Gales Conquest Ale Masterbrew

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Barley Wine
Horndean, England

Serve in Snifter

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Corked bottle 2001 vintage @ Falling Rock vintage beer sale poured a clear copper with a small lasting ivory head. Aromas of apple, sweet malt and a hint of honey. Palate was light bodied and crisp. Flavors of apple, honey and light spice with a crisp sweet finish.

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.

Bottle, 275 ml, tasted with Luc Bourbonnière, savoured November 5 2009; eye: dark caramel, no effervescence, no head, no lacing; nose: Madeira, stale, light dark fruits, light molasses; mouth: thin, stale, Madeira, light molasses, light dark fruits, thin and watery finale in Madeira and molasses, not much carbonation, light body; overall: ordinary FRANÇAIS Bouteille, 275 ml, bue avec Luc Bourbonnière, savourée le 5 novembre 2009; œil : caramel foncé, pas d’effervescence, pas de mousse, pas de dentelle; nez : madère, éventée, léger fruits noirs, léger mélasse; bouche : mince, éventée, madère, léger mélasse, léger fruits noirs, finale mince et aqueuse en madère et mélasse, pas de carbonatation, corps léger; en résumé : ordinaire

Deep amber in color with no head. Aroma is of brown sugar caramel and maple. Taste is of maple, heavy oxidation, rusty nail, and mold.

Large yeast deposit floating in the glass. If you can get past that, it’s quite good. Dark molasses pour. No head. Sweet taste. What you’d expect from the genre. Rated 4/18/10

(bottle - 275 ml - 2001 vintage) Dark ruby red with no head and very little carbonation. Earthy and musty aroma with a lot of cider, fruit, and whiskey notes. Flavor is sour and funky at the start, but moves to a fruity and cider-like sweetness near the end. Dry and bitter but still holds up pretty well for nine years old. I’d say more of an old ale than a barley wine.