Fuller's Brewer's Reserve No. 4 - Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

dgilks

Australia

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Slightly hazy dark copper colour with a smooth, light tan head. Fair head retention.

Fair amount of hard fruit. Some touches of the Armagnac oak. A little toasted malt.

Medium caramel and toasted malt. Touches of earthiness. Very light oak. Okay but nothing special.

Moderate body and some carbonation. Quite nice.

A lovely beer. Well constructed and a nice Strong Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 09:21:22 | More by dgilks

ADZA

Australia

3.7/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Bottle number 34814 and pours a tarnished copper hue with a creamy one finger head,lots of carbonation and some nice lacing,the smell is tart fruit,oak,chocolate,raspberries and a feint hint of that Armagnac,the mouthfeel is medium bodied with above moderate carbonation and has tastes of raspberries,fruity hops,sherry,chocolate,caramel and finished with a fruity tartness and overall I like it but thought the mouthfeel was over carbonated and could do with some ageing I'm going to have to buy another bottle of this cheers.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 11:09:27 | More by ADZA

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

4.03/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

500ml Bottle (#27669). Wine glass. Enjoyed on feb´13. Reddish amber color. Clear appearance. Off-white & lively froth so head quickly dissipates. Intense vanilla & cinnamon fragrances, caramel malts, subtle brandy notes & sugary alcohol to the nose. Toasted malty upfront is touched by fruity, sugary & chocolate powder flavors. Medium to full body. Moderate to soft carbonation. Bitterness in the middle balances malts & provides a fruity/tartar funny palate. Subtle warming alcohol. Dry bitter finish. Kind brandy-like heat on the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 23:06:39 | More by GONZALOYANNA

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.58/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Purchased from the Fuller’s online shop, this edition is oak-aged for 365 days in Old Comte de Lauvia Armanac (VSOP) casks. Bottle No. 34361, BB End 2022 (ten years away!), served cool in a tulip-shaped long-stemmed wine sniffer.

A: abundant flows of microscopic fizziness to boot, creamy beige head lasts well, even following a force pour; the colour is dark copper to mahogany, while it turns rather tawny when seen right against light.
S: mainly malty and ripe&sweet plummy fruity on the nose, littered with traces of cherry skins and very mild toffees; given a very good swirl, sour-sweetness from overripe fruits resurfaces and goes hand in hand with the rather subtle sour-ish oakiness as of, well, Calvados instead of Armanac brandy, in my opinion.
T: a lightly musty edge of brandy’s woodiness, Calvado-like apply-oakiness and salty-sweet elements as of old pineapple mingle well in the effervescent, creamy foretaste, pairing the otherwise mildly-flavoured, nectar-ish and barley-candy like malty main theme, not unlike the Goldings- and Pale Malt-dominated Golden Pride. There’s very little sign of a “middle” taste in each sip, as the foretaste quietly grows into a pretty neutral, lightly chewy and mildly bitter finish, where the both wings of the tongue experience a somewhat… black-olive-ish spicy touch (sounds weird?).
M: due to the microscopic fizziness, the palate is kept refreshing and smooth at the same time, but this is not unexpected if judging from the fact that the ale is less than 1.5 years old.
O: All in all, I can’t seem to notice and enjoy more assertive influence from the Armanac oak-ageing on the beer base, but the musty, old-ish feel from the barrels certainly has balanced off, or, “consumed” the otherwise rich and dense barleywine base. The potential for ageing? I really don’t know. I could foresee the more exotic woody elements and yeastiness to interact and evolve into an interestingly acidic and dry-ish palate overtime, but flavour-wise it is hard to imagine any significant evolution to take place over the next five-six years. I’ve got four more bottles in my mini-cellar, so will report back if my observation is proved wrong!

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 21:27:58 | More by wl0307

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.2/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours copper with a large airy tan head. Lots of bubbles in the liquid and the head sets quickly with a sizzeling sound. Almost no lacings.

S: There is a mild smell of the boozy alcohol from the Armagnac-oaky-barrels. Faint vanilla. Citric notes and a rather healthy maltyness. Some sourness, that doesn't go to well with the rest of the ingredients.

T: Not many surprises after the smell... The sourness is milder but still present. The boozyness is perhaps stronger. Vanilla and fruit tries to balances. Some dark dried fruits.

M: Rather boozy and rough. Aftertaste is short and mainly sweet. Carbonation is rather mild.

O: Not very well balanced. It didn't come true according to my expectations.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 17:46:55 | More by Sunnanek