Christmas Ale
Gales in Horndean, Hampshire, England 🏴
Strong Ale Winter Out of Production|
Score
6.55
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CloakedDagger (37568) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gales 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
(Bottle 33 cl) The intention was to let this bottle age and condition, but things don’t always go as expected. After about nine months in my beer closet it shot the cork through the plastic coating and released most of the liquid - what a sticky mess!! I did manage to save a bit though. Rodenbach used to have a commercial saying: "This is not beer - this is wine". With Gales X-mas you could rephrase that to "This is not beer - this is sherry". Reddish amber colour - almost like sherry. No head and completely flat. Sweetish, spicy, caramel-like nose. Again lots of spices and alcohol in the flavours. Must try this again sometime - in a fresh version. 170705
bb (18607) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gales 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Bottle. Hazy amber with no head. Very sweet malt aroma with some vanilla, holiday spice, and orange. Fruitcake flavor with brandy and malt backing. Medium body with a lingering grape flavor.
MiP (20379) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gales 21 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle. Wine-like, sour aroma. Some port flavour. Not very much carbonation. Strange beer, but not bad in small quantities.
Ungstrup (52239) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gales 21 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 3 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 3.5
An unclear brown beer with a disappearing head. The aroma is dusty combined with overripe fruits and berries. The flavor is like the aroma with a very dry background.
TBone (30380) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gales 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Bottled (2002 edition)
Nut brown. Practically no head. Sweet and yeasty aroma. Very low-carbonated. Mouthfeel is like christmas-pudding: thick and yeast+ginger. Ale where alcohol really kicks. Warming bittersweet aftertaste. (6/2/6/2/9 2.5)
Re-rated, same vintage a year later
Ruby, no head. Glue aroma. Portwinous palate, spicey and fruity. Flat. Complex. (4/4/7/3/12 3.0)
Bitterbill (4334) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gales 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
2003 "vintage". No head at all and I poured it at room temperature but....not to worry. Holding the glass up to the light revealed a beautiful gold hue and the first sip? A symphony of flavours. Quite frankly, the description given by ClarkVV says it all!
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gales 22 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
2003 bottle. Beautiful light amber, with some reds, mahoganies and some gold tinges. Small amount of foamy white head. Aroma is awesome. Does not quit, even at the end. Big cherry yeast smell, sharp aromatic vinegar aroma characteristic of the brewery. Some nice woody aromas as well. Powerful. Begins with some soft fuzzy fruit flavors, lots of sweet cherries, some nice medium dry malt. Body is medium. Great fluffy texture, nice amount of carbonation. Finish is divine. Tons of oak, you can taste the wood, very true flavor. Touch of sherry, some vanilla and a nice use of subtle nutmeg make this a winner. I'll have another please. Could sip this all night out of a snifter.
crit200 (5349) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gales 23 years ago
Appearance - 2 | Aroma - 2 | Flavor - 2 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 1.5
2001 Bottle: Obviously I got a bad bottle.No head. Vinegar aroma and flavor. This is the worst beer I have ever had
Dogbrick (24322) reviewed Christmas Ale from Gales 23 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
2002 Bottle: This isn''t the first corked beer I have had, but it is definitely the first corked beer I have needed a corkscrew to open! Pours a dark reddish-mahogany color with virtually no head or lacing. Aroma of alcohol, raisins and grapes, and spice. Flavor is malty and spiced with some nutmeg. I found it a little earthy but thin. I think I may look for this one again next year.