It pours from an unmarked swing-necked brown bottle, a clear liquid with a light effervescence which disappears quickly in the glass. It smells like gingerbread, but tastes either sweet when young or dry when a week or so old; reminiscent of aniseed and heather, while also not being quite like either. This unassuming homemade drink is gale beer. For centuries, gale beer was a staple product of the dales of the historic county of Cleveland, in what is now the North Yorkshire Moors. Made from m...
