Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2007

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

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Bottle # 103559. I’ve been saving this for a few years: tonight is the night! Poured slowly into my ’Abbot Ale’ glass tankard. Nice looking brownbody with a red hue: on top a full, deep head of off-white foam. Port like in aroma and intial taste: a rich fruit cake infused with Port and Vanilla. This is so good it frightens me. I only have this one bottle: nothing like any other British brewed beer I’ve had for many a year. The flavours just keep coming and as the beer warms in the glass the aromasand taste change a little: Sherry replaces the Port, the Vanilla takes on a dark chocolate hint and caramel easters begin to appear. This is sweet and I like it. Really, really inpressed. I hope my 2011 version is as good when I open that.

Bottle 52901. Poured amber with a frothy tan head. Aroma of Christmas cake dried fruit soaked in sherry. Smooth, creamy medium body, flavour of vanilla, sweet malt a bit of caramel

Bottle. Nice amber body, with a medium sized beige head. Sweet aroma, honey, berries. Strange flavour, some sweetness, light bitter finish (and some chocolate cake too). Can feel some alcohol flavour. (At home (bottle bought in a great beer shop in Amsterdam in Dec 2008), 19.10.2012)

Bottle from Tesco, Hexham; Beer Ritz, Leeds; UtoBeer. 2007 Vintage: drank 2011-08-02. Dark cloudy brown in colour with a rich warming caramel, oak and vanilla flavour with whisky notes and a creamy red fruity finish. Superb!

The 2007 was a bit of a ’let-down’ compared to the 2004, despite its younger age. The ’spicy hop notes’ had died down a bit in the 3 years of aging, but still the delicate strength of Fullers beers comes through. This series is incredible interesting and again, my hat is tipped to Fullers, they don’t ’need to do this.’

Bottle sample at a tasting at Ariel’s place. Thanks Vladimir. Clear amber. Aroma of malt, caramel, honey, some fruitiness, some oxidation and a bit of fruits. Sweet malty flavor, honey-ish, a bit biscuity and fruity. Finishes slightly drier and alcoholic. Medium-bodied.

At a tasting in Nimrod Rosenblatt house in Haifa during a blind tasting, bottle no. 76552 (Tenth Anniversary), pours very cloudy brown color with off-white head that dissipates quickly, slightly sparkling, smoked and slightly hoppy aroma, sweetish, very malty and caramel taste, flows, alcoholic and smoked aftertaste, overall an outstanding beer.

AROMA: basement aromas, earthy, leather, fruity, woody APPEARANCE: amber, cloudy, frothy quickly disappears TASTE: lightly bitter, light sweetness PALATE: full body, thick feel, lively, long finish OVERALL: interesting full-bodied beer, found the yeast a bit overpowering, gets close to a Belgian strong ale.

Very unusual tasting beer. Very fruity, with distinct maraschino cherries. Some sherry-esque notes. Grapey. Almost a bit of balsamic vinegar (but not the acidic part!). Subtly carbonated, relatively thin/smooth mouthfeel. Sweet, but definitely not cloying. Nothing outstanding, but definitely an experience.

Bottled, 500ml (no. 63156) from Sainsbury’s in Banbury. Orange amber with no head. This was flat unfortunately. Initially, malty, fruity, quite sweet, then it is overtaken with quite a spiced note, more pronounced than previous versions of this than I remember, quite peppery with a hint of curry powder. Because of the lack of condition there is no real finish to it, it’s over and you take the next sip. It’s ok, but certainly not the best vintage.