Fullers Vintage Ale 2004

Formerly brewed at Fullers
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

#72154. What a georgeous beer! Clear red-brown body with a foamy white head leaving soapy lacing. Fruity aroma - cherry and wheat bread. While the aroma seems a bit weak and dry the flavor really shines. There’s a sweet milk chocolate malt througout the flavor with cherry and banana-esters up front leading to sweet caramel malt in the middle. The finish has a touch of green leaf and bread yeast and a hint of satisfying alcohol. Rich mouthfeel w/o a sticky feeling.

bottle. pours a clear copper-brown with a small creamy white head. the aroma is quite nice - full of dark fruit, sweet raisins, chocolate, caramel, roast grain, and faint alcohol. nice flavours too...toasty malt, bitter chocolate, caramel. sweet and chewy. the finish is very rich and has a slight alcoholic bite. pretty good.

Thanks to robertsreality and Walt for this beer. Bottle #65599. Poured a cloudy effervescent brownish mahogany with a small fizzy off-white head which dissipated immediately. Nose is caramel, bubble gum, some light butterscotch. Flavor is rich and malty... brown sugar, bubble gum, alcohol, some dry buttery characteristics. Finishes bone dry. A few of the flavors in this mix didn’t really seem to work. Still a decent beer, all in all.

Very dark copper, almost ruby colored body. The head is light khaki with decent lacing. The aroma is buttery caramel with chocolate and apples. Nice, rich and sweet aroma. The taste is slightly buttery with some pears, good tobacco and a little chocolate. the finish is fairly dry. The mouthfeel is medium yet seems to be fairly sticky. A very nice brew, but definitely a sipper. Bottle 91100 sampled in January 2006.

Sampled from bottle # 90657. Pours clear copper-brown with a lasting, creamy light tan head and intricate lacing. Aroma is complex with dark, ripe fruit and rich malts. Subtle spice notes present as well. Strong malt flavor is accompanies by a vinous/dark fruit yeastiness (think trappist yeast) and spicy hops. Slightly sweet finish, but still very drinkable. Full-bodied and moderately carbonated. Very well-made beer!

Dark copper color with a medium head. Dusty and dry appleish aroma. The taste had some of that grain farmer’s brew tint. Decent enough malt and hops with some fruit coming through. Certainly tasty, but not very prolific.

Bottle № 72548. From the 500 ml bottle, this ale rests in a pint glass with a slightly cloudy, lush amber body. There is a large, enduring tan head that leaves great lacing. The aroma is a rich mélange of caramel malt, zesty ripe fruit and floral hops. There also is a discernable alcohol scent. Palate entry is boldly sweet, with the expected caramel and raisin-like fruit notes in the mid-palate. But, I also detect hints of vanilla, anise or licorice. The finish is long-lasting and well-hopped. A perfect complement and balance to the front end of this strong ale. I agree with the other reviewers that this beer likely would be slightly improved with some cellaring to tame the alcohol tang. Nonetheless, this is an excellent tasting experience.

Bottle, No. 48339. I first had this when it just came out and I thought it was just O.K. but this beer is meant to be aged. A year later it’s now time to try this puppy again. Pours a clear slightly bubbly dark copper with a big creamy tan head -- looks as good as an Ale can look. Lovely aroma of caramel malt, yeast, alcohol, dark fruit, hops and more. Flavour starts sweet with caramel malt, brown sugar and dark fruit and ends with a mild hop bitterness -- tastes wonderful. The alcohol is still a touch too much, give it another year or two and this will be just about perfect. An excellent Strong Ale that will only get better, I sure am glad I have more put away.