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Prize Old Ale - George Gale & Co, Ltd (19:04)

I bought this Prize Old Ale because it was the "Champion beer of England 1992-1993," because it was corked instead of capped, because it's bottle conditioned, and because it was five years old. A combination of factors which led it to my table.

Perhaps I should have guessed that no matter how fine the contents, over five years in storage and shipping from England are not conducive to optimal aging of beer. This in fact was one of those things which is "almost very good," a good but not exceptional performance punctuated by flashes of greatness. This brew could have been, and probably was at one time, great.

When I opened the bottle, the aroma was much like a really good old port wine. In port wine that's excellent, in beer it's unexpected. I doubt the brew was "skunked" by UV light, the bottle is very dark, and anything short of outright neglect regarding direct sunlight would be unlikely to be a problem. Temperature is a problem, though. It's hard to make a good beer which will still be good after getting warm, and this may have been warm enough to kill the yeast.

Overall it was interesting, but I won't describe it in detail because I'm sure it should be better. The flavor was complex, malt and hops were there, but I can only guess what the brewer intended and might have achieved. It was good enough to finish and enjoy, but if you see a bottle, check with the retailer about storage, aged beer and old beer aren't the same thing.

The next time I'm in England this is on my list of things to try if I can.

[/2006/06/28] permanent link