Fullers Vintage Ale 2008

Brewed by Fullers
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

Bottled (from Alko Arkadia, Helsinki). Amber colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is fruity, wooden, toffeeish along with quite evident nuttyness and zest. Flavour is hoppy, nutty with some mild spices and licorice. Alcohol gives a huge sweet peak towards the finish. Aftertaste is raisins, mild alcohol, some flowery hops as well as spices. This already tastes very promising for cellaring.

Tasted 01/02/2009. 500ml boxed bottle from Regional Wines and Spirits. Rose gold. A hint of autolysis and hop, rich malt, a little nut and autumn fruit, balancing bitterness. Spicy warming finish. Simple. Divine. The magnificence of malt is so under-rated on this side of the planet. I’m heading out to buy some more.

500ml Bottle #03645 - Pours a nice cloudy orange, very thick off-white head that never left and clung to the glass for it’s life. Prunes, plums, raisins, bread, burnt caramel all come out to me in the aroma; sadly, the remnants of a cold are probably costing me the full experience. Lots and lots of alcohol in the flavour, but it’s not overwhelming. Balanced nicely amongst all those notes promised in the aroma alongside a heavy dose of malty sweetness. Something astringent hits the tongue but it’s pleasant enough. Very enjoyable.

Fullers Vintage Ale 1/26/09 (bottle. Pours clear orange with a soapy, cream-colored head. Aroma of apple cider vinegar, champagne, baking soda and cream soda. Palate is smooth and lightly carbonated. It remains surprisingly light through the mid-palate, finishing dry. Flavor begins on a caramel malt note with some nuttiness. Finishing touches include back-of-the-tongue tartness, tea and apple juice. Overall, flavor is attractive, yet underwhelming. Fullers has created a beer that might age well, but tastes simple right now.

The aroma is rich and sweet with malt, caramel, light fruit, alcohol, lemon, and vanilla. The appearance is amber with a small but foamy head. The flavor is like the aroma but very alcoholic even for a beer at 8.5%. The palate is a little thin but OK. Even though this beer has some good qualities the whole is not better than the sum of the parts.

Pours a glowing yet hazy amber color with pink highlights. Nose is very sweet with notes of toffee, caramel, sweetbread, and a bit of booze. Taste is about the same with additional citrus flavors and a raisiny finish. Not bad but I think that this one either needs some time or is just not as impressive as past vintages. Decent mouthfeel but alcohol is present which makes it more of a sipper.

Too sweet! I liked 2007 because it was drier. This one has the leathery malt profile, but too much sugar. Not much hops or anything else. Decent, but too sweet.

bottle - 2008 vintage - pours a fairly clear light amber color with medium sized light tan head. Aroma has loads of honey, fair amount of caramel, faint herbal hops, orange peel, light oak, white grapes. Flavor has fair amount of toasted caramel and oak, notes of lemon, cinnamon. Finish is fairly sweet. Pretty good overall