 Rodders (127), Norwich, Norfolk, England
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Aug 20, 2009
(bottle from Waitrose, Wymondham) Dark brown with very little head, what is left is an off white colour. Smell is plums, red fruit, with some dark malt, alcohol, cherries - very fragrant. Taste is strong rich dark red fruit with alcohol body and a little carbonation. Sweet, syrupy, but not overpowering. Not particularly bitter. A great strong ale.
Beershine (2754), Traipsing Around, Cambodia
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 18, 2009 Bottle. Rich coppery orange-amber with scant head. Aroma is rich, slightly rusty, metallic, with burnt sugar, caramel, jaggery. Nice quaffability, soft palate. Nice burnt lingering aftertaste after a pleasant malty body. Burnt cookie character. Tasty.
YK23 (271), Haifa, Israel
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 5/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 15, 2009 Bottle: rich sweet malt, fruity, caramel, some vanilla notes, toasted wood, faint nutty notes, faint coffee notes, faint cocca notes, nice orangy cirtic hoppiness which balances the malt, light alcoholic bite, rich and satisfying beer.
Oakes (8115), Kowloon, Hong Kong
| 3.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 12, 2009 Bottle, found in Saigon. Dull amber-brown colour. Has a deep, chewy malt aroma showing traces of oxidation. There are subtle brown sugar accents but in general the aroma is muddled. Rich, with light brown sugar, light oxidation, some dried leaf notes from hops, and a little bit of pithy hop bitterness underpinning it all. It lacks the vibrant yeast of a classic example, being pasteurized. Finishes chewy, with a light booziness and a hint of leafy hop bitterness.
joe19612 (700), camberley, Surrey, England
| 3.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 5, 2009 Bottle. Pours a orange copper colour with a slightly off white head. The aroma is all toffee and dark fruit maltiness with some light floral hop notes. The toffee and dark fruit also comes through quite strongly in the taste with some floral hop notes and a bit of warming alcohol, with a dry bitter finish.
ricke (246), Malme, Sweden
| 3.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 5/10 | 3/5 | 6/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Nov 18, 2009 Amber colored with brown hues. A very small white head that dissipates quickly and leaves minimal lacings.
Plenty of malts in the nose, sweet chocolate and very light hop aromas. Dried fruits, raisins and quite prominent alcohol, almost solvent-like.
The taste is predominantly sweet. Bold juicy malt character with plenty of caramel notes. Some fruits and raisins. Brown sugar and sweet chocolate. Nutty flavors (almonds), hints of oak. Gentle floral hops and faint spices. The finish is surprisingly short, minimally bitter and is dominated by warming alcohol.
Full bodied, very smooth. Low levels of carbonation. The mouthfeel is actually the highlight of the beer.
A good beer, but nothing spectacular. It’s slightly too focused on sweet flavors. The alcohol isn’t really that overly prominent, but still it doesn’t feel totally integrated with the other flavors. I liked it, but I think there are better strong ales out there.
Serving type: bottle
(Copy of old Beer Advocate review)
sound67 (215), Offenbach, Germany
| 4.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 5/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Nov 2, 2009 50cl bottle, as shown.
Pours a beautiful mahogany with a medium-sized, creamy off-white head with decent retention and plenty of lacing.
Aroma is of dried fruit: raisins, some orange peel, plus caramel.
Medium carbonation and a thick, creamy and oily mouth feel that, at 8.5 % abv, should surprise no one. A full-bodied strong ale, as I’ve come to expect from Fuller’s.
Taste is of sweet roasted malt, toffee, stewed dark berries, with a lot of herbal spices adding to the complexity of this brew - again with a freshening note of orange peel. Malty, full, medium dry finish and gripping, slightly boozy after taste. Very similar to the much more expensive "Vintage Ale", which seems logical if that beer is indeed based on Golden Pride (same abv, to begin with). Unlike the "Vintage" variety, it’s pasteurized.
As with all the strong ales and premium esbs from Fuller’s, this one is beautifully balanced, with the strong alcohol well integrated into the intricate fabric of aromas. Sweetness and malty bitterness complement each other brilliantly, If you’re searching for the perfect "fireside brew", look no further.
gyllenbock (311), Stockholm, Sweden
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 |
Oct 15, 2009 Copper-colored, the foam is a bit dirty white. Aroma was rather inviting, malt toffee, apricot, nuts.
The relatively high alcohol content of 8.5%, passed through a bit in the flavor. The beer is sweet, body was quite full. Bitterness is pretty high on the beer.
MoritzF (5024), Bochum, Germany
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Sep 28, 2009 (bottle) Hazy, copper-ish amber colour with a beige and dense foamy head. Sweet and strong Bock-like cara-malty aroma with notes of caramel, subtle fruity notes and almost ethereally spices. Sweet flavour with a balancing bitterness, full bodied with a calm carbonation. Robust (cara-)malty, slightly toasted base with caramel/toffee, liquorice, subtle fruity elements and again almost ethereally spicy notes; sweet and slightly bitter malt-accented, delicately toasted finish with an inoffensive, but very present alcoholic burn in the warming sense. A hearty, very flavourful brew. 28.IX.09
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