Fullers 1845

Brewed by Fullers
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

This was a very interesting beer to drink, I believe it was my first English Strong Ale. Incredible taste, with some very interesting subtelties. Extremely balanced in the taste, with a slightly malty aftertaste, but very subtle. Bittersweet, more sweet than bitter, more bitter than sweet. Very drinkable, and easy on the palate.

Aroma is a caramel and orange-sodden punch in the face. Flavour bittersweet chocolate-orange drenched in alcohol. Finishes with a lingeringly dry bitterness. Pleasantly toffeeish in the nose. Deep reddish-brown body with a lasting head. Aroma and flavour-wise could easily pass as a Belgian Tripel of a higher ABV, but a liitle too syrupy and unsubtle to be guzzled by the English pint.

University of Texas Oange, with a slight tan head. Spicy vanilla and cinnamon aroma. There is a very appealing smoky, earthy sweetish flavor that leads into and meshes nicely with a piney, dry finish.

Generous head of large bubbles, deep red color. Aroma is spicy with noticeable fruit--I placed it as raspberries, but others might disagree. Strong alcohol, sweetness, and bitter finish make this better accompanied by food, but nice complex of flavors (nuts, caramel, fruit) make it enjoyable on its own. Excellent beer.

Bottle from Country Club Liquors; Nose of caramel, dark fruits, yeastiness, and some grassy hops; Rust colored with a medium beige head; flavor has some hop bitterness, caramel, and a slight coffee note. Nice light session brew!

500ml Bottle: Aroma of biscuity hops, malts, caramel, slight graham cracker, toasting, and a hint of tobacco. Quite pleasant. Poured amber in color with a small, rocky, loose, tan head that lasted throughout. Clear. Sparkling. Fully of tiny particles throughout. Lightly sweet, lightly bitter aroma. Tastes of hops, biscuit, toasting, malts, sourdough, and resin. Medium body. Average texture. Average carbonation. Malty, biscuity, finish turns resinous.

(500 ml bottle: $3.99 at BevMo in La Jolla, CA) I’ve let this age in my darkened, cool bedroom for many months, long enough that I’ve exceeded the supposed Best By date of 06-Jan-06 by four months. No matter, this flavorful English ale is delicious. Malty, roasty, chocolaty, and lightly smoky, but balanced by a moderate hop bitterness that makes its presence known in the crisp finish and then remains on the palate for the rest of the session. For an English beer that’s seen this much aging, I’m pretty impressed by how much bite the hops has retained. While the malty and chocolaty nose is reasonably aromatic, it really doesn’t compare to the flavor, not even in enjoyment. Medium-full bodied with a nice, round mouthfeel and playful carbonation. Dark amber in color and fairly cloudy, but there is still a good amount of muddy sediment remaining in the bottle. The tall, beige head shows exceptional retention, never dipping below a quarter inch, and it deposits a thick, dense blanket of foamy lace on the glass. There used to be a time when I didn’t care for this beer (okay, it was relatively soon after I started drinking "good" beer), so I haven’t bought any since then. I’ve really been missing out because this is an excellent beer. Glad to have rediscovered it.

The best thing about this beer is the finish; dry hoppiness and a slight, malty sweetness. Great appearance and smooth going down the old gullet. Good stuff.