Gales Trafalgar Ale

Formerly brewed at Gales
Style: Old Ale
Horndean, England

Serve in English pint, Snifter

Still, clear, dark copper colour. Lots of crazy aromas going on - lime cordial, other fruits (pineapple especially), tobacco, leather, soap, scotch and it’s vaguely Lambic-like. Quite thin-bodied, which was a surprise. Very vinous flavour, with nowhere near enough malt. Very fruity, sour, bitter, salty, then sour again. Smells very interesting but it really doesn’t taste that good. I dunno about this one, it’s pretty crazy and funky but what’s the point when it doesn’t taste good? Thanks beer_ledgend!

It pours with no head, a muddy dark brown with ruby hints, earthy in appearance. Aroma reveals its advanced age with balsamic vinegar notes. It’s extremely vinous, rather sweet and apparently rather acid. In mouth, this gets confirmed where the taste is not particularly pleasant with sweet flavors of licorice, rhubarb, vinegar, old plums. Mouthfeel is still.Finish is rich, sweet and slightly chalky/astringent. This may be a little too old and this cork uually doesn’t forgive.

clear reddish colour, absolutely no foam, aroma of cognac, licorice and cherry, sweet and very oily with some sourness, sirupy, very low carbonation, long cloying sweet finish - disappointing

Dark amber color. Very strange, flat; sherry with malt. Disappointing. Probably I got a bad bottle (which I hopefully stored for at least 5 years).

Red-amber, hazy; yellow rim, fast gone. English hops smell, alcohol (brandy-like) and brambles, very specific. Slight acidity, sweetness, fruit (brambles, sloeberries). Citrus retronasal. Oily mouthfeel, very nice aromas untile in the aftertaste. Nice beer, quite in the line of other Gale's ales.

reasonably similar to the prize old ale, perhaps a touch darker. sweetish aroma doesn't really warn you that this tastes of some dried apple and pineapple in concentrated lambic brine

(21/10/03) First bottle was undrinkable. The cork had sunk down to the base of the neck, and above it was mould and nastiness. The replacement bottle seemed untainted but was not much more palatable. Its ruddy bronze liquor had absolutely no carbonation or head. It had a slight aroma, reminiscent of cherries and red wine vinegar. I could only stomach a few sips. Such a shame - I hope I can one day find a good bottle of this.

Odd "aged" feel to it. Sour, vingary, tart. Bruised apples, caramel/toffee, slightly syruppy and sticky at times, but with quite a big tart, dry character aswell. Odd traces of salted licorice or something aswell. Lots happening, but i'm not really sure the complexities blend together all that well. Interesting anyway.