Fullers Anniversary Ale / Special Edition ESB

Brewed by Fullers
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
London, England

Bottle (@ The Victoria, Paddington): Amber coloured, small, firm, persistent and lacing white head, distinctive sweet-fruity (raisins) and malty nose with a tinge of molasses, herbal hops in the winges; robust sweet-bitter flavour, medium bodied, soft and creamy MF; lingering (port-) vinous, malty finish with an increasing bitterness towarsd the very end. A nother goody from Fullers........

Bottle (Barrowboy?, London) Dark orange, very lively large loose head. Winey and plummy aroma. Slightly alcoholic, but very tasty woody taste. Dark fruits and wine too. Very well balanced. Woody and malty finish. Pleasantly, but subtly, hopped too

1/22/05, 500ml. #02480. Reddish brown with small tan rocky head. Earthy floral aroma with malt undertones. NIce maltiness balanced by the bitterness. Rerate 1/07. This did not age well. it has lost most of its hop character and had too much oxidation. Ratings are for initial tasting.

Bottle purchased at the Griffin Brewery. Bottle conditioned. Malty aroma. Deep amber color with a vigorous, frothy, lacing near-white head. Starts very malty. Lightly roasted malt impact. Passes to complex flavors, which seem to include chocolate. The chocolate stays, the malt goes, and the hop arrives. This is passing strange. Good, but strange.

Bottled, courtesy of John White. Amber bronze, excellent lasting white head and moderate condition. Gentle fruitiness in the aroma with some citric orange, sweet toffee and a touch of chocolate, gentle fruity sweetness remains in the mouth with some toffee and a pleasant citrus note that softly rolls to the back of the throat and explodes into a resinous piney hop bitterness, long solid but restrained finish with lots of peppery hop bitterness and sweet orange.

Draft= pours a amber brown color, nice lacing left on my pint glass after the first swig. Initiall taste is a bit coppery, cloves, and hops seem to come out after. A bit malty with a pale ale aftertaste. It taste a bit chewy for me and not in a good way.

Bottle conditioned. Very nice looking copper/amber colour with a slim off-white head. Sweet, fruity, malty and caramel aroma. Flavours are light roasted malty, hoppy, some raisin, caramel, light spiceyness, nice yeastiness with a long hoppy bitter finish. Medium to full bodied, low carbonation, smooth. Nicely complex - very good.

1Pt .9 FL oz, best before end 2007 # 2968. Part of MJ’s Rare Beer Club: Deep coppery amber w/ a short lived, thin wisp of a head. Becomes a thin white ring around the glass. Tobacco/herbal hop aroma is still there after 1.5 years in the fridge! Caramel, bready malt, and an "English" yeast character that is just outstanding! also a light herbal hop aroma. Light toasty malt that strengthens when it warms as well as a light corn, very light corn aroma. Well balanced, smooth flavor, lightly grainy and herbal hop @ first. Well balanced throughout. Some caramel, toasty malt, and some hints of nutty flavor. Slightly sharp, herbal and grainy flavors in the finish and aftertaste, which is also toasty. Hints of raisin flavor for fruitines as well. Semi bitter finish, aftetaste is herbal hop and toasty malt, and a mild diacetyl from age and yeast. Medium body, low carbonation, well hidden alc. I didn’t see the grain bill before I rated it, but for such a simple grain bill, it’s pretty complex for the ABV%.