Gales Festival Mild or Prize Old Ale clone for Xmas?

[lordlucan]

I fancy getting something into storage in a carboy to mature in time for Xmas. Something along the lines of the festive xmas cask ales one often sees in the UK around that time of year.

GW's Gales Festival Mild recipe looks very much in the right flavour arena, but would this ale thoroughly benefit from the 4-5 months storage? It seems counter-intuitive to age a mild, but I'm also aware that modern mild is a different creature from it's historical predecessor.

I'm also intrigued by recreating a Gales Prize Old Ale, but as I understand it this is a type of ale best aged in the bottle for a number of years. Gales Ales have a nostalgic factor for me, as this was the local brewery where I grew up. I'm not necessarily fixated on a Gales clone, but it gives an idea of what I am aiming for - fruitcake, sherry, brandy etc. I'm not sure whether to use adjuncts or not; on one hand it would be cool to achieve the desired flavours only via malt/hops/yeast, but carefully-chosen adjuncts could be fun too.

Anyway you get the picture of what I am aiming for. Do you have an ale you brew annually and age in time for Xmas? Have you brewed clones of either of these Gales ales? I'd love to hear about it.

 

[user 19629]

The Festval Mild is one that's on my to brew list.
I also want to brew something soon that can age till winter.
A couple recipes I have in mind are Robinson's Old Tom, Old Peculier, or Sara Hughes Dark Ruby.

 

[lordlucan]

Yes! Old Tom. That would fit the bill perfectly. With such a high ABV it would really benefit from sitting for a good long time. The Festival Mild I can brew later. What yeast would you use for Old Tom?

 

[user 19629]

I'd probably use wyeast 1318 London Ale III, or White Labs 007, Dry English. Not for any reason other then I've had good luck with those strains on other beers.
But I'm sure almost any English ale yeast would work just fine.