Fuller’s 1845

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

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

Tan tending to vibrant caramel. Textbook strong ale nose; deep malty notes with some complexity. Great flavour and mouthfeel; not as heavy as the bouquet would suggest. Malt flavours are very classy and again show good complexity. Roasted and chocolate notes drive the palate. Very good.

Muddied garnet pour with an outstanding, velvety head. The nose is rather interesting and well rounded on this - obviously bready and malty, but with light cherry and perfumey notes throughout to add complexity. The body delivers more maltiness, although more chocolatey and bitter and less fruity. Some residual sweetness helps balance the bittersweetness of the chocolate, adding some toffee-like notes in the finish. This is a good one.

UPDATED: DEC 22, 2011 Bottled. Dark copper coloured, mediumsized beige foamy head. Nice fruitish malty aroma with caramellish hints. Also raisins are present in aroma. Fruitish malty taste, with uhge bitter hoppy finish. Very nice beer indeed. 8 3 8 4 15

Cask@Beer Hunters, Pori. Amber colour, small beige head, which leaves good lace. Aroma is fruity, biscuity, mildly earthy and also a bit caramelly. Flavour is bitter grassy hops, some earth, sweet maltyness and also quite fruity notes. Very balanced and nice. 8 4 8 4 16

UPDATED: APR 10, 2005 Color, nice dark amber color. Aroma is hoppy and citrusy. At first, the mouthfeel is refreshing, but then the bitterness comes. As for taste, I get citrus, and spice. Reminds me of pumpkin pie for some reason. Excellent beer and worth the money I paid for it.

Bouteille, Courtoisie de Blankboy. De couleur ambrée foncée et transparente. Nez malté de caramel toffee sucré aux notes terreuses, de pain, légèrement fruité (notes de raisins, de prunes et de cerises noires) et chocolaté, légèrement épicé et de houblon légèrement terreux et aux notes citriques ainsi que des notes de noix et de café. Moyennement ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture moyennement crémeuse. Goût moyennement fruité (raisins, léger de pommes et notes de cerises noires et de prunes) et légèrement épicé (léger de poivre, notes de clou de girofle) suivi d’un goût malté de caramel toffee moyennement sucré et rôti, de pain aux fruits (présence d’épices) ainsi que des notes de chocolat noir parallèlement à un goût moyennement amer de houblon terreux et aux notes citriques et herbeuses avec des notes de café et de noix asséchantes (très faibles notes d’alcool). Arrière-goût moyen-long et légèrement sec, moyennement amer de houblon terreux, herbeux et aux notes citriques et léger de rôti, de café et de chocolat noir ainsi qu’un goût fruité (moût de raisins et de cerises noires et pelures de pommes) et de noix.

UPDATED: AUG 24, 2005 Bottle (500ml). Nice dark amber pour, "stately" is how I think of this beer. Good blend of bitterness and maltiness, spicy and lively too. Bottle-conditioned, each bottle is better than the last. When my 13 remaining bottles are gone I will be sad and hope for its return.

UPDATED: JAN 31, 2007 (Bottle BB 03/07/08) Fruity, caramel, port wineous, slightly roasted and licorice aroma. Red brown colour, slightly hazy (no sediment) and average size, creamy, light brown, slightly lasting head with fair lacing. Fruity, caramel, slightly bitter, slightly roasted and slightly licorice flavour. Softly carbonated, sticky, dry and medium to full-bodied palate. Delicious brew! 19/01/07 (original rating was 7/4/7/4/15)

Pours a deep, clear, auburn with a loose, frothy, beige head that leaves behind wispy lace. The nose is quite nice:cocoa powder, toffee, dark fruit, light licorice, sweet spice, faint nuttiness, and a hint of earthy hops in the background. Medium-bodied and silky smooth on the tongue, it finishes with a lingering toasty and bitter finish. The flavor is a nice toasted malt front with notes of brown sugar, raisins, toffee, a blend of spices that make me think of white pepper mixed with nutmeg and a nice, moderately bitter finish of earthy hops. There’s a bit of "warmth" coming from this beer that made me surprised to see the ABV at only 6.3%. While it’s not "hot", it is definitely a beer worthy of a cool fall night. (Unfortunately, it’s not that cool yet.) My first English Strong Ale, I enjoyed this brew quite a bit, and I now feel compelled to search out other examples of the style.