S: Lots of candy sugar and dark fruits. Plums and Figs mainly. T: Pretty flat tasting as well. There is a bit of sweetness but it finishes mildly dry and tart. Dark fruits are the taste with raisins dominating. M: Pretty Flat. Nothing to write home about.

1998 bottle. Pours murky black with a green tinge and no head, just a few tiny bubbles.There is a strong sour apple aroma and a plum and treacle flavor that has lost its punch over the past decade of aging. It’s interesting, but not as tasty as the fresh bottles I consumed many years ago.

’96 @Tampa Wkly Gathering-500ml bottle–Thanks Ibrew2or3-pours no head and dark red color. Aroma is cherry/raisin/plum, earthy. Taste is cherry/raisin/plum, earthy, sweet medium malt. Some tanins. Mild/minimum carbonation.

Bottle thanks to ericandersnavy. Pours a dark brown with somewhat small off-white head. Aroma is nice, light apple, nice tartness, light dark fruit and a little alcohol spice. Flavor is exactly the same, nice tart back end. Mouth feel is medium body with high carbonation. Overall, very interesting tasty beer, a sour lover should enjoy this as well, it’s oddly refreshing and yet very warming....it actually makes a tasty, refreshing beer for the summer and a tasty warming beer during the winter....Very nice beer.

Bottle courtesy of ericandersnavy. Dark brown pour with tan hues. Sweet heavy notes with rich bread and alcohol. Hello tartness! Again you rear your ugly head. Huge sour notes that pucker the palate. Taste has some dark notes but a strange tart element. Aftertaste is all bitter sour. Unfortunate.

Bottle from ericandersnavy. Pours a deep brown. Aroma is alcohol and vinegar. Tastes like vinegar, bad wine, grapes, and alcohol. Sour and tart in the back of the throat.

VINTAGE: 1997 BOTTLE #3105 Deep, dark mahogany color with tinges of amber and garnet around the edges. Head is all but non-existant. Almost no bubbles at all. Not surprising, considering its age. Still, it leaves a nice, almost oily looking, skirt on the glass. Very Port-like in it’s smell. Almost wine-y with a slight soy sauce note. Sweet dark maltiness is buried in there. Overripe dark cherries and figs. Very Portesque in the taste department, also. Tart, dry cherries mix with a touch of oakiness. A hint of burgundy. Some light, mild spices. Only a slight detction of alcohol. Lots going on here, but a little bit out-of-balance, I think. Very winelike in it’s body. No carbonation. Smooth and viscous. Very much a sipper bottle. Like a nice dessert wine. Would be excellent with a nice bleu cheese.

Bottle. Bottled 2005 BB february 2010. Dark brown with no carbonation at all. Totally flat. Aroma strongly oxidized , overripe fruit, not pleasant. Taste vinegar, sour, no sweetness at all. Alcoholic. I wonder, how this beer is supposed to taste, this isn´t nice at all. It seems to be far beyond the best before date and simply spoilt by the ageing. I must try this one another time, as it had gone really bad.