Gale's Christmas Ale
George Gale & Company Ltd

Gale's Christmas AleGale's Christmas Ale
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From:
George Gale & Company Ltd
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Winter Warmer
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.47 | pDev: 21.9%
Reviews:
70
Ratings:
77
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 13, 2014
Added:
Dec 07, 2001
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by clickpush:
Photo of clickpush
Reviewed by clickpush from Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pour: Unique 250ml bottle, red-wrapped & corked, age unknown (scary and intriguing at the same time...). Some goo atop the cork before opening, but upon opening the seal seems to still be intact. Completely still amber body. No life.

Nose: Fruit, caramel, oddity.... Spiced caramel apple. Green grape juice. Not good. Smells like a case of dead beer.

Mouth: Livelier than the appearance and aroma would have you believe. The spicy caramel apple flavors come through like a Christmas dessert. The finish is a bit warm, a bit roasty, and a bit hoppy. Some sizzle in the body, some CO2 that I wasn't expecting. Quite dry.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I could drink multiple bottles of this beer, but the flavors were certainly an improvement over my initial impressions. I'd like to try a fresh bottle (my intuition tells me this one is several years old).
Sep 09, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Dec 13, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by BGsWo22 from Texas

Mar 21, 2013
 
Rated: 1.75 by matjack85 from Illinois

Jan 31, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by WynnO from Florida

Dec 16, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by t0rin0 from California

Nov 19, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Bitterbill from Wyoming

Sep 30, 2012
Photo of warnerry
Reviewed by warnerry from Michigan

1.77/5  rDev -49%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
2001 Vintage into a tulip. Cork is very dry and breaks on the way out. Not a good sign. But there is a slight release pf CO2 after pushing the remaining end of cork into the bottle.

A - That must have been all the CO2 left, as this pours with absolutely no head Pours a murky brown with a couple cork bits floating on top (which I'll blame on user error).

S - Lots of caramel, a bit of cardboard and quite a spice presence. A bit odd overall. Cardboard suggests this is way past it's prime.

T - Quite bit tart up front, with a big caramel malt presence. Some fruit: apple, raisin and a bit of cherry. Pretty unpleasant overall. Was hard to drink enough to get the flavor profile.

M - Medium mouthfeel and completely flat.

O - Well this is clearly way past it's prime. I knew it was a gamble, and it didn't pay off. Drank enough to review and poured the rest. Would love to know what this tastes like fresh.
Dec 27, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Dec 01, 2011
Photo of jale
Reviewed by jale from Michigan

1.69/5  rDev -51.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
Lets see how this 2001 bottle held up.

A: Pours a light brown with zero head.

S: Very aged malt aroma. Must be cherries in here because this smells of an old cherry wine.

T: Way beyond its prime. Slight cherry flavor, alcohol and an old hop bitter finish.

M: No carbonation. Thin

D: I only had about 20% of the bottle.
Jan 21, 2011
Photo of moosiz
Reviewed by moosiz from Michigan

2.25/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5
I found this bottle at a local store on a shelf in the back it was there as a decoration i think, but it had a price tag on it 3.75. It is from the 2002 vintage.

pours a bit thick and flat, but there are a lot of bubbles lining the sides of my glass. not active carbonation but carbonation nevertheless.
the color is a ruddy brown/red copper hard to nail down.

smells aged. sour notes left behind from something that was never meant to be aged this long on a store shelf a bit woody maybe from the cork.

sour nutty flavor with a slight clove hint. very sour.

slick mouthfeel with a lingering effect.

Im glad i have just one of these. but i look forward to drinking a fresh one if i can find it this winter.
May 26, 2009
Photo of cadenwhitaker
Reviewed by cadenwhitaker from Minnesota

2.27/5  rDev -34.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
2002 Vintage

I believe this was corked. So you can skip my review if you have a fresh bottle.

Very sour, vinagery, burnt coffee, and no carbonation. There was some residue on the actual cork, with some bits of dried beer on the top of the cork with sticky/slimy bits around the bottom of the cork as well.

Why review if it was bad? Well, just a heads up to act with caution when trying some of these older brews.
Mar 28, 2009
Photo of paulthebeerguru
Reviewed by paulthebeerguru from Florida

3.69/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
2001 Vintage

A: pours a cloudy, murky tawny color. No head at all.

S: light coconut esters. Some apples and dates. Slightly strong alcohol notes. Some light sour aromas as well.

T: wow. Never had it fresh, but I can notice that a ton of flavors have passed away. Major malt notes, mostly caramel, plums and apples, some clove. Very wine-like. I do pull some grapes/raisins out of this. Very sour notes.

M: no carbonation left, so its flat. Some alcohol notes/vibes. Very smooth with the age of this. Think it was a aged a little too long.
Mar 22, 2009
Photo of kyleec
Reviewed by kyleec from California

4.52/5  rDev +30.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a 2003 bottle into a goblet.

A - reddish brown and absolutely no head at all.

S - Strong alcohol, raisin, clove, and fruit.

T - I'm not a brandy drinker, but in my poor recollection, this reminds me a lot of a brandy or some other such brown liquor. I got a fruity tartness with spices and a sweet raisin character. Fairly dry. Too much complexity for my novice palate to give due justice. This was an awesome beer. The drinkability is there, but I wouldn't have more than one. That one is a pure delight, though.

This tasted very different from any other beer I've had, and in a good way.
Jul 11, 2008
Photo of adamdotson
Reviewed by adamdotson from Massachusetts

3.84/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bought in Allston, MA at Blanchard's. Drank in 08 bottle from 01.

Appearance-Amberish orange. Little to no carbonation. Nothing impressive about it visually. Fairly hazy. Just a notch of funk

Nose- Yummy. Sourdough fresh from the oven. Apple pie/ heavy on the cinnamon. A hint of soy sauce. A hint of whisky but not in a phenyly way. This is wine i'll tell my wine drinking friends to try if they can handle the funk.

Taste is round and dense. A bit of caramel and a surprisingly biting finish that is delicious to me. Sour apple but not in the same way as belgian sour apple (rodenbach) I bet the og on this was fairly high.

Mouth feel is light. Scrumptilumptious.
Jan 03, 2008
Photo of aforbes10
Reviewed by aforbes10 from Iowa

3.08/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle from John's Grocery in Iowa City. Pours gluggy and flat from a corked 2002 bottle. Dark maroon in color. No head or sign of carbonation whatsoever. Smells of figs and raspberry liquor. Pungent and alcohol-laden, like a cheap wine. My first couple of sips were taken while the beer was still cold, and didnt give me much flavor at all. Warmer, it became increasingly fruity and wine-like. Grapes, raspberries, toffee all came through. Some spiced notes, most obviously nutmeg. Mostly it maintains the fruity red-wine character throughout, and if anything just becomes a little dull and cardboardy towards the end. Its also a little thin, considering the style and presentation. I expected a little more than what i got from this one.
Jan 01, 2008
Photo of Smartestmonkey
Reviewed by Smartestmonkey from Indiana

3.62/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
2002 Vintage Bottle poured into a tulip glass - 12-25-07

This beer poured hazy red-brown with absolutely no head. The smell is rich and complex. First thought is wine, raisins and plums, dark fruit. Then I pick up a little woody, earthy hop. The taste is much like the smell, very vinous, very port like. Taste is first and foremost of dark fruits with hints of malt and grains and this is all followed with an odd hop bitter. The alcohol in this ale stands out and is felt throughout the drink. The mouthfeel is smooth and full and the taste lingers for a long time. An interesting beer that is well suited for the holidays, for sipping in front of a fire, but not much else.
Dec 26, 2007
Photo of iceviper22
Reviewed by iceviper22 from Pennsylvania

3.82/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
2001 Vintage Bottle on 12/2/07

Poured a hazy light reddish to brown hue with little to no head present. Just a fuzzy cream lace around the glass.

Smelled of strong sweet tart fruits such as cranberry or sour apples with hints of alcohol. Very tarty and fruity taste that reminded me of drinking a glass of wine. Basically no carbonation with a light juice type mouthfeel to it.

Overall, this isn't a beer I'd choose a lot. Best to be enjoyed around the holidays, probably with a good sweet desert.
Dec 05, 2007
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

3.85/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
With a very careful pour it only produces a three-finger thick, somewhat tightly beaded, tan colored head. The beer is a brilliantly clear, deep orangish tinted, copper color when held up to the light, but is otherwise a dull, albeit fairly dark, cranberry color. A wonderfully tart character greets my nose as I am inspecting this beer. A mix of tart cherry, green apple and some definite aromas of white wine vinegar. Woody aromas of damp oak, leather, as well as full on funky notes of moldy cotton, barnyard aromatics & interesting sharp acidic notes. This is definitely quite a bit more funky than when I last had this. It has a really nice, vibrant fruity character to it underneath all of the funk though; at times it has a distinct, candied cherry note to it.

Very lightly sweet and definitely well carbonated, the beer has a distinct spice flavor to it that was expected, but not really noticed in the aroma. The spices add a sharp, woody, bitter astringency to the finish of this brew. Definitely tart though, the acidity adds a nice touch to this brew. Sort of chalky, lactic, green apple, star-fruit, tannic oak, a touch of urea, almond, nutmeg, a touch of apricot pit and a touch of butterscotch form a mix of flavors all which I can't quite discern. As the beer warms the astringent spice notes tend to die down a bit and the tart / funky character becomes a bit more noticeable. This is definitely quite a nice brew at this stage, and I definitely prefer this brew when it gets more towards the funky side of the spectrum.
Nov 30, 2007
Photo of BeardedSquash
Reviewed by BeardedSquash from Tennessee

4.17/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bought a 9.3 oz bottle, also at McScrooges in Knoxville. One of many good brews I’ve found tucked away in that store.

A: A murky cola colored pour with no signs of life. No head, no carbonation, but some legs while I drank. It looks more like a flat soda than a beer. I'm not going to knock an aged beer too much for looking old, but if I didn't know the vintage, I would have guessed much older than 5 years.

S: Wood and cider smells take the forefront right off the bat. A mix of fruits, somewhere between plum and apricot take up as it warms, but a heavy leather smell oversees everything throughout. It reminds me of my grandfather's basement workshop for some reason, dusty and organic.

T: Sour malts mixed with a bit of spruce that lingers on the tongue after the swallow. The whole thing is very vinous with the woody backdrop. Tart cherries and brown sugar flow well with the acidic effects of the aging.

M: As dead as it looked, the mouthfeel could be considered to be in a coma. Only a faint hint of carbonation. Feels somewhat like a prematurely corked wine. Old ales will die out with age, but again, this one seems older than 5 years. Works well with the flavors though.

D: This is a great beer to sip at the end of the night. I had it with a black forest cake and the acidity of the beer was the perfect compliment to the sweetness of the desert.
Sep 07, 2007
Gale's Christmas Ale from George Gale & Company Ltd
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 77 ratings