Fullers Vintage Ale 2004

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

“Bottle #76157”:

The beer dispenses from the 500ml brown bottle a translucent deep amber to copper color with the head average in size, the texture semi-creamy and the color a winsome light tan and after its demise the residual lace a concealing sheet upon the glass. Nose is deep malt, sweet, hints of caramel, and oh yes “Alcohol” and the start delectable in its sweetness and the grain profile adequate, the top is middling in its feel. Finish scrumptious in its hop presence, moderately carbonated and a very dry long lasting aftertaste, the first new vintage in a few years at least for me.

Had bottle #65291. Deep amber in appearance. Has a fruity and alcoholic aroma. Alcohol appearance is strong but does not overpower the ale. The ale has a smooth finish with a hint of spice.

Bottle #92858. Light-amber pour with a smallish off-white head. Aroma is malty, of caramel apples and some spices. Malty and sweet with hints of bananas and spices. Alcohol is very apparent and not really in a bad way. A moderately dry, hoppy finish. I was drawn to this because of the beautiful liquor-like packaging and thought it would be like the Anchor special ales. Not nearly as good as I had hoped.

Large off-white head of very fine bubbles. Light carbonation. Nice and frothy on top. Slightly sweet malt aroma with a touch of caramel. Color is a nice bright copper. Wow, flavor is quite good. Alcohol is pretty prominent and is nice and warming as it goes down. Very smooth with more caramel and malts. Not much bitterness. A little oily and sweet in the finish with a lingering warming alcohol aftertaste. Seems like more than 8.5%. A very good english strong ale and one that will be better in a year or two.

2004, bottle 91923. Beautiful glowing, fiery amber with a thick eggshell-colored head. Aroma of apple, floral hops and dark fruits. Flavor has notes of caramel, toasted malt, plums, raisins, hops, brown sugar and smooth alcohol. Pleasantly sweet, lingering bitter hop finish. Medium body, smooth texture and subtle carbonation. Seems a little too light on the palate for this style. Good head retention. Overall, a very nice beer.

Dark copper/amber color with a small but lasting head. Nose is fairly complex with big caramel malts, a fine nuttiness, and a tad earthy. Already I can tell this one needs more time. After having the 97, 98, 99, and 00 it’s very easy to tell. Full bodied, smooth mouthfeel. Alcohol presence is noted. Taste reveals malts, some vanilla and just a touch of wood. Finish is slightly bitter. I like it now, but I’m sure it will be better next year....I’ll let the last few sit.

Bottle (500ml). Bought 15 bottles to put away, have had 3 - last one was better, so it’s improving. This is a very nice English bitter, but NOT spectacular. I heard enough hype that my first bottle would have rated about 11 - disappointing. Lighter in colour, vague aroma, somewhat straw-tasting, quick dimish on the palate. Not all that much different from a better London Pride. BUT .... the third bottle showed maturation, so I’m going to leave remaining 12 bottles untouched until Christmas 2005 and see if we can bump that 13 up to 14 or 15. Not BAD, just ... unmemorable.

It was going to be a struggle to find a beer to match the importance of my 1000th rate. I looked at my dwindling stock of beers at home, knowing that there was nothing I could actually buy that would be anywhere near rateable standard. I am sure this is a premature rate as I think this would do well with a bit of ageing. But here goes anyway. The beer presents well in the glass, a solid copper colour with a thick rocky head. The nose is a toasted malt flavour with a int of liquorice. On the palate there is a clean marriage of bitterness and malt flavour that peculierly reminds me of an Old Peculier. There is a bit of dryness on the back palate but I feel there is some essential element missing in this beer. Perhaps it is age and so it will be all the better for ageing. Anyway, a satisfying beer for the milestone and one I certainly didn’t mind paying 3.89 at the Sainsbury’s in Greater Portland St. OK, now for the music...........