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)

2002-Nose of raisins and brown sugar with a light hops. Opaque red brown in colour with no head, like a wine. Initiallly sweet with an unpleasant bitterness in aftertaste, but with a nice alcoholic warmth. Medium body (7-3-5-3-12). 2002, almost 4 yr old bottle. Dirty red borown ale with a dissipating off-white head. Good carbonation. Pleasant raisins and spices in aroma, with cinnamon notes, some horseblanket and berries. In mouth, similar to a belgian brown, sweet with sour points, organic qualities, medium bodied, with light alcohol warmth. Did I get lucky on this bottle? 8-3-9-3-15 AVERAGE: 7-3-7-3-14

1996 vs 2002 bottle. Dégustation de Vieux Stocks III, Oct. 13, 2006. 1996 was excellent, a burgundy brown ale, with ligh sourish apples in aroma, very earthy. In mouth, surprisingly rich, with a good peppery malt, and pleasing warming alcohol. 8-3-8-4-15. The 2002 was more cherry in mouth, but thin and astringent. A bad year. 7-3-6-3-12

[Bottled] The aroma is a lot like portwine, sweet with notes of wood, prunes, and plums. The color is reddish and it has no head, even though it gave a high fizz when the cork was lifted. The flavor is also very sweet with a wood background and earth, prunes, and plums notes combined with alcohol. The flavors last for a very long time. The flavor also reminds me a lot of portwine.

2002 vintage - Pourred a dark brew with almost no carbonation or head. Vinous aroma is very strong, almost like port. Alcohol taste is well balance and body is between medium to strong. It is the first time I tried an old ale and find it similar to some barleywine that I tried before. Overall, a great beer and even greater bottle with cork. I'll try to get my hand on some more of these to aged them.

(Very well-aged sample) Colour: hazy ruby-amber; cream head, fast dissipating. Nutty nose, portwine and very sweet; fruity as black cherries and sultana's. Sweet taste, but reduced by age (and temperature, maybe), fruity and estery, walnuts, unripe (!) banana, pineapple (without the sharp sensation of the fresh fruit). Very oily mouthfeel, nearly viscous. Aftertaste is the only time that the alcoholcontent betrays itself - even higher alcohols, and a faint smokey end. Superb beer, I estimate it is a lot better aged than young, as this has a cloying sweetness, completely disappeared in this sample. A beer to cherish - in the cellar, for years.

Kind of reminds me of Sam Adams Trippel Bock...bordering on a port like brew. I favour it because it does push the border for Barley Wine style ales. But...if it comes across as too much for your palate to appreciate....I can understand that.

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!

As with my other corked Gale ales, this sucker is completely flat. I guess they're all supposed to be like that - medium ruby, with some little bubbles along the insides of the glass ("Where are the rest of your friends?" I exclaim.) - mouthfeel is devoid of those bubbles, and is a bit thin for such a high alcohol brew - aroma is of alcohol, dates and molassas - flavor is might complex, with caramel, dates, brown sugar, maple syrup, wood, port - finish is clean, vinous and slightly bitter - I'm still trying to decide if George Gale's brews are "unique and eccentric," or just not very good - it's a shame, because their flavor is always so good, but their other characteristics really take away from the enjoyment.