Ofortuna (322), Grafton, Wisconsin, USA
| 3.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 | Oct 18, 2008 Many thanks to Odeed for this. Pours a nice amber hue with a decent head and lacing. Not a whole lot going on in the aroma. A little residual hop aroma and some sweet toffee notes. Light lemon rind, toffee, bread yeast, and just a pinch of phenolic character. Quite a bit of rough bitterness and some fusels make me wish I would’ve laid this down for another year. Then again, with what I’m tasting - my particular bottle probably wouldn’t hold up. A bit rough on the finish with more fusel character coming to the forefront along with the general "green" character of the bottle. I’d say, if you have a bottle lay it down for another year and see how it turns out.
NutRoastBad (7), Greater London, England does not count | 4.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 5/5 | 16/20 | Dec 19, 2009 A pleasing spiced fruit aroma with warming notes of alcohol. First taste is reminiscent of christmas cake, before finishing with a hint of maltiness. All in all a fantastic brew for a night in by a warm fire. Would have been interesting to taste at the time of brewing. gilvanblight (397), Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| 4.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 | Dec 12, 2009 Best beer I had this year. Clear amber pour with a clingy head. Hearty spicy scent. Complex yet unbelievable smooth. Total lack of boozy taste is staggering based on teh %age. My final qoute at the end of the night was "Thaz a f’gn gooood beear" Guess that percentage was definitely there. jerohen (1615), Bussum, Netherlands
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 | Oct 25, 2009 Bottled, sampled in 2009. Copper coloured, beige head. malty nose, raisins. Smooth malty flavour, very balanced, on the sweet side. You just can’t go wrong with a Fullers Vintage. sound67 (215), Offenbach, Germany
| 4.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 19/20 | Oct 14, 2009 50cl dark brown bottle, as shown. 2007 vintage, tasted and reviewed in Oct, 2009. Bottle No. 55926.
Vintage, bottle-conditioned ale pours a beautiful, slightly hazy copper and a medium, soapy beige head with decent lacing. Pretty intense aroma of ripe plums, coupled with noticeable hops and an orange-peel edge.
Heavy-bodied ale, with low carbonation and creamy (but not thick) mouth feel. Stewed dark fruit dominate the taste at first, with a strong but beautifully integrated note of malty alcohol for additional "gravitas".
Sweet and bitter notes continue to vie for your attention as the beer goes down; finish is dry, hoppy - with a lingering, complex sweet-and-bitter after taste.
Fullers have done it again: It’s a pricey brew (at almost 8.00 euros per bottle), but a rich and rewarding one. How could a strong ale possibly be better balanced and smoother than this? Great beer that drinks like a great wine. BrewingFan (92), Texas, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 | Oct 2, 2009 Poured very thin out of the bottle. Nice foamy white/amber head. Aroma consists of appricots, malt, and alcohol. It is colored a dark amber, a bit on the hazy side. It is a full bodied beer, however, it is thin, malty, almost alcoholic in texture which sticks to the tongue, yet goes down smoothly. If your not careful it will knock your socks off. Finishes up quite well, warming up the tummy. Would be much better on a nice winter day in New England than October in Texas. kwerikson (117), burlington, New Jersey, USA
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 15/20 | Sep 28, 2009 it poured out golden oarnge with a semi white head that was partially bubbly. it laced around the glass and the head fell slowly but was rather thin to start out, probally would of lasted longer if i poured it just right. the flavour is immaculate. it is malty, but very hoppy but not to bitter or to sweet, the brewmaster knew what he was doing. the aroma is that of the forest after a good rain when plants are creating pollen in the spring, very nice. the flavour is full bodied and yeasty. its piny, citrusy, sweet, and bitter, my senses are going nuts. the alcohol content is hidden beatutifully with the right choice of hops and malts, and what ever yeast they used. nothing but great things to say about this brew, and now i have one in my beer cellar for some time to age. churchill00 (154), Austin, Texas, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 | Sep 22, 2009 When my family left England, they should have brought a case of this over. Granted they left in 1682, but I’m still faulting their lack of foresight.
Great big caramel nose, taste and finish. A lovely palate of dried fruits, maybe raisin. Lovely. thirdeye11 (558), Texas, USA
| 4.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 | Aug 21, 2009 (500ml bottle) Pours a dark amber with nice bubbles. Nose of caramel, dark fruit, alcohol. Taste has more of the caramel, sweet malts and has an excellent linger on the palette. Quite fruity and really delicious. I would even describe it as complex.
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