Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2009

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

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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500 ml bottle purchased at the LCBO Rideau and King Edward, December 13, 2009. Honey copper, no head. Aroma of roasted malted barley, a bit of sugar alcohol. Taste of barley sugar, a little woody, a little bit of alcohol aftertaste, but soft. That’s good, but I wonder if the same thing the last brew!

Bottle @ Vinens Verden, Odense. Pours a handsome clear amber color with a small creamy white head and lacings. A fresh bottle for sure. Very hoppy nose and though ive had the earlier vintages young as well, this is quite different. Nose is hops, fruit and buiscuit. Smooth and full palate. Alcohol well hidden. Taste is buiscuit, grain, caramel, toffee and grassy and perfumy hops. A very fine, though still young , Fullers Vintage!

Poured a orange amber hue - almost no head. Nose was big malty, toasty and british. In the mouth it is full with lots of nice flavours coming through. Caramel, Apple and so forth. Very smooth - a year or two on this would see it really come in to it’s own I think. Thanks to volcanicbeat for sharing!

There are no better-balanced ales nor esb’s in the world than those from the Fullers brewery. How do they do it ... ? :=)))) 50cl bottle, design as usual. Bottle No. 049395. Pours a beautiful clear amber with a creamy, medium-sized off-white head. Good retention, limited lacing. Aroma of stewed prunes, lemon, roasted malt and yeast. Medium- to heavy-bodied esb with moderate carbonation. Thick, oily but still earthy mouth feel. Can’t be bettered. As I’ve come to expect from this company, the flavour is a heady, complex mix of fruity, spicy and resinous notes that include prunes, lemon, herbal spices, licorice, oak and toffee. An alluring semi-sweetness at first, soon to be balanced by an attack of bitter and sour notes, with a strong, resinous and bitter finish and a lingering semi-sweet, alcoholic after taste. Yummy! I’m hooked. The most complex, smoothest, most sessionable esb I know of - it just doesn’t get better than this! Belgian beers - overrated, the whole lot them (And too sickly-sweet by half!) English ales - underrated, again, the whole lot. I hope some day people will realize ... what took me years to realize.

Name: Vintage Ale
Date: December 07, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Hop City, Atlanta
Vintage: 2009
Appearance: clear dark amber, fine off white head
Aroma: light sweet fruity malt aroma, light earthyness
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, touch of caramel sweetness, hint of fruity character, light earthyness
Overall: quite mellow
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

Bottle at the brewery. Hazy amber, fine head. Fruit, pepper, sweet malt. Smooth. A great beer today, but it will get even better!

Bottle #065381:
Pours copper orange with a small but dense head. Sweet, malty aroma with some notes of marzipan, toffee and bitter almonds. Thick and sweet mouth feel. Flavour is oak and cherries with warming alcohol in the finish.

Bottle. Fairly clear and copper with small head that dissipates to about 1/2 cover. Aroma of honey and wet cardboard. Sweet taste with some hops in the finish. Definite honey taste in the sweetness. Decent carbonation. The 8.5% alcohol is well hidden. Not bad but not worth $7.

Bottle 500 ml # 044973
Appearance: clear standard amber look with mid plus beige foamy top. Neck of lace shown on glass. 3+
Nose: soft malty nose with touches of vineus feel blended with alcohol. Light hint of prune vodka. 8-
Flavor/Palate : full bodied. Good malty frontal , prunes with slight nutty accents , soft mid and thinner end. Alcohol burn on top and sides. Neatly slow warming up. Young vintage yet feel quiet mature. Solid front with finish that needs some work. Solid brew.

Bottle ( 500ml ). Bottle #45009. Deep clear bright copper-amber with a huge foamy lasting light tan head. Simple aroma of cereal grain, pungent floral bitterness, moderate alcohol, a hint of green fruit - tastes the same, stronger alcohol, increased bitterness with grassiness thrown in; astringent, fairly lively, with a dry squeaky slightly boozy finish. A little lighter than past years, but tasty enough.