Fullers Vintage Ale 2008

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

500ml bottle (No 135893) at General Sutters Inn, Lititz, PA...bottle was presented in a maroon carboard box, very nice...pours a darkish amber, nice off-white head...nice subtle aroma of malt and dark fruits...continues into the flavor with some caramel and a little warming alcohol on the swallow...nice smooth mouthfeel...very enjoyable...but I think I slightly overpaid for this one. :o)

Strong flavor of caramel malt, but still smooth and drinkable like only an english beer can be. Little bit of butter, probably from the warm chewy malts, and tiny bit of saltiness. Very well rounded and balanced. Bottle from Total Wine, Pembroke Pines.

Pour is the familiar murky reddish amber with a thin tight bubbled off white almost tan head...smell is very fruity and sweet with lots of prunes and dates along with some grapes...some dust and alcohol too...taste is very one sided and sweet...the alcohol is very subtle and subdued in this, compared to almost every other release ever...sadly underhopped and lingeringly sweet...

From a bottle poured a hazy amber color with a fair amount of head. Mild malty hoppy flavor with a linngering finish.

A good vintage ale from Fullers. Spicey; hoppy and very thick body. An enjoyable ale for sure. Caramel notes prominent on the tongue. Also a bit chewy and nutty and doughy tough yeast. A good winter ale. A perfect accompanyment to a great weekend anticipating a new week. Served to ESB glass. Very descent appearance. Extremely red with little head. Reminds me of sherry. Infact some of the alcohol warmth down the throat is reminiscent of sherry. Hmmm. Descent stuff.

Bottle. Pours hazy amber with a large, frothy off-white head, great retention and lacing. Aroma is sweet caramel and nutty malt with pine, citrus, and floral hops; fruity with light alcohol notes. Flavor is a malty and hoppy start with an alcohol and spicy hop bite, fruity with some light doughy yeast notes and chewy malt. Full bodied, warming with high carbonation and a dry finish.

(500ml, bottle No.146992, courtesy of thirdeye11) Pours a clear amber body with moderate creamy beige head. Aroma of grass, caramel, and florals. Flavor of butterscotch, caramel, herbs, grass, and raisins.

500. Capped and boxed. Sturdy, heavy cardboard box that you could ship vegetables in, to far away places. That couldn’t have added more than half a quid to my drinking pleasure this Christmas night. Pours a rubied, crystal clear, and quite completely dark amber. Thick, fluffy, billowing tan head that forces you to think about how you’ll manage it. Carry the bottle into the next room with you? Wait for it to settle? Drink it down? Inhale some foam? You have to decide. Fuller’s has decided that this exercise will make you mentally stronger, and shipped a nice foamy, retentive beer accordingly. Tons of lace. Shortbready, cookie doughy nose. Creamy medium body, very subdued carb. Tons of shortbread, cookie dough, yeast spice, and subtle dates on the mid-palate. Christmas cookie finish. Pleasant, but a bit sweet. Well done, but these british malt bombs get to be all of a piece after a while. No doubt they feel the same way about our new world IPAs.