Fuller's Old Winter Ale - Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

TKempe

Netherlands

4.47/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Looks very clear and amber to light copper-brown in colour. The head is a bit thin but leaves plenty of lace.

Smell is malty-sweet (toffee, some chocolate) and slightly burned and grainy. Can't miss the fruity ale note (prune, apple freshness) and the hop aromas (reminiscent of tea and all kinds of spices). Alcohol is present and is blended in perfectly, giving some extra weight to the entire nose.

The taste is bitter-sweet and passes through both a fruity and a hoppy moment before becoming really bitter and dry. The aftertaste lingers for quite some time. Moreover, there is a salty or liqorice-like quality to it all.

Mouthfeel is creamy and has the exact right amount of carbonation. This beer drinks easily and is refreshing, even though it is quite saturated and bold.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2009 23:36:52 | More by TKempe

Bananaman

Sweden

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Fuller's is one my favourites of the English breweries. They represent everything about English bitters and ales that I like.

Pours a dark amber color with a big fluffy white head, leavs loads of lacing on the glass.

Aroma is strong of malts, English hops, nuts and some sweet dried fruits, almost wineous in a way.

Taste is really good, for being at this strength it's really powerful. Lots of malts and English hops together with those wineous dried fruits. The bitterness is fruity and nutty, really warming.

I really like this one, the only thing is that it's bit boring compared to other English ale style Christmas beers this year.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2008 14:15:54 | More by Bananaman

DaveUK

United Kingdom (England)

3.8/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Lustious red brown with an excellent head with a ring and wisps retained all the way to the bottom.

Aroma - Creamy fruit and toasted malt. A hint of grapefruit from the hops.

Taste - Raisins and blackcurrant, fullers distinctive style, sweet and and juicy malt, with a big bitter finish with hints of smoke.

Mouthfeel - Smooth at the end and very sweet, a medium to heavy mouthfeel.

Overall - A classic fullers brew, distinctively identifying but also very tasty. A true malty winter beer. I would love to try this on cask as acidity from the carbonation was unwelcome at first.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2008 15:39:13 | More by DaveUK

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle bought from Sainsburys..

Poured a nice dark copper colour. Light tan head poured big thick and foamy with quite tight bubbles then faded quickly to decent covering with thick edging... quite a lot of thick sticky lacing... no real carbonation to speak about...

Aroma - Lots of toasted breadiness, nice sweet toffee malts, treacle and brown sugar notes, malt loaf, rich dark fruits (prunes, figs, light raisins, some orange notes), light peppery hops, nutty sweetness, light grassy notes, some very faint oakiness, butterscotch notes...

Taste – A surprising amount of peppery and grassy hop bitterness mixed with toasted bread, burnt nutty bitterness, light caramel malt sweetness, tart fruits (oranges, figs, some apples), quite floral, some light saltiness, light earthiness...

Feel - Quite smooth initially with a good sharp bite coming through afterwards.. light bodied... extremely quaffable - i could happily drink this all night...

Overall - Another very good brew from Fullers... quite a hoppy winter warner but certainly recommended...

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2007 15:28:09 | More by mdagnew

stcules

Italy

3.48/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark amber color, almost mahogany. A good head, beige in color, not bad.
The smell has a good maltiness, dried fruit, figs and dates. A hint of red fruit. Malty background.
The taste is more on the dried fruit side, quite dry, with notes of hazelnut overall. Despite the low alcohol (5.3 ABV), this beer is quite warming. Notes of light roasted, toffee. Good.
Quite hopped in the aftertaste. Balanced and pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2007 16:40:37 | More by stcules

bark

Sweden

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The colour is deep amber-brown; the head is finger thick, off white and compact- It sinks slowly down leaving massive lacing.

The generous smell is loaded with dried fruits, lightly roasted malts, some alcohol, dry bitter hops, whipped cream and a hint of cherries.

The taste is complex and more bitter than expected. Some fruity (apricots. Raisins, green grapes) flavours, hints of coffee and cream, liquorice and rubber. The aftertaste is dry and bitter with some spices (nutmeg, rosemary, cloves?) and dried fruits.

The carbonation is perfectly mild with lots of refreshing bubbles. The liquid is rather thick.
Overall, I found this winter warmer much more daring than I remembered.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2006 21:30:47 | More by bark

Hammarby

Sweden

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark amber color and a crown that disappears rather quickly. Smell a bit dissapointing: butter, honey, apricot, but also alcohol in a not so pleasant way. Taste much better than the smell. Lingering bitterness, which is very nice. Dried fruits and nuts. A very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2006 00:02:18 | More by Hammarby

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I finally found this bottled beer at the Waitrose supermarket in East London. BB 21/01/07, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: clear, light copperish hue, coming with a thick and creamy off-white beer head, leaving pretty tight lacing as it retreats; fairly gentle carbonation.
S: enticing aroma of raisiny, ripe-plummy and caramely maltiness upfront, backed by a nut-syprup like "think" note along with a more subtle, fruity hop aroma reminiscent of Fuller ESB’s elegant apple-ish note. Very nicely balanced nose overall.
T: a very deep flavour of bitter-sweet caramelised-sugar with a hint of exotic black-sugar, preserved plums, plus a mildly bitter flavour of roasted nuts from crystal malts prevail upfront; quickly giving way to an almost tea-leaf like bitter-herbal hoppyness in the background underlined by faint suggestion of dark fruits; satisfyingly dryish aftertaste left at the deep end of the palate, balanced by equal amounts of aromatic maltiness and lingering, mild bitterness.
M&D: despite being nearly full-flavoured, the palate remains ultra-clean and light throughout. This is a "quietly" delicious malty winter brew, very well-crafted and balanced indeed.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2006 23:05:41 | More by wl0307

JanM

Sweden

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pour with a clean amber color with one finger of brownish foam that disapperas quickly. The smell is of nuts, Coca Cola and licorice. taste is dominated by the bitterness with toffee, nuts and aniseed in the background. In fact, the bitterness takes some of the taste out of this beer. Served from a bottle its worth it to wait for a while before you drink since the exposure to oxygen brings out a better body 10-15 minutes after pouring.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2005 17:24:05 | More by JanM

foamer

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500 mL bottle, date best before 11/01/06

Pours a nice clear red with some rusty orange highlights on the sides. Frothy cream-coloured head with good retention. This is a pretty beer.

Smells of caramel malt with some spices. I get some hints of rum-soaked fruitcake as well. Smells a bit like Christmas...Strong aroma though, I could notice it right after I opened the bottle.

Taste is initially caramel and sweet malts and then WHAM! it develops to a dry hop bitterness with some hints of spices. I've never tried a beer where the taste changed so suddenly - it's keeping my taste buds in check.

The mouthfeel I feel to be a little overcarbonated, but maybe that's just the CAMRA in me talking. It's a little thin as well, but not too much to be a detriment.

This is a tasty winter warmer, and I much prefer this to Young's offering. One which I'll try to find on cask next time I'm in London.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2005 23:00:04 | More by foamer

GreenCard

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Best before 11/01/06...

Appearance: dark reddish-brown, great clarity, medium layer of spongey off-white foam, good retention, some lace

Aroma: rum-soaked figs, dark chocolate, malty sweetness, burnt caramel

Flavor: quite dry malt base, big wallop of roasted grain, piny hop flavor, licorice, wood tannin, finishes dry with an aftertaste of pine resin and plum skin

Mouthfeel: full body, fine carbonation, a bit astringent

Other comments: Reminds me a bit of Winterhook, which I tried over X-mas while I was in Oregon. Surprisingly assertive roast/hop bitterness (in a good way).

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2005 17:38:48 | More by GreenCard

cypressbob

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle

Pours with a deep red body, nice creamy head, good retention

Smell, spices, thick malty musk coming off

Taste, thick bitter hops, dry musky finish, some hint of smoke and a nice lingering bitterness on the palette

Another great beer from fullers, they really can do no wrong. Some noticable hints and flavours of 1845, actually, this really reminds me, in look and taste of arrogant bastard, like an english hopped version

What the heck is that flavour and aroma? it really reminds of arrogant bastard :)...thus, i've been buying this alot now, its a great beer

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2005 21:20:26 | More by cypressbob

stjarnflikka

Sweden

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear, red veer with some carbonation and a foam that hastly leaves the glass to leave a thin lacing.

Smell is malts, bread and butter at first. The comes a roasted tone together with fruit and a bitter character.

Taste is bitter, with a large maltcharacter. Malt, bread and roasted tones come again here, together with butter and a candylike sweetness.Taste is really big and nice, with a crisp touch to it.

A great winter warmer, and fuller's never seems to dissapoint me.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2005 18:51:21 | More by stjarnflikka

connecticutpoet

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A lovely ruby-red ale with a good head, this one promised quite a bit. And it delivered.

The aroma was of rich malts (caramel and some roasted as well) and the alcohol was somewhat prominent.

The foretaste was bitter, and the taste was of rich nutty malts and hints of bitter chocolate. A touch of spiciness was apparent as well, but only a trace. The bitterness lingered, a nice touch.

Good body, and a good beer to have sitting comfortably at home on a winter's night watching TV

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2004 03:48:06 | More by connecticutpoet

oberon

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Man I love Fullers ales,this one poured a a great ruby red color with medium head,smell was malty sweet and nutty almost like a good nutty holiday cake.Nice malty,warming taste of nuts and a little bitter chocolate,very easy to drink.I think drinking this on a cold winters night watching a hockey game would be almost heaven for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2003 09:33:40 | More by oberon

Jason

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 18.6 oz English style brown bottle that has raised glass with a glimmering gold label. Best before date clearly printed on back.

Appearance: Crystal clear deep ruby copper with a thin wispy yet well retaining lace.

Smell: Rich sweet caramel with hints of toasted and vague roasted malt.

Taste: On the sweet side with a creamy full body, rich malt character with nutty, grainy and even a little bit of chocolate on the tongue. Hop bitterness develops more towards the end to reach a nice balance. Mouthful of residual sweetness still left over in the finish with a touch of dark chocolate.

Notes: As usual ... rich, hearty and very flavourful, drink and learn what a true imported English winter ale tastes like!

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2002 16:59:01 | More by Jason

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very nice, malty then bitter, with hints of toffe, chocolate and coffee, good beer, but not sensational.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2002 05:53:59 | More by rastaman

Real_BeerMAN

3.68/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 1 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Welcome cronies! This old beer came up to us and Russia. We drank to our event standards a bit, about 4 breasts at his brother. Pear at first did not feel, but after 2nd chest appeared pears, nuts, and the women ... After the third chest, we ourselves also are found dick knows where, but the pear disappeared as well as nuts. But the women were still. What happened after that I do not remember.On the morning of the head is white, and for some reason,
On the morning of the head is white, and somehow shaved. Shnunorovka in place, but the lacing is not obtained. The women did not have as Crediton cards and money. Beer is not subject to the basic laws of physics. Drank beer liters 8 and vysal all 15 ... The output of beer was as it was a statement, oblochno yellow with dense foam. PS We have a battery but still drink beer. even in summer. P.P.S tasty beer with peanuts in tomato glaze and kapchennym cheese. For gourmets can add 0.5 to 1 liter of vodka beer

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-24-2013 15:24:02 | More by Real_BeerMAN

snogglethorpe

Japan

3.15/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A nice deep brown color, little head, not much odor.

The taste is an immediate malt hit, a tiny bit of roastiness, followed after a while by the typical Fuller's fruity taste, with some mineral flavor and a slight amount of acidity ... and eventually by a very very mild bitterness (so little that it's hard to really say what it's like). No creaminess, not really all that sweet, despite all the malt. Gets watery after a while like many other Fuller's beers.

It's not hard to drink, and unobjectionable, but it's not really all that great either, and doesn't really live up its billing as a "winter ale" -- it simply didn't have the depth, the bitterness, the darkness, the spices, and was way too dominated by pretty much the exact same fruity character that defines most Fuller's beers.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2011 13:51:03 | More by snogglethorpe

pootz

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap: Taps a deep chestnut color with some red highlights, modest cap, soft carbonation.

Aromas are fruity-spicy lightly sweet. Flavor is exceptionally discreet in its use of spices and sweet malts...lovely warm soft malty sweetness mingles with a spicy-fruity background and demure Kent hopping...well balanced without any of the sweetness, spice or hops overpowering the amalgam of all these flavors....frankly the best Winter ale I've tasted this year.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2010 00:00:46 | More by pootz

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap: Deep mahogany with a frothy beige cap that laces moderately. Nutty, fruity aroma with lots of yeasty spices and wood. Sweet caramel and sugary, nutty malts are backed by solid almost floral, hop profile. Creamy and soothing, full bodied winter ale. Good.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2009 12:02:24 | More by mrmanning

MisterClean

California

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Bonn Lair. Good job getting this one Bonnie!!

A - Poured a dark auburnish color, with a little over 1 finger of head. Dissipated fast and left a nice trail of lacing.

S - Caramel, toffee, and light chocolate in the malt profile with some hearty spices. Maybe some clove and a pinch of cinnamon. Hop profile is very subtle with a bit of bitterness.

T - Strong notes of caramel and toffee with light chocolate. The spices really round the beer out and their appears to be some clove, maybe a little vanilla, and some cinnamon. Hops almost disappear.

M - Well balanced, with an almost full mouthfeel.

D - Overall, a good example of the classic English Winter Warmer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2008 19:30:12 | More by MisterClean

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

It looks good, with some foam on a cloudy yellow. It smells good, with mild spice. There is above average mouthfeel from caramel. A tad like an old ale, but other than this there is nothing special. Mild dry hop finish.On tap at Beer Bistro. Drinkable but nothing to hook me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2008 18:03:03 | More by northyorksammy

grub

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

sampled on tap at beerbistro feb 27/08. menu claims 6.5% abv.

pours deep red with a small dense off-white head. the head drops slowly and leaves a few rings of lace.

aroma is nice. bit of toasty character. big fruity english profile. light toffee. caramel. bit of alcohol. big bread and biscuit malts. just a touch of spice, but not enough to pick particular spices out or to overshadow anything else.

taste is good. low bitterness level. solid bread and biscuit malt. nice light toffee and caramel middle without getting too sweet or overbearing. again just a hint of spice but not overpowering or identifiable. the taste isn't as bold as the aroma, but i like this and feel it works well here.

mouthfeel is nice. medium-low very well integrated carbonation. medium body. just a hint of astringency.

drinkability is good. nicely balanced and solid english ale. i might need to have another!

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2008 18:53:35 | More by grub

ABCJiugui

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on tap at deep ellum, poured into US pint glass-

A- foamy 2 fingers head with excellent retention to 1/2 finger, clingy lacing that comes in almost guinness like rings as one sips. Color is a deep, clear, reddish amber.

S- Sweet malt aroma, biscuity, bready, crisp as well, like spring water.

T- Balanced malt sweetness, biscuits, with definite english hops: bitterness is mild but present, and very well balanced, contributing to a fairly smooth finish.

M- Smooth, 2%milk/medium bodied, head adds a level of creaminess to it, carbonation is light and consistent.

Overall, unexpectedly pleasant surprise during my meal. Had a good Oakham "John Hudsen's" bitter on cask right before and wasn't expecting such a great beer right after. Definitely something I'd order again and could see myself drinking all night.

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2008 13:41:48 | More by ABCJiugui