Fuller’s 1845

Brewed by Fuller’s
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

500 ml bottle - Pours deep amber with a thin head. The aroma is very malty with some dark fruit notes. The flavor is malty, perhaps lightly roasted, with a good hops balance and coffee notes coming through more in the moderately bitter finish. It reminds me a little bit of a lighter version of the Vintage 2001 I had. The body seems just a touch too watery. This is pretty good. I was worried about it because it has a best before date of Mar 8th, 2004, but it’s held up well.

This was a very interesting beer to drink, I believe it was my first English Strong Ale. Incredible taste, with some very interesting subtelties. Extremely balanced in the taste, with a slightly malty aftertaste, but very subtle. Bittersweet, more sweet than bitter, more bitter than sweet. Very drinkable, and easy on the palate.

Bottle. Aroma is sweet and sugary. Very reminiscent of honey. Vinous notes as of a barleywine. Very hazy amber color with lots of floating yeasts. Off-white head. Caramels, honies, roasted malts, chocolates, vinous characters, oh my! Dry, roasty finish. Quite a lot going on, unfortunately this is thin and a little dry for my liking.

Reminded me of the Black Sheep beer I had. Poured a ruby-brown color with a normal head that didn’t last long. Lacing was minimal but present. Flavor was fairly sweet with a nice hoppy finish (not overdone, but not really balanced, as malt sweetness overpowered the hops). Something else was there in the malt, but I couldn’t figure it out.

Dark amber of color with a beige head. An aroma of malt, bread and bisquit. A flavor of bitter, malt, caramel and sweets.

Bottle, at Benny. Dark red with a lighht brown head, almost diminishing, fair lacings. Aroma moderate malty (roasted, caramel) and hoppy (grass). Flavor moderate sweet, light and smooth bitter, long duration. Light to medium body, oily, soft carbonated. Really good.

Truly a perfect-looking beer, pouring a dark red/brown with an initially thick, creamy head that quickly dissipates. Aroma is biscuity with some earthy hops. The beer itself is one big toasted biscuit, with some caramel and perhaps a hint of dark fruit. Very well-done. I like the Vintage Ale (well, at least the 1999 version I tried), but this is easier drinking with the slight alcohol presence.

Bottle. Finally, the lcbo gets one right! Dark orange pour. Malty aroma, with a head that sticks to the glass. Warm alcohol and malt taste in a medium type body that has decent carbonation. As it warms, much more spiciness and edge of your tongue hop bitterness come forward. If this were available in cask over here, I wouldn’t be typing, I’d be on my way. Lovely.