Fuller's Vintage Ale - Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

Jason

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: No: 20845 of 85000. 18.6 oz brown Victorian pint bottle. The bottle is perfect for keeping the dregs at bay and the pint glass clear. Presented in a collectors box, the bottle is also adorned as if it were a fine bottle of Port, all the way down to the labeling and the thin paper strip which crosses the crown.

Appearance: Rich reddish amber brew with a slight chill haze, wonderful lace that floats on top. The haze goes away as the brew reaches cellar temp.

Smell: Creamy with a figgy or raisin fruity aroma, touch of dry malt and estery alcohol in the nose also.

Taste & Mouthfeel : Creamy and smooth with a big malty body, a figgy / pruney like fruit flavour is the front of the malt sweetness which lingers on forever. Hop bitterness has held together well after 4+ years ... spot on for balance and still a decent amount of flavour left. Lovely chewy mouth feel throughout with a good amount of body even in the finish. Alcohol is quite evident ... esters are lively yet are kept at a minimum. The finish has a complex intertwined hop and malt flavour for a perfect end.

Drinkability & Notes: Wow ... a masterpiece in a bottle! Aged to perfection and worth the $6-$7 a bottle. Its flavours have peaked but may not fall to a lesser beer even a year or more of cellaring. Easy to drink with very little aged flavour and no signs of oxidation.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2003 18:10:36 | More by Jason

speter

New Jersey

4.59/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2009 vintage.

A: Deep ruby that poured clear before I swirled the yeasty goodness that lent a tinge of cloud to the glass. Large bubble, off-white head quickly dissipated, leaving virtually no lacing nor residual carbonation.

S: Toffee, caramel, raisins, and toasted biscuits, with a faint hint of hay and a touch of yeast.

T: Follows the nose closely, with a dose of toffee up front giving way to more bready goodness in mid palate and a balancing bit of bitterness in the finish. However, the malt's the star here. As the ale opens up, the raisins give way to darker fruit and an almost oaky/bourbony quality.

M: Mouth-coating and syrupy, especially due to the light British carbonation levels. This would be a perfect crisp fall day beer.

O: This is a truly superb brew that captures the best of the British Isles. Akin to a German Doppelbock, this has a biscuity quality I have come to love in real British ales, along with the subtle understatement of Goldings. I am going to get more of these, laying them down for 3-4 years as recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 23:24:45 | More by speter

dhardman7

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

06-16-2013 17:25:07 | More by dhardman7

ShemRahBoo

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

06-16-2013 06:00:58 | More by ShemRahBoo

HisBoyElroy

Michigan

4/5  rDev -4.5%

06-15-2013 20:33:26 | More by HisBoyElroy

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

06-15-2013 18:58:05 | More by TheBeeraholic

TT--Cashout

Newfoundland (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

06-15-2013 02:21:57 | More by TT--Cashout

Docrock

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

06-14-2013 16:47:58 | More by Docrock

AndyPublican

Quebec (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Burnt taste, really like black tea, it is very bitter. The flavors of malt and hops are intertwined. Tried vintage 2010, apparently was too young. Such beer to withstand the maximum, only if it is fully revealed. Suffice it to yourself to get a certain characteristics to safely call it in English, tough ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 13:47:49 | More by AndyPublican

Hsraiders9688

Arizona

5/5  rDev +19.3%

06-13-2013 13:03:30 | More by Hsraiders9688

kawilliams81

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.5%

06-13-2013 02:16:30 | More by kawilliams81

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.21/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2011 Vintage poured into a snifter

A- Pours very murky/hazy orange amber color. A frothey off white head.

S- This beer smells like an aged IPA surprisingly. A bitter Fruit smell. A lot of grapefruit, candied raisins. A slight cinnamon and spice. A sticky syrupy sweet smelling brew.

T- A big malty flavor to this beer. A light caramel and a sweet toffee flavor. A slight roastyness. A sticky dark fruit flavor. A massive plum presence and a candied raisin. A very nice grain flavor and yeastyness. A slight spiciness as well. A remaining hop bitterness but most of the flavor has faded.

M- A lighter body then I expected. Perfect carbonation and an overall pleasing brew on the palate.

O- A very solid Old ale. I would love to try some older vintages and have no doubt this would age well.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 22:15:41 | More by TwelveOunces

mungus

Australia

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

06-11-2013 11:48:50 | More by mungus

Isotope

Texas

4/5  rDev -4.5%

06-05-2013 21:45:18 | More by Isotope

J_Dub

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

06-04-2013 18:25:56 | More by J_Dub

beernads

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

06-03-2013 18:42:08 | More by beernads

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev -28.4%

06-01-2013 19:31:21 | More by schnarr84

funkengruven

Ontario (Canada)

4.73/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

2006 vintage, bottle # 67668, had this sitting in my cellar since i acquired it nearly 7 years ago. I was expecting this to be a little off, not even a little bit.

This poured a deep clear ruby with a little off white head, smell is very strong mostly of caramel malt with some hops. Flavor is very bold and full of malt with some hops in the finish. Alcohol is definitely present but it's taste is well concealed in the brew.
Mouthfeel is very full and strong, this is something you want to take nice and slow.

I'm very glad i let this one rest a bit before giving it a go. I imagine that a fresh one would be very sweet and very boozy. I will have to get another one of these once they are available again to sit in my cellar for a while.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2013 23:32:00 | More by funkengruven

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%

05-26-2013 19:45:06 | More by Slatetank

kvnstfrd

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -16.5%

05-23-2013 03:17:05 | More by kvnstfrd

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-21-2013 00:47:38 | More by Kmat10

2GOOFY

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-18-2013 04:52:31 | More by 2GOOFY

ElGallo

New Hampshire

3.9/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 vintage, poured into a snifter. Pours an amber orangey gold color. Good carbonation, decent head and lacing. Smells of caramel and toffee. Taste is mildly sweet, with caramel and toffee up front but chalk and metallic notes in the aftertaste that come and go. Tastes a lot like an American-style barley wine but not as complex as I had hoped for a slightly older vintage. Still worth trying once.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 01:40:44 | More by ElGallo

emaciated

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%

05-09-2013 01:59:08 | More by emaciated

dalepryor

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-07-2013 23:00:02 | More by dalepryor