Fullers Vintage Ale 2008

Brewed by Fullers
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

Bottle 50 cl. Pours a clear amber golden with no head. Sweet aroma of overripe fruit, nuts and caramel. Quite full-bodied, overripe fruit, caramel and nuts. Lightly bitter finish with some alcohol

500ml bottle from LCBO. Pours amber with a medium head. Some lacing but not much. Nose is sweet and oaky with some plums and peaches. Very rich aroma. Quite complex. Taste quite sweet, dry and bitter of the finish. Hints of hops and lots of oak. Some citrusy hops as well. Very nice sipper. Top quality brew.

pours a slightly cloudy deep copper color with a nice light tan head...nice retention. very traditional look. aroma is sweet and very floral...roasty caramel, bioscuity, mild bourbon and oak...nice! flavor is also slightly sweet...somewhat like a barleywine with some dark candied fruit and oak, roasty caramel, and hops in the end. mouthfeel is creamy with a complex dry caramel, oak, and hop finish. outstanding...complex, oaky, delicate yet aggressive hops, subtle sweetness, and a lingering dry finish.

Pours a hazy copper, with a sudsy lace - very sweet aroma, with notes of vanilla syrup, caramel, frosted breakfast cereals, rock candy - some apple-ish tartness underneath that helps to balanc that - sweet and one-dimensional flavor - strong flavors of vanilla syrup, treacle - some spicy alcohol and a faint dose of hops - a little bit of floral character way in the back - this is a serious disappointment, on par with the southern tier cuvee series - I can’t believe that such an experienced brewer could make something so terribly sweet and boring.

Bottle from Cracked Kettle. Dark orange body with nice malty head. Nose of caramel and toffee. Rich, syrupy flavours of malts, toffee and sugar. Some hops in there too. Very nice balance. Good stuff.

500ml bottle from, you know what I can’t remember. Oh I remember St Albans BF 09 and bloody expensive it was too. A fiver I think. A maltier more syrupy offering for this vintage. Ok, so the younger vintages always are a bit syrupy and malty and take a bit of time to calm down, but the hops here are almost inconsequential. Almost lager pukey malts. Not a very good vintage to be honest. The 2006 you can get in the Barrow Boy and Banker in Borough is far superior to this year. Probably the worst year I’ve had. I’ve always liked this beer, but unless this is a duff bottle, then its the worst year so far.

Bottle #06307. Pours golden orangey brown with a creamy beige head that shrinks quickly to surface cover. Aroma is sweet and complex: notes of caramel, raisins, burnt sugar, dates, oak, biscuity malt and plums. Flavour features a bit more hops than the aroma but otherwise shows similar characteristics, particularly the raisin, burnt sugar/toffee and malt notes. There are also hints of orange and sweet spices in the mix. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, medium body with a slightly bitter finish that lingers a bit. A really nice vintage ale that seems like it would improve even more with time, I just wish I had another in the cellar.

Pours copper with small beige head. Nose is very malt centric, with toffee & caramel dominant & raisin/cherry fruit esters, As expected spicy hops provide support. Palate is full with malts providing richness, Hops kick in from the mid-palate and ride the finish with sharp spicy bitterness. Carbonation is low as expected. Certainly a tad rough around the edges at this point in time & would love to get some more with a bit of age on it. Still, quintessentially uk barley wine right here.