Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2011

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

Serve in English pint, Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

0,5 l bottle Bottle# 016087. BB end of 2014 citrus, floral, spruce, herbs, dark amber, clear, frothy, white foam, light sweetness, medium bitterness, lightly sour, medium body, oily feel, creamy, average carbonation, long finish,

500ml bottle, number 28770 A clear amber pour with a ring of translucent head; aroma of prunes and brandy; sweet caramel malt flavour to start, then showing lots of tangy orange marmalade; with a smooth warming finish, that masks most of the alcohol, and has a spicy bitterness. Another good one from Fullers.

Bottled, 0.50l. Clear deep ruby color with mid-sized frothy tan-like head and lively bubbles. Aroma of caramel malt, strawberry jam, cherry, vanilla and spicy hops. Taste starts with rich caramel malt, followed by sweet syrup and sour fruity notes. This one is really mouth-coating, especially after few minutes in the glass alcohol warmth pops out. Aftertaste is spicy and lightly bitter. Full body, oily texture and lingering carbonation in palate. Good for special occasions...

New Years Eve 2012-13. Trying hard not to drink these too fresh... Amber with a nice lasting off-white head. Rich bready-toffee-biscuit malty aroma with a touch of herbal-grassy hops and marmalade fruity esters. Dry and malty flavour with a little alcohol and lots and lots of marmalade. Seems like a good year, glad to have a few in the cellar!

Reviewed 11/29/2012. 16.9 oz bottle into a wine glass. A: Pours a dark orange color with a little bit of clarity - mostly, though, the yeast obscures things a little bit. The head is a one finger eggshell shade with low retention, but nice texturing. S: Lots of sweet toffee, caramel, nuts, brown sugar, dark fruits, and lighter berry sweetness. Generally pretty sweet, but nuanced well enough to be very enjoyable. T: Not quite as great as the nose. A bit of initial sweet caramel transitions to a combination of fruity tartness and earthy hops. Lactic sour/tartness pervades throughout. The finish is like pumpernickel bread, as well. Generally, the complexity is subtle instead of aggressive - however, I think it could use a bit more depth of flavor. I enjoy it for what it is, but I kind of wanted more. M: The level of creaminess, density, and carbonation are bang on. However, I think the finish is a little undefined - it doesn’t know whether it wants to be crisp and dry, or slick and lingering. Ultimately, it does both, and pulls off neither particularly well. O: While I wouldn’t call it GREAT, I will say that I really appreciate its elegance and subtlety. Don’t know if I’d pay $10 for a bottle again, but it’s well worth a shot.

Pours a dark mahogany color with a large puffy canvas head. Notes of licorice, dates, orange rind, and caramel. Thinner, creamy mouthfeel and lasting finish.

UPDATED: JAN 1, 2013 I really have a soft spot for the Vintage Fullers, and ive spent 12 months waiting to pop the cap on bottle 33702 from 2011, however....when drank in 2011 this beer (not rated) seemed complex and malty. This year it is a different story. The first aroma is orange and tangerine. There is a 1 finger fluffy head which clears quickly. The taste is quite cloying and sweet, candyfloss and candied fruit. I finished the bottle but struggled. I really wanted to rate this beer highly and due to my fondness of these beers i was nearly swayed in to rating higher than was honest. Lets see how the last bottle does in 2016!

I am not sure what possessed me to celebrate the end of my semester with a Fuller’s Vintage Ale - maybe because I have loved older (much older) vintages so - anyway, pour is a clear light copper - kind of a fizzy pour - nose is quite pleasant - fairly sweet caramel and honey, as well as some bright tropical notes of mango - a light sourness/tartness underneath cuts that sweetness - medium carbonation - a bit thin in the mouth for something of this strength - medium honey sweetness up front - flavors of melon and tropical fruits through the middle - some mild acidity late to balance - finish is lightly bitter and a little boozy - needs more complexity and heft to mask and/or justify the alcohol warmth in the finish - ot bad, but certainly my last Fuller’s Vintage purchase (the 2008 was terrible), as there are much higher quality brews for the price - good thing I have some Narwahl in the fridge for later.

500ml bottle (thanks FatPhil). Almost clear golden color. Medium size head diminishes to tiny rather quickly. Alcohol, minerals, sweet, slight hint of raisins in aroma. Raw sweetness, fish scale saltiness and a bit metallic in flavor. Work in progress I would say!

Stopped regular rating 22nd Oct 2012 so this is one of one of my occasional ratings, had this for the Online Mass Rating for Fullers Vintage on 11th December 2012 bottle No: 069686 This was keen to get out of the bottle, quite a lively pour from this youngster. Colour is a slightly hazy orange/brown head was large and foaming but has now calmed down, good clarity to this. Soft in mouth with a buzzing sweet marmaladey flavour. Quite sweet, but to be fair this ain’t so boozy. Tangy, fruity and with plenty of sweet orange flavours flooding through. This is pretty good. A7 A4 T7 P4 Ov16 3.6