Gales Conquest Ale Masterbrew

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Barley Wine
Horndean, England

Serve in Snifter

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Had this at Where The Wild Beers Are. Pours a hazey amber with a thin white head. Big malt, chewy malt and sweetness. Tastes of malty candies, with lots of notes from those little hard pear candies that come in a tin. Chewy malt with sweetness, old and degraded.

Bottle poured at WtWBA Brooklyn 2013. Pours a deep brown, mahogany body with no head and very minor lacing. Aroma is sweet vanilla, maple, malt, prune and grain. Mouthfeel is medium with similar notes in the flavor. I wasn’t a huge fan of this offering, personally; however the barrel conditioned version (in whiskey blended with wine barrels) made for an interesting evolution bringing out more of a sour wine flavor along with oak, vanilla and malt.

Bottle shared by afdempse. Thanks Adam. Vintage 2000 Alas, the decrepit cork did not survive the meeting with the corkscrew. After the cork debacle, the beer appeared a rusty orange hue, bordering on copper. No head, no lacing. The aroma was of malt, alcohol, and light citrus. The flavor still had a healthy alcohol presence, despite the age of the bottle. Also present was a dank cardboard flavor. Malt and subtle notes of citrus comprise the rest of the flavor. All in all, pretty bland. The feel was more akin to a liquor than a beer. Mouthfeel was thin and watery, with virtually no carbonation. I have had several beers by George Gale over the years. Various vintages and brews, random settings. I have yet to have one that has aged well, or that I would like to have again. Overall, a disappointment. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 09-25-2011

250ml corked bottle. It pours a nice but flat cognac color. Crystal clear. The smell is of rich toffee, golden raisins, honey, fortified wine. I really like it actually. The flavor is earthy, slightly tart but by no means sour. A hint of vegetation comes in as is standard for some aged english beers. Toffee and dark fruits. I actually think it is very good. Not sure about the reviews shit-bagging it.

on tap at Beer Table - After 10 years in the barrel, this beer is no longer a barley wine. I was guessing an unenthusiastic wild ale. The body is syrupy without actually being sweet due to lots a citrus, grapefruit and cranberry. Medicinal and dry. The pour is a vibrant dark red, with no head or carbination. taste was slightly vineous, and with the alcohol heat, felt like I was drinking a dry, red wine. Not bad, but probably not worth the $7/8oz that I paid.

It should be noted that I am trying the Conquest Old Ale 2000 on draft, so this may not be representative of the bottled version. The smell is sweet and sour, like a spirit more than a beer. It pours a light amber with no head. Tastes of cinnamon, apple, pepper, lemon, charcoal (hint), bit of salt. Easy to drink, with no stickiness, and a mild aftertaste of hops and spices.

Not sure what to make of this. It being brewed in 2001 it may have turned or been improperly cellared by the beer merchant. But this bottle poured a cloudy brown ale, with a distinct sour aroma. There was no head, an no lace left on the glass. The mouthfeel was watery, the flavor sour beef broth, that lingered unpleasantly for several minutes. Hopefully this is not the norm for George Gale & Co.

craziest commercial beer i’ve had. it’s completely flat. to be fair, it’s 10 years old, but still. vegetal malty aroma, slightly cloying, pretty odd, with rum raisins, vanilla, and tons of oak. pours cloudy amber. medium-heavy bodied, somehow both astringent and syrupy. it’s sweet and slightly tart with a dry malt finish.

Bottle from 2001 here on March 18, 2011. Corked and foiled. I have the feeling I bought this in Asheville a few years ago, but I’m not entirely sure. ’Spirited alcoholic nose out of the bottle, brandy, port, and sweet nothings. In the glass is a little more booze and nose hair burn, with some inky malt textures, sugar, and the remnants of a bombed out hop presence. Cloudy amber-mahogany pour with legs but no head. Taste is bittersweet with a dark and dry aftertaste, brownish malt dominant there Thankfully this bottle wasn’t infected! Rich and slithering malt, formerly sheeted but now folded over upon itself. Light wood and light vegetal, faint floral notes and rounded, subtle caramel. Mouthfeel is oily and thinnish, and despite the complete lifelessness/lack of carbonation, it’s just about right for this type of thing, and with no extremities, qualifies as extremely pleasant. A great strength has to be the alcohol - not at all a large component of the in-mouth taste, certainly no mention of that high a percentage. Very light warming and cheek dimpling after some volume, but nothing hot or brash; perfectly mellowed. Has some true depth despite a probably weakish recipe. One of my favorites from Gale’s, which has tended to be hit-or-miss in these aging experiments.

Reading other reviews, this beer seems to be a bit inconstant. Some QC issues, perhaps. Anyways, the bottle I got was very good. Cloudy amber in color, no head, very little carbonation. Nose is of caramel, wood, a bit of acid and tropical fruits; pretty rich. Taste is sweet and a bit sour, touch of bitterness in the aftertaste. The aftertaste fills the mouth with malt, stone fruit, and a bit of vinous character. Very nice sipper with a rich meal, or in front of a smoky fire. Kind of has qualities similar to a british pale ale in a barleywine.