Fuller’s Vintage Ale 1997

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

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Vinous, chocolate cocoa, grapey aroma with some maderization and light alcohol notes apparent. Opaque amber-brown with a decent and lasting cover of fine-bubbled head that leaves some slight lace. Vinous flavour has notes of green leaves, pine, grapes, marzipan, pastry dough, alcohol and plenty of sherry-like oxidation. Mild bitterness. Medium body seems somewhat tired with low carbonation. Bottle (#84041) enjoyed with beerbuzzmontreal, MartinT, Olivier_MTL, Rastacouere and Yowie.

Rb# 4500: 50 cL bottle 45034, special vintage session at Cockneys stand in Århus2008. Pours clear and golden amber with a lacing white head. Light chalky and dense fruity aroma, shows light over the top notes, yet not still inviting aroma. Flavour is smooth fruity with a mild portwine like note, yet still quite fresh fruity accents too. Minor oxidised note before the finish. Light warming finish with a nice wineous note slowly building up.

Bottle @ Stone Sour Fest shared by Bman1113vr. Poured orange with a bright white ring. Nose was sweet. Taste was rich, and quite nicely aged despite a touch of oxidation.

Bottle #25004, shared with Joeh and DenverLogan, bought from the brewery. Showing some oxidation and vinous development but surviving well enough. Otherwise, its the usual copper colour, pruney fruit and rich malt that is the norm for Fullers Vintage. Seems that earlier vintages may have used superior ingredients so have held up better.

Bottle 500ml.
[ Vintage 1997 ]. Unclear to hazy medium amber color with a average, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, light beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, vintage malt, druied fruit, oxidide. Flavor is light heavy sweet and light bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light to moderate warm alcohol. [20100314]

UPDATED: JAN 25, 2004 Bottle #59880 - Sampled 24 Jan 2004.
Beautiful tan creamy head on a cloudy orange/amber body. Fruity aroma with notes of malt, wood and olives. Flavor is very tense and heavy, almost like desert wine. Notes of malt, fruit, wood, olives etc. Fine bitter finish. Very soft and creamy. Interesting but a little too heavy for me!!

UPDATED: DEC 25, 2007 Bottled at Akkurat, Stockholm. Cloudy amber. Oxidized caramelly aroma. Sweet and full bodied with soft malt character. Caramelly with some grass and tar. A warming, malty beer. It bears the sign of age but is still good. I don’t think it will go anywhere from here though.

Bottled: Clear amber coloured. Thin beige head, that a kept through the whole glass. Fruity and sweet aroma. Plums, raisins and some prune notes. Quite spicy and gives me some associations to portwine. Very alcaholic flavour. Has loads of fruitsweetness, but it somehow disappoints me. Very harsh bitterness in the end and a somewhat stale aftertaste. Think this is over the top and declining.

Bottle. Nice head with medium duration. Color is amber. Aroma and taste are malt, sugar with some alocohol. Good palate.

Bottle #25154 at Akkurat - Thanks Patrick for the taste. Clear red/brown - no head. Red berries, sweetness, light soapy, light plue, mint, light nutty, light honey. Old and dusty.