Fullers Vintage Ale 2005

Formerly brewed at Fuller’s
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

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Bottle from Waitrose. Pours a sparkling orange with a big white head, no sediment came out in the first pour. Aroma is malty, sweet and slightly buttery with fruit and caramel aromas. Smooth mouthfeel with only slight carbonation. Sweet malt flavours with light fruit and caramel, evident alcohol and at times a searing bitterness. Clean feeling beer with no off flavours, but a touch bland and ordinary, and I can’t see a few years in the bottle changing that. Acceptable.

Bottle no 61812. Caramel, chocolate, little alcohol, raisin, medium sweetness, slightly salty, full body, long finish.

(bottle #11280) Clear reddish copper colour with good thick cream coloured head. Aroma has port, burnt toffee and wood notes. Beautiful smooth creamy palate; full bodied with soft carbonation. Very rich flavour; starts with dark treacle, raisins and develops earthier, bitter burnt toffee flavours, all with port and alcohol underpinning. Overall a lovely rich beer, although a little too much of the starker burnt notes to be truly excellent.

50cl bottle, number 11306, bought at the brewery shop in 2012. Pours a slightly hazy amber with a fast disipating white head; the aroma is rich, ruby port and orange; the body is rather thin with earthy, raisin flavours and a touch of orange peel; before a warming port-like finish, that is bittersweet. A pleasant, slow sipping, beer, but perhaps approaching the end of it’s shelflife.

The pour is a clear amber color with a very small off-white head. A bit of a sherry-like aroma. Quite fruity (raisins and cherries) with some vanilla and cream. Interesting aroma. The flavor is also heavy on the vanilla, sweet fruit, sugar, and caramel. A touch of sherry and oxidation in there as well.

Bottle 50 cl at ekstedt vertical tasting on March 18, 2012
Clear dark reddish brown color, small off-white head. Mellow sweet scent. Smooth, cream, berry taste. Sweet cream aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel, low bitterness.

(Bottle, 0.5 l - bottle #24127, at Pikkulintu, 20120316) The beer poured reddish brown and quite clear. Its head was medium sized and lightly brown. Aroma had honey, raisin, malts and molasses. Palate was medium bodied with medium carbonation. Flavours were malts, raisin, caramell, hops and bitterness. Aftertaste was malty, raisiny and bitter. After pouring in part of the yeast the sweetness disappeared and the maltiness grew stronger. Very good brew and aged well.

A beer with a story and box, nice to claim. Dark rich complex colors on the pour with a crisp light-brown head. Complex caramelized sugars mixed with high alcohol make for a smooth beer.

Bottle at Chriso’s Fullers-Gales Tasting (thanks to Chris). It pours slightly hazy deep amber, with a thick beige head. The nose is very orangey - fruit peel, marmalade, tinned nectarine and some parma violets. The taste is tangy orange, mango, nectarine, tinned fruit salad, wood, leather and alcohol, with a warming, slightly citric finish. Full body and moderate carbonation. Fresher tasting than the previous vintages consumed at the tasting. Nice.

Bottle care of Chris O. Tawny brown colour, fairly clear. Nose is sherry, marmalade, orange, sweet malty and there’s the faintest bit of chocolate in there too. This is less cloying than older years, still a touch of hop in there so there’s a crispness that is nicer and a bit of herbal bitterness. Touch of dryness on the finish.

500ml bottle from jerc shared with jsprime. brown with a tan head. nice aged english barley wine nose. slightly decayed flavour but quite complex. really nice beer.