Gales Jubilee Ale

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Barley Wine
Horndean, England

Serve in Snifter

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2/11/04. Poured out of 9.3 oz. bottle, bought at Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel, CA 2/11/04. Pours a medium brown with no head at all, no lacing at all, and a sort of cognac-like appearance. Aroma is nice and nutty, jumping out of the snifter to stab my nostrils with its song. Sweet, rich, and strong oak-brandy flavor. Walnut, pecan, glowing burn of alcohol and deep malt, very rich and wonderful, but intense and a bit harsh. This beast is very strong up front. Body is medium-full, and the finish goes long and once again very rich. Still nutty and a hint of wood, dark malt like rotten apples if they could possibly taste good. Because this stuff is delicious. I’d bet it’ll age tremendously well too, and I’d love to try a bottle in 4 or 5 years. I can’t believe this isn’t rated higher.

Typical Gale’s look, murky orange amber with almost no head even after a vigorous pour. The aroma is peat, caramel, sour apple, and some alcohol. The flavor is quite full, smoky peat malts with a ton of sweet caramel and butterscotch. The alcohol is so well masked. Medium full non-carbonated body. Fairly dry finish given the amount of sweetness. A damn fine English barley wine and far and away the best beer I have yet had from Gale’s. This one has aged quite well. I never had it while it was young but it is extremely mellow yet complex with a simply divine aftertaste. God Save the Queen!

Corked and foiled, heavy bottle from 2002, consumed here in 2011 to celebrate a signature going down on paper. Even managed to get dust all over mine! Rich winy nose with molasses, cinnamon, raisin, dark fruit - like a bagel with a reduction drizzled over it. Some light caramel under the plum, grape, and cherry, the caramel reminds of Bigfoot (but obviously only a fraction of the potency). Sediment-filled dark ruby pour with no head. Thin, slightly oily body, dry and wine-ish, tons of fruit oozing around, mildly tangy with woody undertones and a brown sugar accent. Honestly, you might be able to fool a lot of people if you only gave them a glass and told them it was wine; the mouthfeel effects on lips, teeth, and gums and tongue are remarkably similar. Smoother sherry or port. No sign of the alcohol, either, which is a huge accomplishment. Flat but with soft carbonation effect into the aftertaste. Not getting nearly the levels of oxidation others are reporting, so it seems mine was kept well (or I just lucked out). I resist the urge to give points to this just for the age (hype, snootiness, gimmick, etc.); this is legitimately a complex English BW, smooth and oily, very well suited to contemplation by the fireplace (or, in my case, the lamp and IKEA desk).

Another wonder of the beer world from Gales - Deep chestnut body with a long lasting big bubbled off white head; The nose i slightly oxidized in a way that quite familiar to the Prize Old Ale, when it gets a short time to breath the oxidization fades and gives way to the clearest notes of Agen Prunes I have ever experienced in something not an Agen Prune, it has something petrol like chalky to it that I cant figure out but love; The body is oily smooth, salty, bitter super serious and super complex, it has a complexity that is only found in the corked Gales brews; It finishes with a balanced alcohol burn that bite only shortly and is taken over by salty bitter notes and the oils of the texture, lots of wooden complex aromas. Incredible and excellent!!!!

Pale clouded reddish amber appearance, no head formation. Strong fruity, woody, sherry aroma. Sweet syruoy, fruity flavor, very sherryish with noticeable woodiness. Slight unmatured green apple bite in the finish, but remains unmistakeably sweet throughout.

UPDATED: SEP 28, 2004 2002 bottle. Pours a golden-yellow raisin color with some copper-oranges and light red tinges. Very unique color. No head, but that was a given. No lacing. Aroma has light sweet raisins, lightly sweet toffee, some caramel, chocolate, hints of white grapes and a bit of yeast. Hops give a touch of bitterness in the aroma. Flavor is immediately salty and musty, becoming quite vinous, muscat grapes, yet sweeter than that with plenty of figs, raisins (I mention raisins alot in this review, but it really reminded me of CA golden raisins), and a good raw grainy taste. There is a lovely sherry quality to the finish which is significantly more dry and complex. Gale's ales really shine on the finish and this one is no exception. Plenty of hops come out and there is a lovely bitterness mixed with light yellow fruits, toffee and a good subtle warming sensation from the alcohol. Moderately acidic, touch of syrupyness, and not nearly as watery textured as usual for this brewery. Medium-full body. A big case of seeing the quality and rating as such, but really not caring for it all that much.

This is a Great Barley Wine. Grape wine , malty, and sweet flavors. Finishes smooth, creamy, and chewy.

A Bottle in the Spytighen Duvel in Turnhout (B). It’s a medium brown colored beer. It has a beige head with big bubbles. It disappears at ones. It has a great aroma of nuts, sweet, dark malts, oak brandy and port. The taste is very rich, chocolate, dark fruits, nuts, and a port flavor. This is a great beer.

Bottle @ Vihreä Haltiatar Been in a closet now for 11 years! Thanks to Hannu. Pours murky muddy. Aroma is raisins, mämmi, alcohol, dark fruits. Flavor is vinegar, alcohol, malts, roasted malts , some chocolate. After taste is roasted, dry palate. Swell!

[2002 vintage, session @ yespr] Hazy dark amber with tiny head. Sweet vinious aroma with prunes, plums, dates and port notes. Sweet flavor with overripe fruits, port, madeira and alcohol notes. Very complex and the agening has done it well. Lovely.