Fullers Vintage Ale 2004

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

Pours out a deep, slightly cloudy ruby copper with a quickly fading tan head that leaves some thin lacing. I notice some sediment floating around that is reluctant to settle out. The nose is alcoholic and vinous with caramel malt, toasted grahm cracker/cookie notes and wood. The flavour brings out the fruits, mainly cherry. There is definitely creamy, dark caramel some bitter hops in the finish, faint smoke, possibly sherry, and more alcohol than 8.5% would suggest. The palate is silky, tingly and short in duration. The flavours come to a hault in an alcoholic, bitter hop finish that was not too dry. This one could have used a bit more maturation.

bronze copper color with a light tan head. yeasty caramel aroma with a subtle fruitiness. medium sticky body, actually a little less thick than I expected. chocolate caramel flavor with yeast and oranges. i listed what i tasted under the sourness that implied a badly stored beer, 2004 and i bought it from a place that doesn’t really know about alcohol, what do you expect. i think, disregarding that though, this would have been a good strong

Name: Vintage Ale
Date: 09/02/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip
Vintage: 2004

clear dark ruby red, fine beige head, sweet fruity aroma with nice dark caramel undertones, sticky sweet creamy body, rich fruity flavor, lots of dark caramel, just enough sweetness to bring out the fruits but balanced by earthy hops keep it restrained,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

brownish copper pour w/ a tall off white head some lace. Well blended aroma the ottor, some carmel, alcohols, touch of bread & yeast, an odd earthy hop. Full rich palate. Some definate oxidation and infection present in the flavor. On top of what otherwise might have been a good beer.

Bottle compliments of jhanauer - he kinda owed me though because I gave it to him for Christmas. Wow - unbelievable. Very complex flavors. Beautiful pour and off-white head that laced nicely. Sweet fruits, woody, definate presence of alcohol. A warming brew. Smooth, smooth, smooth. I felt like I should have been wearing a smoking jacket and sitting in front of a fire place while drinking this delicious ale. My full rec. One of the finer brews I’ve tried.

Bottle. #61981. Pours a clear, dark golden amber. Some residue. Big, thick beige head. Nice lacing. Sour, vinegar aroma at first. As it warms, it becomes more fruity. Flavour is fruity (plums) and a bit acidic. Full-bodied. A lot like sherry. Notes of wood. Dryish bitter finish with lingering vermouth notes. Remote notes of caramel. Quite complex. Soft palate. 04-08-07.

Hazy darker amber, moderate head with good lacing and retention. Aroma is aged floral hops with caramel and lesser toffee backing. Medium bodied, fairly sweet finish with some heat. Good flavors, nothing amazing. However, I didn’t like that this was still a little hot after 3 years.

Bottle sampled at cellar temperature, July 2007.

Pours copper-orange with a nice white head. The aroma is fruitcake and especially prunes, maybe a bit of sherry, very dried-fruit heavy. Strong caramel malt flavors, again some fruit and maybe a whisper of smoke, turning to relatively assertive (for a 3-year-old English Strong Ale) soapy/metallic hops in the finish. Abundant alcohol both in the flavor and in the warmth from the mouthfeel -- this one feels a lot stronger than its 8.5%.

While it has its virtues, I’m not too fond of this one. In the end, it’s too much like cheap sweet sherry-wood whisky. A disappointment.