Gales Jubilee Ale

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Barley Wine
Horndean, England

Serve in Snifter

UPDATED: OCT 8, 2005 Splendidly aged barleywine! Color has taken on a very tannic deep orange, oaken shade. No carbonation but for a slight suggestion on the finish (yet to the chagrin of many, myself not included, for a beer to be truly historic this will be a very common feature save in the Belgian family which has spontaneous carbonation). Strong but basic malty element to the aroma. Full of dry-yeasty, malty raisin element as the base of the flavor, with a strong wild cherry/lemonade tang that’s provocative yet pleasing on the palate both in the mouth and in the finish. I’m not a big fan of barleywine but for this I’ll make an exception (probably the best I’ve ever had of this style, in fact) -- it may better to let barleywines age a few years in general if they’re to be given proper credit. Yes, the alcohol in this beer is extremely well hidden -- making only a quick sensory presence late in the finish. Hail to the Queen!

Peut-être une bouteille mal vieillie. Une robe brune très foncée presque noire. Mousse absente. Arômes de café, de raisins, de chêne. Saveurs d’alcool et de malt. Très puissant au goût, mais sans toute la finesse souhaitée.

I see this is retired, but could have sworn the person providing the sample said it was but two (or three?) years old - not much for 12% beer, but OXIDIZED! Zip on the carbonation and the cookie dough had lost most of its crumbs. Maybe this was older than he said?

Pours a rich, dark color. Aroma is almost like a rich red wine. Flavor is a strong mix of raisin, malt, and oak. Mouthfeel is thin and weak. Alcohol is hidden well, so watch out. As it warms, the flavors flatten and just sit there, not even attempting to do anything. Below average, if you ask me.

Bottled and tasted in my Great Lakes snifter: Pours a cloudy reddish brown with no head or lace. Does have a good oily cling however. The aroma has notes of aged sweet white wine and sherry, old oak barrels, toffee and caramelized malting, and a hint of prune. The taste is a similar to the nose with more vinous qualities. A lot of earthy undertones throughout with a bone dry finish, did I just eat some oak bark? I even get some wheat like tones here and there. The feel is well, flat and dry. That said the alcohol is hidden well, perhaps too much as the warming nature sneeks up on you without warning. Nice and different but not something I would try again.

Poursa deep brown hue with no head at all. Aromas of toffee, brandy, a light chocolate tinge with some roasted nuts, and some herbs. Wow... very intense, and one can sense the alcohol just by smelling it. Mouthfeel is medium bodied. Flavors of greenery, very pinesy yet not in the hop kinda way as the bitterness is kept to a minimum. Flavors of prunes, old caberney, a little cherry and a some dates thrown in for good measure. Alchohol isn’t early as noticable as the the aroma suggests. very nice.

I hate this new bloody ratebeer timeout feature - give me a break. Tasted in Toronto, obtained from PLumpjacks in Noe San Francsisco. Appearance is dirt brown colour, opaque, no head, intense alcohol presence. Aroma is vinious, wine like with prune or raisin smell. Flavour is intense - winey with a prune like after taste, not very sweet but very very fermented. Alcohol presence is difficult to assess, but somehow there is evidence of its existence...Christmas pudding personified...

Pours without any head (bottle was straight up) so the glass is squeaky clean. Cloudy amber color with yeast left in bottle. No carbonation and medium bodied. Nose is alcohol and vinious. Starts on the sweet side not cloying, the high abv is not noticeable, some sourness (raisin??) is there, great barleywine. The 275ml bottle is not enough, $5.49 from Oliver’s Beverage Albany, NY.