Coopers Vintage Ale

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

Color is a dark orange, with "floaties" running amok. It can’t be an old bottle, for it’s labeled as being bottled in October of ’02, and promises to improve into 18 months. Perhaps I should have waited that long to see. Head is fine, and white. Aroma is fresh and fruity, peach, apricot, melon, etc., and just a little bit floral. Hops are very light, and malt is just sufficient. Taste is fully fruity and smooth. Sweet, tasty, rich, warm, with a lasting finish. However, for something touted as EXTRA, and SPECIAL, and STRONG, I was disappointed. Perhaps, as they pledge, this "vintage" will improve with time. It was just "okay" for now, though. originally sampled 2-22-03

The just released 2004 vintage is full of malt character, lovely full mouthfeel. Easy to drink despite the 7.5% alcohol. Flavoursome tripple hopping of Cascade, Pride of Ringwood and Hersbruker. Very smoothand drikable

Hazy orange-amber. Nose is a bit citric and fruity, a bit yeasty. Malty and a bit bready, some hops, decent sweetness.

Bath 4, Oct 2002 - Very murky dark peach color, like blended fruit juice with heavy pulp... very cloudy and thick looking. Citrus spicy yeast nose, some woody grapefruit and pineapple. Flavor has some light stinging alcohol mixed with a peppy yeast strain, some light Belgian-style spices and a medium palate. Sweet, though lacking depth.

Vintage: 4, October 2002 This is a unique and very active beer with an attractive golden/amber color. It is very complex with a lot of fizz and a fruity cider smell. It is shameless in its quantity of sediment -- the chunks are just rolling around in the glass. The mouthfeel is smooth yet finishes with a nice bite. This beer is very pleasant, easy to drink and has a lot of great qualities. It is a little pricey, but is worth enduring the sticker shock. In the end, I felt a little disappointed that I really liked a beer with a twist off cap.

2000 vintage... Poured a caramel brown color with a small off white head and light lacing on the glass. Sweet and spicy caramel aroma. Taste was also spicy, with some pepper and sweet plums as well. Very smooth despite the 7.5% alcohol.

October 2002. Fizzy bubbles, rapidly fading head over an orange brown body. Aroma of bread, faint molasses. Surprisingly thin, fizzy palate. Flavor was sort of a wet bread with a faint hint of orange marmalade. Just not a lot going on though. So sad.

8 May 2004 - Sweet spicy hop malt aroma. Nice light brown colour, no lacing or head. Short taste, light malt, sweet spirious and spicy hop flavours. Thinish fizzy palate.