Gale's Conquest Ale Master Brew
George Gale & Company Ltd

Gale's Conquest Ale Master BrewGale's Conquest Ale Master Brew
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From:
George Gale & Company Ltd
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Old Ale
ABV:
9%
Score:
75
Avg:
3.21 | pDev: 25.55%
Reviews:
85
Ratings:
107
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 03, 2021
Added:
Jan 20, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  5
No description / notes.
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Ratings by TonyTalon:
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Rated by TonyTalon from Wisconsin

2.5/5  rDev -22.1%

Mar 24, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of SierraNevallagash
Reviewed by SierraNevallagash from Maine

3.17/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
2001 vintage - 20 years old

Corked 275ml bottle - poured into an Allagash tulip at 40°F.

The cork takes some serious muscle to work out of the bottle. Not rotten, crumbly, or compromised in any way. Good sign.

The ale pours a deep chestnut brown hue with some burnish amber highlights. Murky, but translucent. Absolutely no head or any sign of effervescence. A couple of small, ignorable floaties eventually sink.

Nose: Wow, this is going to be interesting. I expected vinegar. This is not vinegar. I'm greeted with a rich, sweet, malty aroma - warming, with notes of toffee, butterscotch, dates, figs, sultanas, and fruitcake, opening up to strawberry jam. A prominent pipe tobacco note lends pleasing depth, along with some mulling spice and oramge zest. There may be a touch of acidity, but more fruity than anything. Very pleasant.

Palate: Oh boy...20 year old ale...here we go.
After taking the tiniest little sip to make sure it's safe, the next full sip greets the palate with a very unique flavour. It's quite dry, and hard to describe. It's vinous. In fact, incredibly vinous. There's a bright grapey acidity, and the base flavour is actually very wine-like. Something between dry red and a medium sherry. A big nuttiness emerges, with notes of toffee (sans sweetness), peanut, walnut, and dried fig. Some tangy dried fruit lend a final pop, before the dusty, nutty character takes over into the finish, concluding with some dry barley.

Mouthfeel/Body: As one could expect, having spent 20 years in a corked bottle, it is entirely devoid of any trace of effervescence. Every still ale I've had has been more lively than this. It essentially has the feel of juice.

Overall: Unfortunately, I've never tried this before, so I haven't the slightest idea of what this was like when it wasn't ancient. Is it nasty? Not at all. Nothing about this is putrid, rotten, funky, or gross. Is it good? Not really. All the sugar has been eaten away, leaving behind something extremely similar to a very dry sherry, but with a fruity tartness. I like sherry. I'd even go as far to say, had this not taken on that tart quality, and retained some sweetness, it may be very good. As it stands, it's a fun example of a 20 year old ale, and it's certainly drinkable, but it hasn't become something wonderful. It's just an old, tart ale.
Mar 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.55 by smi69 from New York

Jul 09, 2020
 
Rated: 3.77 by cozmo from New York

Mar 07, 2020
Photo of VoxRationis
Reviewed by VoxRationis from New York

3.53/5  rDev +10%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I was able to pick up two, 9.3 oz (275 ml) bottles of Conquest Ale. Uncorked and decanted one into a conical pint glass; no production information evident.
A: Almost identical to cloudy, dark brown apple cider. Settles to a hazy copper color with brown sediment clearly filling the bottom of the glass. No head, lacing or legs.
S: Aromas of chardonnay, apple, pear, and maybe soil, with the suggestion of a spicy note.
T: Acidity notable up front. Really more reminiscent of a full bodied white wine, e.g chardonnay, than beer. In a blind tasting, I could have believed that this was one (which was possibly beginning to turn).
F: Medium bodied, no discernible effervescence.
O: I have tried a couple of aged old ales before. Not really my "cup of tea," but interesting as a change and to understand the breadth of what constitutes "beer." Certainly seems to be a reasonable version of the style, based on my limited experience.
Jul 17, 2017
Photo of ngusset
Reviewed by ngusset from Oregon

3.9/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a Campbell's tulip. No date marking. Murky earth color, no head whatsoever. Mild nose, sweet, smells lightly of tangy fruit. Tastes light and smooth, like prunes, with a zing. Refreshing round and complex.
Aug 10, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

1.24/5  rDev -61.4%
look: 1 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.25
This is really a big turn off appearance wise, looks like fetid swamp water, no head, no bubbles, no lace, no nothing, just nasty stuff. Aroma was more swamp water, oxidized damp wood, fusel alcohol.

Taste and smell is a little like pruno from a correctional center. Someone took their fruit cup, added raisins, left it on a radiator, and made this 'beer'. Alcohol and bitter dark overripe fruit are dominant. Nothing in terms of carbonation makes every negative flavor and amplify it in the mouthfeel.

God I hate this beer. Budweiser is vastly superior to this nonsense.
Jan 23, 2016
 
Rated: 2 by aussiebeer from Illinois

Sep 03, 2015
Photo of BranfordBound
Reviewed by BranfordBound from Connecticut

3.54/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Cracked open a vintage bottle of this one. Guy at the beer store said late '90s for this one. Poured amber, murky, some floaties around, not much head. Nice sweet aroma, nothing off-putting but nothing crazy, either. Nice gentle flavor here, too. Some earthiness and sweet malts. A touch of dark fruit, a touch of tobacco. Finishes a little bit of vinegar. All in all pretty tasty, for 15 years though I think we would need something more robust.
Aug 15, 2015
Photo of CharlesK
Rated by CharlesK from Pennsylvania

1.75/5  rDev -45.5%
look: 1.75 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.75
2001, popped 2015. Cork was rotting with some funk growing on the top, drank anyway with a few people, not good.
Aug 12, 2015
Photo of Bitterbill
Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

2.21/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25
2nd go. The first bottle was a big fail.

It pours a hazy orange w with no foam and, duh, no lacing.

Age has taken an obvious toll on the beer's smell and I'm sure taste. Smell is of vinegar, which isn't so bad, but there's a chemical like aroma that is very off putting.

Taste IS better. Loaded with the vinegar sourness, gots some soy, and way way deep in the background, the slightest hint of what this may have tasted like. ..an Old Ale?

Light bodied with "some" carbonation.

I fully blame the crumbly cork for not protecting the contents. :^(
Jul 05, 2015
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +32.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is a 2001 vintage that I picked up in 2011 and recently drank. .
A: It pours dark reddish brown with a slight sparkle and a thin tan line of fizz arouind the edge.
S: It has an estery, winey smell.
T: Suggests a fruit wine but the type is hard to pin down.
F: Full bodied, wine-like, almost oily, with very little carbonation.
O: This drinks as close to a wine as a beer can get. .
Apr 15, 2015
 
Rated: 2 by RyanByorick from Pennsylvania

Nov 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Aug 25, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by XmnwildX12 from Minnesota

Jul 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by KAF from Iowa

Jul 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by SnifterLifter from New York

May 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by afsdan from Colorado

Mar 22, 2014
Photo of chum_husk
Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota

1.21/5  rDev -62.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
Bottle said brewed in 2001, consumed 2013. Review is from notes.

Pours out a deep saturated amber, with no head or bubbles whatsoever. Also, there were the strangest floaties I've ever seen: looked like chewed up dog toys. Smell is hard water, tobacco. Taste was putrid beyond belief: vinegar, stale wine, rotten black cherries. reminded me somehow of curdled milk

An awful experience
Dec 15, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 05, 2013
Gale's Conquest Ale Master Brew from George Gale & Company Ltd
Beer rating: 75 out of 100 with 107 ratings