Fullers Vintage Ale 2004

Amber with a small beige head. Malty, musty, earthy, caramel aromas. Flavour is malty, caramel, alcohol, vanilla. It’s a bit too sweet for my liking although I like the alcohol kick.

Bottle # 73165 Light amber color with a beige head. Aroma of caramel and some alcohol. Flavor is woody and smokey. With a finish of alcohol and hops.

Golden-copper body with mild, lazy carbonation and a filmy off-white head. Aroma has subdued notes of caramel, fruit, toffee, and some subtle, earthy Goldings hops. Flavor has some nice Maris Otter qualities of dark bread crusts, caramel, and dark honey plus some peaty yeast notes and some whiskey character. Moderately-high sweetness carries the alcohol content very effectively. Understated hop profile has a long, lingering, but subtle flavor and bittering effect. Improves nicely as it warms. This is a very clean, elegant ale with nice, delicate qualities for a strong ale. I was underwhelmed at first, but this grew on me and left me longing for a few more sips when it was gone. Definitely worth laying down a bottle or two.

Very clear, light-amber beer with glass-sticking bubbles; very good, off-white head, quite dense and reasonably stable. Creamy nose, some caramel. Some light sourish-fruity notes, as not-too-sugared preserve. And a faint, just-off maltwhisky aroma, too. Very malty, caramely taste with again, a marked fruity-acidic touch that slowly fades. Very interesting: a bit of jam, but with an English hops finish - hop marmalade - or orange&hops chutney? I cannot find those German Bock notes some raters claim. It’s much more refreshing, less bready. It is oily, nearly viscous, however, but less chewy than the ’99 and ’03 versions I remember. Still - good body and texture. Everybody admits it, so I’ll better do that too: I should have aged this one a bit more. But then, we’re all so curious, aren’t we, and we want those ratings. Anyway, a great beer already. (My bottle #61209 - does that matter in any way?)

I was gonna let this age, but I’m all out of beer tonight. Pours dark amber with a mid-sized white head. Sweet aroma with hints of alcohol. Tart and bitter flavor--a bit harsh, but all together good. With age, this may be excellent. Syrupy mouthfeel. Will definitely get another bottle and maybe age it, depending upon my supply.

Bottle # 65998: Bright redish brown color with a large off-white head. Aroma of oak, piney hops, some light apple notes. Fruity taste with a slight tartness, moderate malty sweetness, some light vinous notes, a hint of spruce. Finishes dry, not really what I expected.

Bottle no 45655. Light tan head on top of a deep copper colored beer. The malty aroma leads to a fullbodied - almost sirupy -, malty palate with alcohol and hops. The finish is long and bitter with hints of licorice.

The Lure:
Sweet toffee malts adhere to the sturdy, woody and spicy hops. Strangely lager-ish aroma, reminiscent of a well-hopped bock, more than the usual Fuller’s Vintage domineering caramel malt sweetness.

The Festivities:
Fruity caramel struggles but succeeds to carry the green, leafy Goldings hoppiness. Earthy and wooden dryness accompanies the lasting hop bitterness, diverting from the veiled citrus and dried apricots. Maybe this is way fresher than the previous vintages of Fuller’s Vintage Ale I’ve had, but this one has the lager-y texture and presentation of a German bock, its cleanliness and rigor, and the way the wooden hops ride the supportive malt definitely point my confused tongue towards Deutschland. Maybe I’m dire need of a good bock. By far, the hoppiest of the vintages I’ve had, far from the scotch ale leanings of its predecessors.

Trascendence:
When a disguise proves to reveal something completely unexpected, the beauty of the surprise is somewhat dampened for a while, replaced by quizzical shock. Then it’s all good.

Second sampling : Sour peaches and yeast?!? Where’d the hops go? Don’t know if this is an example of how this beer will age, or if it was poorly stored, but was definitely not as pleasant as the first sampling a few months back.