Fullers Brewers Reserve Limited Edition No 1 Oak Aged Ale

Brewed by Fullers
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

Clear amber colour with a dense off white head. malty, fruity aroma with a light alcohol note and hints of smoke. Light caramel sweet flavor with fruity and alcohol sweet notes and hints of smoke and wood.

500 ml bottle (#07158). Clear amber color, off-white head. Resiny hop aroma with medicinal notes. Sharp mouthfeel with a lot of alcohol. Some wood and whisky notes in the mix. Definitely off-balance now, but a couple of years of aging might fix that.

Bottle. The aroma of molasses, a heavy aroma, very sweet like liquor, reminds me of some medicine, in the background some hops. The small white head is fast disappearing, the body is dark yellow. The taste is bitter, some hops. The body is soapy, not much carbonation, a medium to strong body.

Bottle number 13830 Golden with a medium head that soon dissipated. Unusual malty whisky flavour with some fruitiness. Different. Not a great beer but still a pretty impressive one.

(Bottle) Brownish amber colour with frothy, beige head. Fruity nose with citrus, apples, ginger and hints of vanilla and oak. Fruity, malty taste with notes of citrus, orange, ginger, apples, marmalade and toffee. A hint of white wine, rather than whisky. Sweetish finish with a touch of honey and hints of vanilla and oak. Medium body, some citrussy bitterness. Not over-oaked, the wood character stays in the background. Not really brilliant, but a nice and tasty beer.

0.5 l bottle, thanks Hannu N! Amber color with small head. Berryish aroma with white wine, calvados, vanilla, oak, grain whisky and gooseberry. Vinous and berryish flavor with oak, caramel, apple, raisins and vanilla. Surpringly this tastes more like a white wine and grain whisky than a single malt whisky. Poor drinkablilty and the flavors are clearly not in balance.

I got this at EBF 2008 before it went bad and I am glad I did, though my notes are funny as it is obviously in the infection stage. Dark amber color. Dried mangoes, sour cherries, very Belgian in character nose. Mouth is smooth still on the Belgian theme, but with raisins and wood and only a touch of whisky flavors. Alcohol is well hidden. Amazing balance for a barrel aged beer. More like a Belgian ale.

Bottled (thanks omhper!). Amber colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is licorice, fruity hops and quite lemony as well. Also some fudge and caramel malts as it waems up. Flavour is caramel malts, fruits and some slightly yeasty notes. Some whisky and oaky notes become more present when getting warm. Very nicely balanced.