Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale - Coopers Brewery Limited

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Barleywine barley and sweet malt aroma. Nut brown colour with white head, lace. Not all that strong, and a middling body and mouthfeel. Fairly simple old ale taste with drying finish. Wood and roasted barley and licorice notes, nut brown, carmel, slightly on sweet side.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2006 01:12:28 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.83/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark orange with quite a few flecks and flakes floating within. I broke off the pour before some of the larger, nastier stuff had a chance to escape. The buff colored cap is small and isn't the least bit sticky. It's deflating relatively slowly, but doesn't look wonderful on the way down. There's very little lace in the beginning and a few stray splotches in the end.

The nose is reminiscent of musty orchard fruit (apples mostly) and caramel. The aroma isn't all that compelling. It doesn't smell 'strong', either in terms of how much actually reaches my nose or in terms of its character. I guess the 7.5% ABV is the sole justification for the name.

The flavor is a definite improvement. I won't go so far as to agree with the brewers that it's the beer equivalent of fine wine, but it does have a concentrated fruitiness that justifies the comparison on some level. There's a modest toasted bread flavor, some light caramel and an unsweetened tea-like quality that I associate with some English ales. Bruised apples are still uppermost, with a faint oranginess trailing along in their wake.

There's a fair amount of hoppiness (Tettang? Kent Goldings?) that easily counters whatever sweetness might be present. The middle is firm and the finish is crisp and dry. I can't really taste the alcohol, but I'm pretty sure that I would have come close to guessing the ABV if blinded.

Although the amount of carbonation is on the low end, the beer is far from underbubbled. A bigger body would have worked much better. I like my old ales to have some amount of chewiness and mouth linger. This is a lighter version of the style for sure.

Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale reminds me of a higher alcohol English pale. It could use a tad more depth and assertiveness, but it's still a worthwhile beer that I found appealing. This is my favorite Coopers Brewery offering to date and has to be included in my top handful of Aussie beers as well.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2006 16:14:27 | More by BuckeyeNation

UCLABrewN84

California

3.63/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared at GRG1313’s tasting.

2008 vintage.

Pours a clear copper with a foamy bone head that settles to a film on top of the beer. A foamy curtain of lace coats the glass on the drink down. Smell is malt, caramel, and fruity aromas. Taste is much the same with caramel and hop flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that smells better than it tastes in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 01:12:01 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a murky ice tea brown with nary a head and very little lacing

Smell: Rich caramel malt nose with undertones of tropical fruit

Taste: Immediate domination by the malt accompanied by a quick transition of apples and orange; the finish is marred by an unbalanced blend of alcohol and phenolic band aids

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied but a bit slick (diacetyl?) with modest carbonation

Drinkability: Just a few too many flaws here and there to be very good; I'm disappointed as I had high hopes for this Aussie; is this supposed to be a malt liquor?

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2005 03:04:53 | More by brentk56

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a amber color ale with a medium foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of sugar and light subtle fruity ester with nice dry caramel malt balance. Taste is a well balanced mix between some caramelized sugar with great note light dry raisins. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Well done though additional complexity could have benefited this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2010 03:23:14 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.08/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

One of those great finds while in Atlanta, GA a couple months ago. Although the 'best by' date says 10-09-06, I beg to differ. This beer shows a lot of talent and character. A bottle-conditioned pour delivers a strong copper, chesnut hue with a haze due to the yeast (among other particles) within the beer. Aromas are soft, yet firm with serious notes of barley malt, over-rippened peaches and pears, with a subtle English hop character (Fuggles?). All blends so well... The taste gives a well-matured, softly textured, and seriously complex blend of Marris Otter-tasting malts that bring out the soft fruity esters while contributing a spicy, fermented edgy, yeasty flavor. Again, well-rippened peaches and pears all over the place, leaving a mouth watering sensation after every sip. Each drink follows with a soft ride with aged hops and a pleasant (albeit light) hop flavor and mild sherry (oxidized) notes that complemented the beer well. A mild metalic taste is the only deterant. The feel is a soft, creamy, malty fullness that never shows agression or fusal alcohols. Finishes with the same fruity flavors experienced in the taste with intermingling notes of hops and alcohol dryness. Turned out to hold a 1/4" head all the way to the bottom of the glass with superior lacing. This is how I expect the Fuller's Vintage Ales to perform into their prime. This beer is that good. Probably should have waited to share this beer with a few local BA's (sorry guys), but this one is all mine!

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2007 04:58:54 | More by BEERchitect

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Depending upon how you've stored it, and how carefully you pour it, Coopers Vintage Ale can be a clear amber or a murky chestnut brown. I personally feel the yeast gives it a bit more of the house yeast character, and I like that. And I also feel that this beer isn't really big enough or complex enough to benefit from aging, so I drink it fresh and go right ahead and pour the yeast in with a swirl of the bottle to dislodge it all. The head rises up but quickly settles down, fading to a whispy surface covering and thin but creamy white collar. Some nice rings of lacing are left behind, but they slide shortly back into the glass.

The nose is malty with a cereal character and lots of soft caramel. The Cooper's yeast comes into play as well, lending it a delicately fruity, apple and berry-like edge. Softly grassy and spicy hops with a mineralish edge (Fuggles and Saaz perhaps?) appear in the background like stars in the sky at dusk.

The flavor is as the aroma suggests, and the caramel character is full and rich. It hints at cocoa as well, but never really gets there, although the cereal-like graininess is solidly present. A wash of alcohol appears mid-palate, along with the yeasty fruitiness, and the two follow smoothly through into the finish. Some minor leafy and grassy hops appear, but it's mainly about malt and yeast. It lingers delicately with a bit of swirling spiciness and sublime mineralish character.

It's an interesting beer, and fairly drinkable for its strength, but it lacks the character and depth of its superior rivals. It's lighter and refreshing, and quite unique in that way. Taken for what it is, and simply enjoyed hedonistically without reference, it's quite enjoyable. Worth trying!

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2007 14:20:42 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Color is a dark orange, with "floaties" running amok. It can't be an old bottle, for it's labeled as being bottled in October of '02, and promises to improve into 18 months. Perhaps I should have waited that long to see.
Head is fine, and white. Aroma is fresh and fruity, peach, apricot, melon, etc., and just a little bit floral.
Hops are very light, and malt is just sufficient. Taste is fully fruity and smooth. Sweet, tasty, rich, warm, with a lasting finish.
However, for something touted as EXTRA, and SPECIAL, and STRONG, I was disappointed. Perhaps, as they pledge, this "vintage" will improve with time. It was just "okay" for now, though.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2003 02:48:58 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.48/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a dark amber color with loads of floaties and a thick frothy offwhite head that fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a traditional English ale scent, which is sweet, but with a bisquity aroma. It's bitter with a slight warmth and some burnt toffee character. The taste is decent. It has a smooth toffee flavor with a slight warmth and residual sweetness. The mouthfeel is average. It is a medium/full bodied beer with less than adequate carbonation. This is a pretty good beer. I haven't had any exceptional beers from these guys, but they all drink pretty well.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2005 22:16:03 | More by WesWes

zeff80

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 Bottle at Bailey's in STL.

A - Poured out a clear, burgundy color with a one-finger, tan head of foam. It left sticky rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of raisin, plum and other dried dark fruits. There was some malty presence, too.

T - Good plum and raisin flavor with a subtle tartness. It had some sweet caramel maltiness with a mild spice bite.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium to full bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This was really quite tasty with 3 years of age on it. I'd love to try a fresh bottle for comparison sake.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 02:01:43 | More by zeff80

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Date of 10 09 06, not sure if that's a born on or BBD?

Pours an effervescent murked (tried to pour it careful) up amber with 1" of sand-colored head, disappears fast. No head retention or lacing

S: Dates, breadyness raisins & apple skins & a hint of booze

T: Fruitty & jammy up front with big cakeyness. A little brown sugar & apple (think apple pie) follows as this warms. Fruityness (dates, apples & persimmons) persist throughout the finish, with a hint of dryness

MF: Medium-bodied with low/low carbonation

Drank alright, alcohol starts to show up at the end. I'd loved to found this back when I was in OZ, I know all the other coopers I've had were better fresh. If priced right, I'd revisit, no problem

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2007 18:43:27 | More by russpowell

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.65/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Batch # 14 October 2002, Sampled January 2005
Pours a hazy amber orange color that is topped by a thin tan colored head, with a medium level of carbonation. The aroma is malty with some weird almost vegetal notes, as well as notes of alcohol, cleaning solution, caramel. The beer is sweet, quite well carbonated and has subtle oxidation notes of sherry. In some ways it is quite light on the palate. The taste is much more agreeable than the aroma hinted at. This is definitely slanted on toward the malty side of the spectrum, in some ways it even reminds me of diluted malt extract. Certainly interesting, and I am glad that I picked this up, but I think that it might be a bit more malty and fresh tasting if it was a bit younger.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2005 04:47:36 | More by Gueuzedude

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

375ml bottle, 2009 vintage.

This beer pours a dark, murky golden brown, with a fair bit of fine sediment, and two fingers of dense foamy pale beige head, which leaves a sole vertical peninsula of lace around the glass as it settles. It smells of sweet toffee malt, dried tropical fruit, spicy, earthy hops, and a mild booze warming. The taste is fruity biscuit malt, dry raisins, a bit of sour citrus, and soft earthy, musty hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body a strong medium weight, and generally pretty smooth. It finishes off-dry, the fruity biscuit malt predominating, tempered somewhat by a building astringent alcohol warming.

A somewhat plain vintage ale - kind of soft all around. The well-integrated ABV helps in making this easy to drink, but it just doesn't grab my attention.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 02:07:07 | More by biboergosum

jwc215

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12.7 oz bottle - 2008 vintage - "Best after" date unclear...

Pours hazed orange amber with a thin off-white head that descends to a thin lasting cover. Nice color - not much lacing sticks.

The smell is of musty-ish earthy spicing with a orange-accented fruitiness. It has woody notes and some caramel.

The taste is malty, but not too sweet. A earthy hop touch held up well to give it a nice balance. Orange fruitiness (with a hint of anise?) and sweet caramel/toffee maltiness lead to an herbal/woody dryness in the finish.

It's slightly more carbonated than expected, but body certainly holds up to medium. It is very smooth.

This is easy to drink with enough going on to keep interest, a nice smoothness, and abv very well-covered.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2009 15:29:39 | More by jwc215

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Hazy amber with big floating chunks suspended, awesome cream colored head nice size leaves specks of lacing. Aroma: Big malty layer of fruity undertones semicitrusy hop notes bready yeast and raisin sweetness along with an alcohol tone that just creeps in. Taste: Rich fruity ale with bready notes nice spicy layer excellent beer especially when compared to Coopers other ales. Mouthfeel: Medium body nice mild carbonation semi syrupy texture coats the palate. Drinkability: Excellent with my smoked BBQ chicken, but an all around solid strong old ale, can't have too many but this one was a treat.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2004 20:00:53 | More by WVbeergeek

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.15/5  rDev +14%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours with a off-white two-fingered head that stays and leaves a good lace. Cloudy amber color and loaded with chunky bits. Pour this slowly. Batch No. 4-Oct/2002. It has aged well. Starts sweet and finishes sweet with just a hint of hops. $16.99 for a 6-pack of 375ml bottles. $2.99 for one 375ml bottle from Liquorama Upland, Ca.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2004 23:47:14 | More by jdhilt

Jason

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 12.7 oz stubby brown bottle with batch # of 4-OCT/2002. Some yeast slurry is noticeable on the bottom of the bottle after a careful decantation.

Appearance: Hazed amber gold with a thin bubbly yet sticky lace.

Smell: Dried apple skin, spicy peppery alcohol and a mild maltiness.

Taste & Mouth Feel: Full bodied with a smooth crispness. Malty twang, ripe fruit of apples and tangerine peels. Faint hops with a warming peppery alcohol. Hp bitterness still has a firm bite. Fruity finish with some toasted malt and nutty yeast in the back.

Drinkability & Notes: Wow, very tasty … nice bite from the hops with the lingering spicy alcohol to complement. Went great with a plate of lamb & veal ragu over fusilli.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2005 01:05:02 | More by Jason

Zorro

California

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured with care to leave the sediment in the bottle.

Pours a clear copper colored ale with a skimpy head.

First sniff is very fruity with a scent of rye and a bit of ethanol. Fairly spicy scent that is quite pleasant.

Taste is fruit and rye with a little butter. A little sweet it has a brisk bitterness in the finish. A little tartness in the finish.

Mouthfeel is good.

Nice drinkable beer here but I think I can find better.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2005 00:44:06 | More by Zorro

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

4.22/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2007 Vintage, 375 brown bottle. Poured into one of my Duvel glasses, just to watch how the beer copes. This may be a bit early for an 07 brew, but I was thirsty and wanted to try it out.

Even though I poured slowly, a fair amount of sediment flew into the glass, I had intended to have a clear beer and then half way through add the 'bits and pieces' that remained. Bugger!

I now had a dark orange cloudy beer with black grimbly bits floating around looking for a fight. On top of the body sat an off white thin scum of foam. Luckily anything in a Duvel glass tends to look a Million Dollars to me, although a score of 3 is about fair for this beer.

The aroma was of toffee and Dolly Mixtures (the little sweets). Not your normal Aussie beer smell that's for sure. Thank goodness the sweetness fell away as the beer warmed and some beery aromas arrived later.

My tastebuds picked up a sourness and bitterness that were completely hidden in the original smells. It tasted like a proper beer, even though it had an aroma from a sweet shop. Not bad, not bad at all. Not sure an English Strong Ale is what I tasted, but it was a fine beer whatever bracket you want to label it in.

The alcohol obviously comes through in the mouthfeel, but it isn't OTT and you can tell this is a well crafted beer. Complexed, interesting and contrasting flavours make this a beer to drink slowly and enjoy to the full.

Most likely the best Aussie beer I've ever had (only been once). I wonder what flavours are around if you cellar one for a few years?

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2008 19:28:51 | More by BlackHaddock

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The amber colored brew throws out a nice head, albeit fizzy. Carbonation is evident in the glass, with CO2 surfacing rapidly in the form of tiny bubbles. A sour/fruity mix on the nose. This beer is really lacking for any distinguishible qualities on the taste buds. Surprising for a Strong/Vintage ale. There are some light nuances of fruity character. A little herbal tea like character. sIf something good can be said about this beer, it's that the alcohol taste is absent in a 7.1 a/v brew. Very drinkable for that level of alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2002 22:01:35 | More by Bighuge

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.08/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a lovely, slightly cloudy amber colour, with an initially full head of white foam which disippates slightly to a thin an perhaps a little insipid ring of film. Minimal lacing. Colour is nice, but it looks a little too static and flaccid in the glass.

Nice notes on the nose - lots of toffee and caramel with a pleasant citric fruit character piping through, perhaps a little pineapple which stops the rich malt and caramel from becoming overpowering. Perhaps a slight boozy note too, but that's subtle, if it's really there at all. Nice.

Despite the rather static look of the body, there's a glut of tiny, overzealous carbonation on the palate, which leaves the tongue exhausted by the time it actually starts picking up the other characters. What's there is quite boozy, with some strong acetone characters - very little of the sweetness present on the nose. It feels as though it's a strong ale that hasn't managed to cover its alcohol content. It ends up rather harsh.

Really, this isn't a bad brew, but there's certainly something a bit too raw about it. Perhaps it mellows with age, perhaps is becomes slightly sweeter, and the harsher notes become blunted. Maybe. Hopefully.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2010 05:59:25 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

2.85/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

2008 Vintage. As usual, I like these 375 ml bottles for an obvious reason. On to the beer:

Into a snifter it goes, the beer is unfiltered on the pour. Dark red color with hues of brown and orange, solid bubbly and patchy head retention on this one. Some chunks of sediment floating in the glass. Aroma...sweet caramel and a kick of booze. Notes of banana.

Strong peppery flavor throughout the beer with a chalky burnt grain astringency. Not a lot of flavor here. The alcohol character is spicy, but more peppery, like ground pepper. Faint hint of apple. Burnt toast aftertaste.

This has to get better with age, right? As of now, it is not very flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2009 06:17:57 | More by DoubleJ

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

My bottle is 2004 vintage, with a BEST AFTER date of 20/08/04. (suppose that's the bottling date?)

A: in a goblet it pours a very (Coopers-trademark) cloudy, dark and rusty-copper colour, with an off-white, foamy head settling fast to a thin layer of tiny bubbles lasting very well, against a constantly fine fizzy body.
S: quite refreshing malty nose plus mild aroma of candyish-orange, preserved-peach and a touch of light caramel; fruitcake's lightly buttery and dried-fruit (raisins) aroma sustains firmly at the back, along with a tinge of yeast, but not too much. In a sense it resembles the kind of very deep and flat raisiny aroma of a glass of semi-sweet Medeira wine left in the air for a while, yet I like it~~
T&M: first approaching is an overwhelmingly raisiny, almost madeira-wine like warm, alcoholic texture!!...the obviously creamy texture of malts is underlined by a quite floating dark-fruity and lively alcoholic, yeasty plus a bit woody feel lingering in the mouth, which turns increasingly dry and leaves a rounded but restrained palate of malts and more dark-fruits in the warm finish. The mouthfeel is very balanced, turning from a bit stimulating initially to soft towards the end, while in the aftertaste it becomes settled and dryish.
D: a quite strong beer, it somehow is quite restrained and simplistic in terms of overall flavour. Still, this is a nice beer to savour once in a while.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2005 22:57:11 | More by wl0307

Gusler

Arizona

4.2/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Batch # 4 October 2002)
My most favorite beer from this great brewery, as it spews from the bottle the color a bemused copper color, the head portly in size, creamy in texture, and a winsome light tan in color and loaded with dross, both in suspension and caked to the bottom of the bottle and the lace a nice sealing sheet to conceal the glass. Nose is sweet malt, light hints of fusel alcohol, fresh and clean with the start sweet, nicely malted and the top moderate in feel. Finish is benignly carbonated and the hops spicy and delightful, dry aftertaste, a great beer.

Cooper’s Vintage Ale Batch #1 October 1998
The beer pours somewhat hazy deep amber, the head small and semi-creamy and the color a winsome light tan with the lace forming a thin veil to conceal the glass. The aroma of ripe plums, sweet malt and a bit of musk also seems present; start is quite sweet, rich in malt with the top middling in its feel to the palate. Mildly acidic finish with a nice hop spiciness, very dry like the Australian Outback.

(Batch # 3 October 2000) – 4.05
A nice translucent golden amber color on the pour, the head modest in size, light tan in color, the lace fine sheets that cover the glass. The aroma of malt dominates the nose, a tad brandy like, fresh, crisp and somewhat sweet, pleasing in its own right. Sweet malt start, top middling in feel, finish pleasantly acidic, hops purposeful in their spiciness, dry linger aftertaste, and a "Damn" good drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2004 01:26:37 | More by Gusler

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From the bottle, first: "Coopers Vintage has been brewed with choice malts and an extended top fermentation to provide a strong flavoursome ale. Stored under cellar conditions the rich and full flavour of Coopers Vintage will become more complex over an extended period."; "Coopers Ale and Stout are brewed using the centuries old top fermentation method and natural bottle conditioning, resulting in a characteristic fine sediment forming on the base of the bottle. This sediment is completely natural and can be gently mixed before drinking or poured carefully leaving the sediment in the bottle."

Vintage 2008: "Best After [smeared].19.2008" I went with a gentle pour, hoping to leave as much of the lees (sediment) in the bottle as possible. I had barely a finger of light-tan head with decent retention as a result. Color was a muddy brown, like the nearby Conestoga River after a heavy rain. Man, but this smelled syrupy malty and given its ABV, I could see myself splitting my skull on this evening. The first sip struck me as more watery than I might have expected, but the maltiness lived up (or down) to my expectations. You had best be into sugary sweetness before opening one of these. I was getting a lot of chewy malt initially, followed by an anise wash of licorice bitterness, especially on the back end. The finish was very anise/licorice-like and frankly, it was a refreshing break from the unrelenting sweetness. I would not want a steady diet of this, but on a snowy evening, it hit the spot.

Vintage 2009: "Best After 25.June.2009 19:58". I'm solid on Hallowistmas (29 Oct 11, when it snowed!).

Again, a gentle pour, but this time with just wisps for head and a deep-amber color with just the hint of haze. Nose had a more pronounced caramel sweetness. Mouthfeel was fuller and more carbonated, suggesting that fresher may be better, especially in this case. The taste was more pronounced, as opposed to aged, and I really caught the interaction between the hops and the malt. Toffee was prevalent, but not overwhelming, on the tongue. This was actually quite pleasant, where the previous vintage was more of a challenge. Finish was very caramel, very fitting for Christmasween.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 23:32:18 | More by woodychandler