Fuller’s Vintage Ale 1998

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

Serve in English pint, Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Bottle at THE Barley Wine Tasting, London. A massive thanks to Kenneth for sharing what is surely one of the most sought-after Fuller’s beers around. Pours foggy, ruby-gold with a creamy, off-white head. dary caramel nose, some paper, definitely signs of oxidation, some dates and other rich, dried fruits. Medium sweet flavor with dusty brown sugar, bread, some leathery fruits, subtle cardboard coming through. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Mild dryness at the end, with dusty and toasty malts, some figs, faint cocoa, bread. Certainly a bit of oxidation has taken place, but there is still a great amount of rich, fruity character and soulful nuance to this beer.

31st August 2012
THE Barleywine tasting. Bottle won at a GBBF auction! Bottle No 56. Hazy brown beer, little tan head. Light smooth palate, airy. A little caramel and paper. Mild creamy toffee. Mild dried fruits. Hangs together pretty well and for a 14 year old beer has held up very well. However whilst backward extrapolation is subjective - I reckon this was a belter a few years ago. Anyone got one they have kept in the fridge since it was released? :)

Bottle @ THE Barley Wine Tasting. Huge thanks to Ken for breaking out this rarely-found vintage! The pour’s deep brown with a small off-white head. The nose is raisin, brown sugar, some prune and newspaper. The taste is oxidized rum raisin ice cream, more dark fruits and heaps of brown sugar sweetness. Jammy body. Drinkable but clearly past its prime! If you’ve still got a bottle, don’t wait to open this up.

UPDATED: SEP 4, 2012 Bottle at THE Barley Wine Tasting (even though it’s not categorized one), August 2012. Many thanks to Ken for busting out this rarity! It pours hazy mahogany brown, with a thin off-white film. The nose is date, plum, prune, raisin, fig, caramel, light spice and old wood. The taste is nut, caramel, wood, earth, light spice, leather, cherry, raisin and chewy malt, with a smooth finish. Full body, fine carbonation and slightly sticky mouth-feel. Probably past its prime, but nevertheless it’s smooth, mellow and tasty.

Bottle at the 5th Annual Richmond Industry Gathering on 11/28/2010 courtesy of Mike. Cloduy amber body with a small white head. Sweet honey and fruit aroma. Sweet fruit, caramel and honey flavor. Medium full body with moderately low carbonation.

Bottle (60,046) - thanks Duncan. Clear deep reddish brown with good persistent head. Aroma is hugely complex - sweet, cough drops, malt, spices. Medium body with beautiful velvety carbonation. Flavour is complex: fruity, candy (cough drops?), vinous with a good long rich finish which starts pleasantly bitter and evolves into a dark chocolate flavour. An awesome beer.

Stratford tasting @ Cletus house. Wow 1998 thanks nelson. Pours an amber body with an off white head. Oxidation is present, a malty apple pine and caramel seep through as the primary character, a bit ashy in the mouth with a dull fruity finish. Some darker plum and sugar notes. Good, given its age.

Bottle: The aroma consists of caramel, fruit, apple, and light chocolate. It pours a slightly hazy amber with a moderate large bubbled off-white head. The flavor starts with caramel, light chocolate, and fruit. The finish has a hint of apple and oxidation. Light-medium bodied with a slightly thin mouthfeel and mild carbonation.

Pours hazy copper with a smallish off white head. Aroma is caramel maltiness, bread, dark fruit and a hint of alcohol. Flavor is big time caramel, malt, raisin and a hint of earthy spice. Finish is smooth rounded with hints of alcohol. My last bottle, this one aged very nice.

WOW! Thanks Paiste2002 for this rare gem! Can’t imagine what this would taste like fresh but this is a true testament to age a beer. This was DELICIOUS! Aroma was perfect; Strong caramel with a hint of caramel malt. Pour was a nice murky dark gold with a one finger off white head. Taste was like an alcoholic Sugar Daddy with a rich malty aftertaste. I don’t have the patience to age a beer for over a year, but this beer has made me turn a corner. Thanks, Paiste2002!