4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: APR 27, 2009 Bottled 2004. Very red through light, but still somewhat brown, hazy. Smallish white head, mild lacing. Complex and well balanced aroma! Fair hop aroma, yeasty, fruity; light malt aroma, predominantly caramel, light soy. Front is fairly sweet, top a sweetish mix and the finish bitter sweet. Aftertaste is bitter and roasty, like a stout, but balanced with a sugarcane sweet. Full bodied with wonderful, lively carbonation and a semi-dry finish(I like the mouthfeel very much). Noticable alcoholic bite before reaching ~room temperature. I enjoyed this more as it got warm. Overall: terrific beer, well balanced; moderate, pleasant flavors and a GREAT finish. Fairly easy drinking.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Wow! The appearance is splendid! It pours an impressive foamy white head and the color is almost ruby! On the label, we can read: Strong Ale. Well the beer is really strong! Alcohol and hoppy bitterness invade the palate at each mouthfull. Then starts a very warming effect and a decent caramel effect.
A very nice beer for fall!
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Spicy aroma. Spicy and sweet mouth watering flavor with a dry after taste. Kind of bitter. Good full palate. Very good beer. Fullers has yet to let me down.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Originally received a 4.35 from me on 9/16/03. Rich amber color, subtle haze. Heavy maltiness with a dry English hop character. A sipper, a warmer, and a nice bittered ale.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: AUG 26, 2008 Bottle conditioned. heady aroma of pear drops, cinnamon and wet earth; superb frothy head and burnt orange body; sweet fruity creamness gives way to rasping malts. A standard for English strong ale to be judged by.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Aroma of dark chocolate, caramel, spiced rum and cherries. Appearance is dark red with tan head. Flavor is the epitome of English beer: Defining caramel malt backbone, but with a chocolate cherry rum twist. Palate is creamy and the finish abrupt. My favorite English beer.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
A: Pours a dark copper amber with a nice two-finger off-white head. Quite a few rings of lacing as it goes down.
S: Strong whiff of caramel malts alongside some initially-unidentifiable spices, almost reminding me of Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome. Somewhat earthy. Hints of orange marmalade.
T: A nice, brisk hop presence; slightly herbal and earthy. Very nice caramel malt in the background, with a mild amount of spice. Slightly sweet. Still having trouble identifying the specific spicing--perhaps the orange marmalade I detected in the nose.. Mild hints of tobacco and a very slight green apple skin presence.
M: Medium bodied with a moderate, brisk carbonation. No detectable alcohol presence. Chewy and biscuity.
D: Although certainly not within the English definition of sessionable, this is one incredibly drinkable brew. Nice balance between earthy hops, fruity esters, and caramel malt.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 04-08-2010
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours rich dark copper/red with a beige head. Big malty caramel flavor, hints of chooclate, sweet cherry, damp wood, and spices. Light oxidatized flavors only lead to complexity, not distracting at all. Sherry and chocolate show in the finish. While thinner then expected on the palate, the depth of flavors really makes up for it. Chewy dates and light nutmeg begin to show as the beer warms. Hops are subtle, but provide the needed balance to keep this from being cloying.
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