Fullers Vintage Ale 2004

Bottle: Poured a deep brown/burgundy color ale with a nice off-white foamy head with good retention. Aroma of dry malt with some light bitter hops is intriguing. Taste is dominated by sweet malt but I thought that the plums/dry figs characteristics that I so dearly love in the previous version of the vintage ale were not as accentuated as they were. The hops provided a dry finish which I thought clash with the sweet side of the malt. I guess I was expecting a bit less hops then – I think I will age my second bottle some more to see if I can get rid of some of those hops.

Bottle # 90700. Aroma is softly fruity and sweet, featuring hints of raisin, red apple, black cherry, spun sugar and honey, and with a floral backdrop. Deep rosy color with amber highlights, a fastly subsiding head and minimal lacing. Flavor profile is richly malty, really rather decadent, with plenty of sugar-coated dried fruits, an herbal, tobbacoish undercurrent, faint suggestions of butterscotch and a lightly bitter tinge at the finish, which is long and very gently alcoholic. Mouthfeel is smooth and lightly sticky with a lushly full body. I had aged this one in the cellar since it was newly released and decided to give it a go at 2.5 years. Seems to be rather well-integrated for it.

Pint bottle #91987 via trade with Walt! - Thanks! - Pours caramel with ruby highlights and a nice tan head that stays pretty well and laces some. Aromas of caramel, raisin, toffee, cherry, and some almonds. Flavor is toffee, caramel, raisin, almonds, and just a kiss of chocolate covered cherry. Palate is smooth and very easy to drink. Lingering sweet aftertaste. Very nice.. A couple of years in the bottle didn’t hurt this one I’d say..

16.9 Oz Bottle-#72441-Assateague Island Oasis/Island Store Beer & Wine, Berlin Md. Poured a reddish brown color w/a moderate foamy head. Sweet liquor aroma. Sweet malted flavor w/traces of caramel, toffee, barley, cherrywood, appricots, has a lot going on. Deep, rich, complex flavor, kind of leathery, chewy. Reminds you somewhat of a Barleywine due to the sweetness. Long full sweet finish. Very good. Gonna have to get another one to celler.

bottle at The Beer Bistro in December 2006. This has mellowed quite a bit. the boozy harshness is all but gone. nice malt aroma, and a nice english hoppiness to it. flavour is malty, and caramel, with a bit of spiciness. Palate is sooooooo smooth, like velvet. This has aged very nicely.

Bottle thanks to BeerandBlues2. Dark brown/reddish pour with a nice head. Lots of dark fruit and caramel on the aroma. More of the same maltiness in the flavor with a touch of dust on the finish. Pretty darn yummy.

Pours a nice red/amber colour with stable head. Malty aroma with some burtn notes. Flavour reveals some sweetness wich is nicely balanced by earthy hops. Alcohol present but well integrated.

Sampled from bottle at the River’s Bend Barleywine/Old Ale Tasting on 1/18/2007...

Bottle #65143: Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2004 poured a clear dark copper/amber color. It was pretty clear and had a small crown. The aroma contained honey, wood (oxidation?), and an almost generic "beer"-like scent. The flavor had a light cherry-almond taste to it and a dry finish. The body was lighter than expected, but still around the medium mark. Overall I thought this was a pretty good beer, but I guess I was hoping for something more after just having the Thomas Hardy’s Ales! Regardless, I am quite happy that I had the opportunity to sample this quality beer! 8.5% ABV.