Fuller’s Vintage Ale 1998

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

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Sweet, malty aroma, deep amber color with a well balanced bitterness and alcohol content. Based on the many beers I have had in this class, I would have to guess the alcohol content to be about 9.5 to 10% by volume.

Bottle (Thanks to chris_o). Sweet raisin and caramel flavours. Some light port sherry qualites. with some more dark fruit towards the finish. This has a very nice long flavour, but i couldn’t help but think it may have been sligtly passed its best, as there was a slight oxidised characters which popped up every now and then.

500 ml bottle (#31697) obtained in trade with Footbalm (Jan 2007) served at cellar temperature from a Corsendonk glass, with pepperoni, smoked mozzarella, and raisins....forms a decent bit of head after an audible pop when the cap is removed, light spidery lacing atop the murkey copper-brass body....caramel-sherry aroma is certainly qutie oxidized but enough interesting earthy hints still exist for some interest....the body is quite sweet, thick and almost syrupy, with caramel and molasses bits, some vanilla and baked fruits as expected, really quite lovely and surprisingly pleasurable to drink, just enough vaguely sour and dry earth-tones to keep it from being overbearingly sweet....amazingly full and well-carbonated for a 9-year-old, while this is probably a bit past prime it still confirms to me that Fullers know what they’re doing with this series. Nice.

This bottle was believed to have been kept refrigerated for the majority of its life. Pours a clear copper with a thin off-white head with light whispy lacing. Aroma of rich caramel malt and a touch of butterscotch with some English hops and alcohol. Starts rich, viscous and malty with a nice sweetness and plenty of carbonation. Finishes more dry and bitter. This tasted fresher than bottles of the 1999 I have had that weren’t refrigerated. It has aged quite nicely. Thanks go out to TheBeerCellar2 for hooking me up with this gem!

Bottle... VBWT2008... Cloudy, caramel-colored ale with a small, creamy, white head. Aged with grace! Toffee nose is enhanced by fuzzy fruit and vinous esters with just a hint of a smoke phenol. Full-bodied, but dry with light carbonation. Sweet, vinous malts. Barely hopped, but adequately bitter. Bittersweet, vinous finish. TheCheeseMan bringeth!

7-year-old bottle:

The Lure:
Caramel-covered cherries and maple syrup on waffles with a touch of port make quite a hedonistic breakfast. Peaches, citrusy and grassy hops and freshly-turned earth blow in from the open window.

The Festivities:
A glass of port wine, lawnmower clippings and a bouquet of flowers on the table. A drop of cream on a bowl of assorted berries.

Transcendence:
Still a hearty, fulfilling meal after all those years.

A Mes rate: Bottle at the Tom’s awesome Twickenham Brewery tasting.
I’m not gonna rattle on about the vintage ale as we all know what it’s like. At ten years old this had mellowed and the ingredients had married really well. There was an odd minty note in the aroma and it was slightly oxidised in the mouth but other than that it’s still going pretty well even though it is nearing the end of it’s life.

The Cheeseman brings the noise with another Fullers Vintage. Cloudy copper color with a thin blanket of white head. Sweet candy corn aroma, sweet malts. Mild malt taste, sweet middle and dry finish. Rich and tasty, but really starts to knock on the door of cloying.

Courtesy TheCheeseMan. 10 years old! Bottle #27359. The cloudy, muddy, medium-brown body with a thin bubbly edge really isn’t much to look at, but who cares when you’re talking about a decade old brew as nice as this one. The aroma shows sweet caramel malts, sweet dark fruits, brown sugar, and copious amounts of vanilla. This one smells like Tahitian vanilla beans have been steeped in the dark liquid all this time. The flavor is quite sweet, with caramel and brown sugar malts showing strong. There are still some flowery hops left within, which is surprising given its age. The medium-full, syrupy body is well carbonated and smooth. Good stuff. This has aged incredibly gracefully.

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.