Coopers Vintage Ale

Brewed by Coopers Brewery
Style: English Strong Ale
Regency Park, South Australia, Australia

37.5cl bottle, vintage 2008. Hazy, dark amber coloured hue with loads of dead yeast chunks swimming around and a thick slightly tanned foamy head. Sweet and toasty, strongly spiced malty aroma with a tinge of caramel. Bitter and slightly sweet flavour, full bodied with a calm, well-matured carbonation. Toast-malty, slightly berry-fruity taste with caramel and strong spicy and herbal notes; moderately sweet and slightly bitter finish with matured and lightly mouldy toasty malt and a bit brandy-like alcohol (for a beer). Initially a bit strange but finally a pleasant kind of old Ale. 31.VIII.09

Bottle @ the Malthouse. Nice Amber/copper colour, but slightly hazey. Slightly funky on the nose: sweet, dusty and slightly fruity. Also has slightly dusty flavour with not much hops. Slightly thin on the palate.

Bottle. Semi-opaque amber pour with a thin beige head. Sticky sweet honey and brown sugar aroma with hints of citrus. Syrupy sweet flavor with a bit of a hop presence.

Fresh from the local bottle shop, sampling temp about 10 degrees celsius. Pours hazy dark gold, a little darker than the Sparkling ale. Strong aroma of malts and caramel, with a touch of citric hops and some mild oak. Started with a mild hop bitterness, then smooth malt and caramel comes to the forefront, alcohol is noticeable but nowhere near what you’d expect for 7.5% alcohol. Finish is smooth and malty on the swallow followed by a long lasting mild bitter finish. The quality of Vintage Ale varies from bottle to bottle and can change dramatically over time, so don’t write it off completely if your first experience is sub par, because if you get a really good one you’ll be hard pressed to find a better brew. Well worth buying a 6 pack and trying at intervals of 4 to 6 months, although it’s great straight off the shelf too. Excellent stuff.

2008 bottle. Aroma of strong malty biscuity, caramel, hoppy marmalade (orange/grapefruit) Small creamy off white head, short lasting, some lacing, Shimmering crystaloid orange/copper colour. Strong malty sweetness, moderate to heavy bitterness, persisting long in the after-taste. Only disappointing aspect is watery mouth feel, but a nice beer overall. Re-rate - yes it does get better with age, looking forward to the next bottle in months to come. Much more sediment this time. Spicier (clove) aromas and more toffee caramel and fruitier than before.

Date: August 06, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Cellar Stock
Appearance: clear dark copper, fine off white head, bits of lace
Aroma: spicy malt aroma, sweet caramel, light fruityness, lots of earthyness, plenty of spicyness, light sweaty character, fleeting fusel alcohol
Flavor: dry malt flavor, touch of caramel sweetness, hint of fruityness, balancing earthyness, plenty of bitterness

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.9/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

Date: August 06, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Cellar Stock
Vintage: 2008
Appearance: clear amber, fine off white head, streaks of lace
Aroma: sweet and fruity aroma, hint of peppery alcohol, touch of fruity tartness
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, fruity character is dried out by an earthyness, light bitterness yields to a long bitter finish

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

Bottle - 2009 - pours a hazy copper. Aroma started out with a hint of banana but as the chill came off sweet malt ame through stronger. fruit and malt on the initial taste with a lingering caraml finish. Great beer.