Fuller's 1845 - Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

DavidSeanNJ

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle after a buddy of mine had told me this was an easy drinking English Strong Ale. He was not wrong.

A- Brown/orange mixture. Burnt sinna color. Decent sized head. Not much lacing. Carbonaion bubbles looking like fire.

S- Fruits, english tea leaves, tobacco, grains, beer.

T- Carmel and malty sweetness, some hop, yeast/

M- Pleasant and tingly. Overall quite smooth and refreshing.

D- Easy drinking brew. This is smooth as hell and a pleasure to sip.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2009 01:52:14 | More by DavidSeanNJ

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev -19%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

After a string of bad beers and realizing I need some space in my fridge to fit my most recent purchases from the LCBO, I decided that Fuller's usually has good stuff that will be able to break me out of this rut. Got this one from Ludachris, and it has a best before is 28/7/2010

Appearance: Clearly a bottle conditioned beer, as there is a large amount of yeasty sediment. Produced only a finger of had that did lace and retain somewhat. The beer itself is a dark red copper color.

Smell: A very nice dried fruit smell, specifically noticing apricots. Has a good background of malts and a bit of a dry hop smell. Didn't take any warming to come out either.

Taste: Starts with a very rich malt texture that gets quite a bit milder as you drink it that ends with a light dusting of dry hops. It's nice, but not quite as fruity or diverse as I expected it to be.

Mouthfeel: Well the carbonation is quite good and it transitions fairly well but it does leave a little bit too much of a dry sensation for my liking. The aftertaste is alright, but it does linger for a bit too long.

Drinkability: The dry texture really stops me from putting this down and it's not all that refreshing. I mean no gas or bloating issues but it just doesn't seem to do that much for me. It's alright, but it just seems to be missing the mark.

Final Thoughts: All in all, a good beer but I wouldn't say it's exceptional. I certainly appreciated the Fullers ESB a lot more then this. It's worth one try, but I wouldn't go past that.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2009 01:17:57 | More by TheHammer

HardTarget

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

1 pt. 2.6 fl.oz. Bottle; Best Before 05/OCT/03.
Aroma: A rich dark malt smell but the hops and a touch of spice (clove?) comes through as well.
Appearance: Brownish red, clear and not very dark. Light but persistent head that leaves a lace of tiny bubbles.
Flavor: The dark sweet malt initial taste is rapidly overrun by a horde of hops that camp for the night. The balance is definitely on the hops side. I experienced some buttery esters as well.
Mouthfeel: Touch heavy on the carbonation and not the warmth I got from other Barley Wines. The hops are so strong that I got a bit of astringency as well.
Overall impression: I know this ranks high in the overall for the site but I found this to be enjoyable, but not quite a celebration. Heavy on the hops for my taste given the style. An ESB on steroids? Drinkability also didn't really ramp me up. I'll enjoy this bottle, but won't crave another.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2003 19:10:26 | More by HardTarget

Freshie

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Cloudy brown color. Slight head.

Aroma is mildly sweet. Grainy.

The taste is woody. Sweet malt blends nicely with those nice dry English hops. Crisp carbonation lends well to the flavor. I bit of grapefruit in the after taste.

A very well balanced, thirst quenching ale.

Fuller's always manages to please. This one is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2008 03:55:49 | More by Freshie

illidurit

California

3.3/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a nonic. Nice mahogany color with just a little haziness. Beige two finger head settles to a partial ring and leaves some thin lacing.

Toasty cookie-ish malt aroma with some dark fruits and spice. Kind of faint overall.

For a beer billed as a strong ale, there's really not that much strength in the flavor either. Fresh baked bread and a bit of toffee with a very herbal, tannic hop bitterness, reminiscent of English black tea.

Carbonation is a little high, body is medium. Finish is dry and encourages the next sip. Drinkable but kinda bland.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2008 07:53:54 | More by illidurit

STEG

New York

3.3/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured slightly chilled into a delirium tulip deep reddish copper colored

Smell is great, lots of vanilla, oak, cherry, and phenols.

Taste is somewhat bland some bittersweet chocolate/cocoa poweder and wood up front, not much in between, and a nice bitterness at the end, present but not overly powerful.

Mouthfeel is interesting, lively, almost prickly slightly oily texture to it.

I would drink another one of these just to make sure, I wonder if this was a bad bottle or stored improperly or something, I'm not getting an A- average beer here. I would much rather have a sam smith's stingo over this.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 00:43:11 | More by STEG

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

500ml bottle with "best before" date of 04/aug/10. tasted in early april, 2009. poured into tulip.

clear, dark amber. lots of light tan head, fading to a thin layer. decent but splotchy rings of lace.

aroma: what seems like earthy and leafy hop character comes upfront, with just a trace of citrus. mild apple fruitiness moves into buiscuity center with toffee and caramel, and faint note of roast and also a metallic, flinty whiff.

taste: gentle maltiness, with caramel notes and light apple fruitiness, but all a bit watered down compared to the leafy hops with relatively bold bitterness (for an english beer), accentuated by the phenol/fusel note, plust more metallic notes. just doesn't seem to meld well altogether.

medium body, but phenols crash in again to overemphasize an astringent finish, meanwhile the otherwise mild carbonation becomes overly prickly, almost fizzy.

wha...?

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2009 00:22:03 | More by tai4ji2x

goodbyeohio

Oregon

3.25/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

from a bomber (uk?) this beer pours a clear amber color with actively rising bubbles and a dense head of heavy foam. patchy, thin lacing left behind from fluffy dissolve. aroma here is smoky malt, some coffee and maple notes rounded out with a slight hoppy smell. taste is bitingly bitter with banana and coffee paying a visit to my mouth cavern. chocolate malt and cherry notes in the background. a bit too bitter for the sweet tastes going on here. a quality beer but confusing overall and somewhat unwelcomely overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2005 03:15:41 | More by goodbyeohio

fsimcox

California

3.25/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a deep, ruby amber. Somewhat transparent. Big fluffy off-white head holds for some time. Some nice lacing.

Smells of sweet malts and biscuit. Some faint hints fig, fruit, and just a hint of citrus. Some sweet tea as well.

Taste is sweet malt, candied fruit, some hops, and a bit of alcohol. A malty, sweet tea aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is smooth, full bodied. Not much carbonation. A little too much alcohol for my taste.

I'm a little disappointed with this one. I'd probably like it more on tap.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 19:21:32 | More by fsimcox

DerBayer

Germany

3.2/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The colour is reminiscent of a barley wine with a medium slightly cloudy amber and v=bright whhite head that dissipates quickly

The smell is very much like barley wine with sweet honey and herb barley notes dominating

The taste is a lot more bitter tahn anticipated with strongfloral hop character

Mouthfeel is medium body with lowish carbonation

Wont buy this one again unless there is nothing better around AND I m craving a beer - UNLIKELY

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2009 01:10:35 | More by DerBayer

xoqx

Washington

3.18/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I've read so many positive reviews of this, I have to give it another chance or two. I stand by my average scoring on this tasting:

Appearance - This beer pours copper colored with an offwhite, one finger head exhibiting moderate retention and moderate lacing.

Smell – The smells are focused on the malts it seems with spicy, honey, and caramelly scents.

Taste – This is a balanced ESB with plenty to savor. Tastes of caramel and hints of coffee mingle with the fruity hops. Some medicinal tones come out during the average-length, bitter finish.

Mouthfeel - The mouthfeel is chewy and medium-bodied.

Drinkability – The beer is fine, but nothing about it compels me to continue after one.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2005 05:40:19 | More by xoqx

bum732

Maryland

3.18/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice dark orangish-red, nice creamy head with fantastic lacing. Smells of bold bready malt, some caramel and toffee, spicy hops. Tastes of slightly sweet bready malt, not very malty, nice bitterness at the end. Finishes mildly sweet with spicy hops. Creamy but slightly thin body, low carbonation.

An interesting beer, not sure why its considered a strong ale at 6.3%. That and i thought the taste was very underwhelming, i was expecting a much maltier beer. If i didn't know better, i would think this is just a normal bitter english ale. That said, its incredibly smooth and has good drinkability. Overall, a let down.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2009 04:54:55 | More by bum732

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.13/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Slight haze, very light brown in color, good lace and retention. Doesn't exactly look appetizing, looks like someone let a turd float in the bowl for a day. You know, that color. Didn't pick up aroma.

Can't figure out from the taste what makes this a strong ale. Tastes like a brown ale (and looks). All malt forward, smooth, bitterness subdued, tea, wood and caramel flavors, lacking hop mouthfeel or alcohol. I don't taste the fruit aspect that some mention.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 17:54:33 | More by Beerandraiderfan

sfprint

Germany

3.13/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Light a slightly red cola, a hair lighter than coke with a soda head, mild soda like carbonation.
S: Red ale, approaching the porter neighborhood, also somewhat sweet and syrupy, cola malt. Fairly strong smell, slight alcohol.
T: I guess good for this style but I'm not in love. Too sweet which throws it.
M: A tad dry and tart.
O: Mediocre. I don't get what everyone's raving over.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 12:23:38 | More by sfprint

Yesac

Georgia

3.1/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours deep amber/copper. Nice foamy, bubbly head.

S - dry hops and sour yeast , earthy undertones

T - dry hops and slight malts. warming alcohol taste. Slightly watery.

M - pretty carbonated and heavy feel. Tart. Hops have a nice finish.

D - not the highest drinkability due to it's heaviness and carbonation.

Thanks to slimchill for trading me this brew to try

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2008 02:28:33 | More by Yesac

WhiteOak

Connecticut

3.08/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Bright amber/copper. Expansive beige foam.

S- I was not impressed by the faint notes of minerals, wet grains, and damp earth. With great coaxing, muted smells of dark fruits, raisin, fig. Too much filtration stripping the life out of the aromas here?

T- Straightforward malt upfront, finishes with dry, astringent hop bitterness.

M, D- A passable ale with a touch of good simple flavor, but lacking structure and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 23:11:28 | More by WhiteOak

ChrisBowers

Virginia

3.05/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Rich dried fruits? Where? Purchased a fresh bottle at Whole Foods in Arlington, VA. Poured a deep brown with a nice head. Smell has a little bit of the afore mentioned fruits, but the taste is dry, bitter, and finishes like charcoal mixed with water. I'm a huge fan of the Fullers Vintage Ales and I've heard that those are based upon the 1845. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I got a bad bottle, but this beer was utterly undrinkable to me. The bitter dryness at the end made me yearn for something to clense my pallete. People seem to love this stuff though so take this with a grain of salt.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2005 01:23:33 | More by ChrisBowers

mithrascruor

California

2.88/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

16.9 oz. bottle poured into a mug.

Appearance: Pours a deep reddish-copper color that's generally clear. Airy, foamy off-white head seems to retain well.

Smell: Somewhat fruity & floral aroma together with some more bitter hoppy smells.

Taste: Strong malty roasted start, with some florals, followed by an intense bitter hop flavor. Aftertaste consists of bitterness and alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Generally smooth medium-bodied beer with light carbonation.

Drinkability: Simply put, the taste of alcohol shouldn't be present in a beer of this ABV.

Though nice in some respects, this beer has much too strong a flavor of alcohol in the taste. The bitterness seems unbalanced and excessive as well. I'll pass next time around.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2007 00:24:39 | More by mithrascruor

kojevergas

California

2.83/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

500ml brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into tankard-esque English style mug in London, England. Reviewed live.

A: Four finger head of lovely cream lacing, great thickness, and good retention. Nontransparent brown-amber colour.

Sm: Cream, nuts, and slight caramel. A mild strength aroma.

T: Heavy cream on the open, nice nuts and amber hops, caramel, and light chestnut. Quite nice for its simplicity. Well balanced, but built only average.

Mf: Too smooth and too wet. Doesn't complement the flavours of the body.

Dr: Slightly above average ABV, decent drinkability, and pretty good quality.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 02:44:36 | More by kojevergas

dankster

Colorado

2.75/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I like the fullers ESB and London pride alot but this one is almost too big for me.

A- dark red with tan head about one finger

S- Big malts and dark fruit coming to me

T- Again very Maltly. some hops but dark fruit like current and plum are very strong. dark roasty malts also

M- thick and smooth but heavy in the mouth. just ok

O- Just ok but not something i will buy again. sorry fuller's this one is a miss for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 20:07:48 | More by dankster

jujubeast6000

Texas

2.7/5  rDev -34.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed 4/3/2006 (16.9oz bottle):

Pours an amber/light brown colored body, with a huge head that is lasting, with good lacing and small bubbles. Has an aroma of molasses, maltiness, musty. A bitter molasses taste, and malts. Has a good session beer taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2009 02:21:35 | More by jujubeast6000

geexploitation

Indiana

2.53/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I wasn't impressed with this beer, even though I'm a fan of Fuller's ESB and London Pride.

The color is the best part of this beer -- it's rich, deep caramel. Very inviting. But the nose is too, too grainy. When I first nosed this beer, the thing that came to mind was dog kibble, and NOT in a good way. Flavorwise, the mix of brown ale and bitter ale flavors in the Fuller's 1845 just don't work for me. The grainy flavor, carrying over from the nose, ruins the bitter hop flavor, and the hop flavor doesn't work with the grain. Either way I look at this, it seems an unwise mix of flavors. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2006 01:57:51 | More by geexploitation

markbatonrouge

Louisiana

2.5/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Did I have a bad batch? Past its prime? Not aged enough? I don't know, but, unlike many of the reviews here, this beer not only did not impress, but I really didn't like it very much at all....

It poured dark golden, minimum head, no lacing.

The aroma was disappointing, basically non-existent at first, with a tiny sour background that almost made it interesting. As it warmed a bit, some maltiness came out -- I would not say it ever got to a carmel aroma -- and really even the slight maltiness wasn't enough to make it appealing.

The taste is what really disappointed me. The alcohol his first, then the bitterness. And, that was about all there was to the flavor of this beer. Their use of bittering hops is good, but then this isn't supposed to be a west-coast IPA. And bitterness without good maltiness or carmels or flavoring hops to balance it out, well, it's just bitter. As it warmed, a touch of maltiness came out, but really very little. Overall, the flavor was marked almost exclusively by alcohol and bitterness. I was glad to finish it and move onto something else.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2010 14:55:18 | More by markbatonrouge

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

2.42/5  rDev -41.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Fuller's 1845

Appearance- dark mahogany brown with a very thick head. Slow dissappation. Nice looking Ale.
Smell- slight floral hops and malt, cheery an raisins. stinging alcohol fumes.
Taste- Too much alcohol present. dry floral hop and malt overpowered by alcohol!
Mouthfeel- initially smooth but the alcohol makes me practically wretch.

Overall- I'm a HUGE Fuller's fan, London pride is my favorite beer, but 1845 is a big disappointment. Just too much alcohol. It ruins the beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2005 22:55:12 | More by NJpadreFan

phishgator

Florida

2.2/5  rDev -46.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Well SWFL got on the ball, sort of this year. I found a bottle of this at Total Wine in Ft. Myers. The best by date was 10/26/2010, so a litte past it's prime. The appearance is solid white head and a lot of lacing. The color is a deep copper and completely hazed. The hops are definitely of the European varities. The taste was metallic and liken to prunes. The body was full and too much. I have had this brew in the past, but I don't remember it like this.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 16:49:19 | More by phishgator