Fullers Vintage Ale 1998

Formerly brewed at Fullers
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

Thanx to Chris for sharing this one. Cloudy orange colour with an off white head. Malty, caramel sweet aroma with notes of fruit and wood. Malty and sweet flavor with a light toffee note and hints of dark fruit and wood.

Bottle. Thanx to Chris. Bottle. Ruby colour with a big white head. Dark fruits, caramel aroma and a sweet dark fruits, caramel taste. Medium to full body with a sweet light dry finish. A bit over the top.

Bottle, thanks to Chris for sharing. Cloudy orange coloured with a beige head. Very sweet aroma of sherry, fruits and dried fruits. Sweet flavour of sherry, dried fruits and wood.

Bottle # 15252, sampled in a Fullers pint glass and next to the 1999 and 2005 vintages: The pour is a murky coppery hue topped by an initial creamy tan head that does slightly fade and left behind some lace. The aroma has notes of rich caramel and toffee, over ripened plum and apple, oxidized floral hops, and a earthy and vinous quality.

The taste starts lush and fruity supported by a even handed caramelized malt background. Some notes of marzipan, port-like twang and warmth, and a hit of surprising hop bitterness I thought would be long gone, WONDERFULLY aged! The mouth feel is a touch oily and lush, smooth and mild carbonation with a bone dry finish. Some mild presence of alcohol noted but that just adds to the overall pleasure of this beer.

A masterpiece once again, I would put this on par with the 2000 and 2002 vintage but still below the 2001 which should be peaking any time now and the 1999 which is still other-worldly.
THANKS AGAIN WALT!

Akkurat, Stockholm; 7 years old
Beautiful dark amber color; creamy head. The aroma is malty, with caramel, sweet nuts, almonds, a hint of alcohol. Powerful mouthfeel, the fermentation has accomplished an excellent balance (malt, sweetness, bitterness, caramel, alcohol). Strong caramel-bitter final. No signs of age…

Red-brown-orange. Fruity aroma with notes of bread, chocolate, alcohol, raisins and grapes. Fruity flavor with notes of chocolate, roasted malt and alcohol. Hoppy ending.

Bottle. Numbered 40390 (like the 1997 vintage, the picture to the left was the one I took of my bottle, hence the same number). 1998 Vintage, obviously. Ruby brown with a small foamy off-white head. Nose is sweet and laden with caramel and ripe fruit. Light wafts of alcohol as well. Taste is very sweet and caramel laden. Lots of alcohol and some port wine notes. Raisins, light melon, faint hops, light grapefruity bitterness, and some hints of concord grapes. Body is smooth and creamy with light carbonation and mild alcohol warmth. Finishes with lots of raisins, caramel, ripened melon, dried citrus and hops, alcohol and perhaps light toffee. Maybe some in bloom flora. Nice! This aged much more gracefully than the 1997 Vintage. However, that could also be due to storage methods as I purchased both off eBay.

Thanks to, who else, but Walt for this beer.

Bottle #31717. Poured a semi-cloudy mahogany with a small off-white head which dissipated completely. Rich and sweet aroma of cream and fruit with floral essence. Taste has a roasted caramel character with a hint of cream and floral complexity. A dry alcohol burn almost overwhelms the flavor profile. Elegant if maybe a little unrefined.