Fullers Vintage Ale 2007

Formerly brewed at Fuller’s
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

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50cl dark brown bottle, as shown. 2007 vintage, tasted and reviewed in Oct, 2009. Bottle No. 55926. Vintage, bottle-conditioned ale pours a beautiful, slightly hazy copper and a medium, soapy beige head with decent lacing. Pretty intense aroma of ripe plums, coupled with noticeable hops and an orange-peel edge. Heavy-bodied ale, with low carbonation and creamy (but not thick) mouth feel. Stewed dark fruit dominate the taste at first, with a strong but beautifully integrated note of malty alcohol for additional "gravitas". Sweet and bitter notes continue to vie for your attention as the beer goes down; finish is dry, hoppy - with a lingering, complex sweet-and-bitter after taste. Fullers have done it again: It’s a pricey brew (at almost 8.00 euros per bottle), but a rich and rewarding one. How could a strong ale possibly be better balanced and smoother than this? Great beer that drinks like a great wine.

AROMA: basement aromas, earthy, leather, fruity, woody APPEARANCE: amber, cloudy, frothy quickly disappears TASTE: lightly bitter, light sweetness PALATE: full body, thick feel, lively, long finish OVERALL: interesting full-bodied beer, found the yeast a bit overpowering, gets close to a Belgian strong ale.

Very unusual tasting beer. Very fruity, with distinct maraschino cherries. Some sherry-esque notes. Grapey. Almost a bit of balsamic vinegar (but not the acidic part!). Subtly carbonated, relatively thin/smooth mouthfeel. Sweet, but definitely not cloying. Nothing outstanding, but definitely an experience.

Bottled, 500ml (no. 63156) from Sainsbury’s in Banbury. Orange amber with no head. This was flat unfortunately. Initially, malty, fruity, quite sweet, then it is overtaken with quite a spiced note, more pronounced than previous versions of this than I remember, quite peppery with a hint of curry powder. Because of the lack of condition there is no real finish to it, it’s over and you take the next sip. It’s ok, but certainly not the best vintage.

Bottle at Chriso’s Fullers-Gales Tasting (thanks to Chris). It pours clear amber, with a thin off-white head. The nose is sweet tinned fruit - nectarine, melon, orange and pear and some fruit cake. The taste is sweet tinned fruit, wood, leather, spice, dust and sherry, with a dry, warming finish. Some decent bitterness there too. Full body and moderate, prickly carbonation. Good balance. If you have one of these, drink it now!

Bottle care of Chris O. Tawny amber almost clear. Nose is bit of sherry, sweet barley malt, orange marmalade. Taste has all the usual characteristics: sherry, caramel, orange marmalade, sweet barley grain, citrous peel, but there’s a crispness to this from the hops and a touch of dryness and bitterness. This is at its best in my opinion. Lighter and less cloying.

Still not sure why I’ve waited this long to even drink one of these... strange. Poured out a clear light orange amber brew with a decent sized bubbly light tan head that settles as a cover and leaves nice ropy lacing that slowly slides back down. 13 mins in to the Oilers v Blues game the oil are being outshot 18-1.... go oil. The nose is quite citrusy for this type of brew with oranges sticking out the most. Caramel is there and a bit of a herbal scent, a hint of biscuit maybe.. not sure. There is not a lot of complexity but some good depth for sure. I’m still impressed with the candy orange aroma. Tasty stuff with a good citrus bite and solid fruit taste with a surge of bitterness that fades quickly from its full strength but lingers for a while. Good spices that border on pepper, a bit of alcohol.. I’ve picked up a background earthy aroma.... more taste: tiniest of chocolate, plum, random fruit mix, you know... I think my taste buds have gotten bored and quit. It’s definitely not an exciting beer but it does taste good... just wish there was a more going on. Orange at the very front of the flavour set. OK carbonation, medium bodied, light dulling spice finish and a light coating on the mouth. If I have another bottle I’m going to let it sit for about 3 yrs before I get to it.

Bottle 550ml #18172 @ home
[Courtesy of yngwie] Pours cloudy deep amber/brown with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, dried fruits and alcohol. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter. Body is medium to full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.

Bottle, couretsy of yngwie.No 18172.Pours deep golden with an off-white head.Aroma of fruitiness, malt, caramel and floral notes.Flavor is sweet and malty with some warmth, caramel, spices and alcohol. Medium body,average carbontion.Nice beer.

Great head on a cloudy, oily-looking orange amber beer. Subtle, mellow nose, with orange, pepper, prune, caramel. Smooth and silky body. Nice caramel flavor, very well integrated, with orange, apple, spicy hops, and a nice, spicy, peppery hop finish. Soft carbonation, great body. Interesting, mellow, and well aged.

caramel, bread, toast, floral, white foam, amber, heavy cloying sweetness, lightly bitter. Very good brew.