Fullers Vintage Ale 2009

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

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

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Stunningly good beer, rich, malty and spicy, so well balanced. Superb finish that lasts for ages, I’ll probably still taste this in the morning! Bought this at Waitrose, Ponteland. Have to say that I was surprised at some of the ratings, however, this is the first Vintage I’ve tried, I thought it was stunning, if this is a poor example, I’d love to try a good one! Happy Birthday Martin!

Awesome. I love the vintage ales. The best part of the holiday season is when I first see the boxes they come in! I think this is nearly flawless. Wood, hops, alcohol, caramel, excellent flavor progression!

amber, orange, hazy, minimal head, white foam, caramel, herbs, floral, alcohol, woody, medium sweetness, lightly bitter, creamy, medium body, fizzy, long finish, bitter,

Bottle at Tony’s Place in Ivyland. This was a real treat. Although this beer can be even better aged, it was a great drink before dinner. Pours a rich copper red. Head is light and off white. Aroma is malt and caramel. Hops are there but not overly there. Goldings hops. Smooth and rich, alcohol is 8.5 but hardly noticed. This is a fantastic beer. I bought 2 extra to age a year or 2. Well worth it!!!

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.

bread, roasty, caramel, grass, floral, herbs, barnyard, dough, basement aromas, alcohol, cooked vegetables, vanilla, red, clear, minimal head, heavy cloying sweetness, lightly bitter, heavily sour, salty, medium body, sticky, lively, long finish,

The scent is fruity and nonsurprising. That’s why the surprise in taste was so big. A bit fruity to start with, but with a strong flavour of licorice directly afterwards. The somewhat high alcohol content fits in perfectly. Should buy one more bottle of this and store it for some years.

Best by 12/2012 for the 2009 vintage bottle #116,697 but I couldn’t wait, pours a two finger cream head that fades quickly leaving no lace. Almost clear amber color. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Dark fruit and light alcohol nose, flavor follows with dark fruit and alcohol. $9.99 for a 500ml bottle from Julio’s Liquors Westborough, Ma. And this was written Dec 2010 for the 2007 Vintage: Its time, the label says best by end of 2010 bottle #129078. Pours a off-white one finger head that fades quickly leaving some lace. Hazy amber color, with some yeast left in bottle. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Light caramel nose. Flavor is some caramel, toffee, higher ABV is hidden. Very light bitter finish. $6.99 for a 500ml bottle from Capitol Convenience Concord, NH (now closed). It rates a four. Here’s what I wrote in May 2002 for a 2000 Vintage: Strong carbonation and head, malty, good after taste, smells like a triple. Too bad it is limited to 85,000 bottles but maybe it is a good idea - at $9.95 for 500ml one could go broke.

Very reddish brown pour. Thin head that does seem to last. Very malty scent. Roasty and nutty. Nice rich taste. Thick and deep. Slightly warming. Nuts and roasted malty sweetness. Very well balanced. Excellent carbonation level. Best beer I have had in quite some time. Glad I accidentally bought two of these.

Appearance: Brownish red. Nice off-white head. Bottle no 82748. Aroma: Dark malt and dark fruit. Prunes. Nice. Taste: Dark malt and fruit. Warming. Info: 500 ml bottle, 31/12-2009, (171/300)