Coopers Vintage Ale

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

This bottle was a Oct 2004 vintage. Pours out an incredible foamy head with a nutty aroma that wasn’t very pronounced. I had a TON of spent yeast in my bottle in huge chunks that gave an odd appearance. My wife gave me a funny look when she saw the yeast floating around (and this was AFTER a careful pour). Taste was rather muted for my taste with some mild flavors getting the bill like cereal (think bran flakes) and yeast. It was much too watered down for my tastes. I wonder if it wasn’t properly stored because it seemed rather lifeless for a strong ale. Finsih was smooth and clean. I’d have to say that I really didn’t care for this and probably won’t buy it again. Perhaps I got a bum bottle but at $3/per I don’t think I will gamble again. Too many better beers to get.

2004 vintage, our carefully to avoid the sediment. Chestnut colour and a small-bubbled foam. Fruity aroma with plums, raisins on a solid caramel base. Even chocolate in the background. Good bitterness, some nuttiness and toffee flavours. There is good raisiny fruitiness as well. Good dry ending. Full-bodied and quite fizzy. A wonderful beer that would probably taste even better if I could have waited a few years...

2002 vintage of Extra Strong Vintage Ale. I’m enjoyed a bottle of Batch No. 4, which was brewed in October of 2002. I enjoyed my first sample of this beer in October of 2004, so the beer had exactly two years of age on it, and the results of that age were spectacular. Extra Strong Vintage Ale is based on a British old ale/strong ale/barley wine by style, which is rich, delicious, complex ale that will continue to condition and improve when cellared. Old ale/strong ales are traditionally enjoyed in the winter months as a "winter warmer", and are brewed with more malt, higher alcohol, bottle conditioned, and cellared to age much like wine. At 7.5% abv, it might not seem "extra strong" in an American market of super octane brews, but is on par with a British old ale/strong ale, and is a very stylistically accurate example. Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale pours to a beautiful, bright deep amber color with a slight white head that fades, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is complex and inviting, with aromas of sweet malt, toffee, raisin, plumy fruit, and hints of sherry. The palate is soft and lush on the tongue, with flavors of sweet malt, short bread, undertones of plumy fruit, and hints of butter scotch. Vintage Ale finishes with more complex malty/fruity flavors up front, and then ends a vinous sherry note, and a gentle warming burn of alcohol that lingers. This is outstanding vintage ale that clearly has improved with age. The sweet malty and estery fruit aromas and flavors, along with the sherry like character this beer has picked up with maturation has made the 2002 vintage a particularly good one in my opinion. If one was to drink this beer young, the sweet malty flavors might be a bit too sweet and cloying. Two years of age has taken the "green" flavors out of this beer, and it has become a rich, delicious, complex ale. A beer perfect to sip and savor after a meal, or a beer enjoy as you relax with a good book or movie. It retails here in the US in select markets of $2 a 12 oz bottle, or $12 a six pack.

[bottle from peckhams] Amber colour, moderate head. Aroma is fruity, banana and some red berry, caramel and amaretto notes also present. body is watery, and there is more alcohol here than any 7.5% beer should have. great aroma, the rest is crap.

This was a good find. 2004 bottle. Aroma is complex dark fruits, some yeast, cherrys, almonds. Taste is also excellent and reminds me of a weizenbock after a while. Got another 2 so maybe ill keep them for a while.

Damn, I’ve had this like twice now at Speakeasies downtown & I can never remeber to ask to look at the bottle for a date! Whatever, hazy brown w/ hop & alcohol aroma. Complex w/ whiskey, malt, and a lot more. I wish I could find this in stores around here.

2004 vintage. This is a very complex beer. It pours with an amber color, cloudy with a nice head. Aroma is a little musty as well as touches of yeast. The flavor has hints of grains and breast and again yeast and malt. It finishes slightly sweat.

Slightly sweet almost "tea-like" aroma with a hint of chocolate. Cloudy brown with a rapidly diminishing head. Not much flavor on the nose, but it runs off the sides and makes for a bitter taste on the finish. This brew is not very think and does not really remind me of other winter brews. Seems like this would be more suited for a spring beer IMO.