Fuller's Brewer's Reserve No 2 Oak Aged Ale Cognac
Bottle conditioned - released in Autumn 2010. Also available on cask at GBBF 2010.
An oak-aged ale of real distinction. Twenty Courvoisier Cognac casks were used for Brewer’s Reserve No.2, giving the ale a palate rich with woody character and brandy notes. The beer pours a deep bronze colour and carries an oaky aroma. An exceptional beer that has been brewed and blended in the finest traditions.
EDITORS NOTE: Some sources have been erroneously applying the description for the Brewers Reserve No 1 to this beer. In fact, No 2 was aged in Cognac barrels whilst No 1 was aged in Whisky barrels.
An oak-aged ale of real distinction. Twenty Courvoisier Cognac casks were used for Brewer’s Reserve No.2, giving the ale a palate rich with woody character and brandy notes. The beer pours a deep bronze colour and carries an oaky aroma. An exceptional beer that has been brewed and blended in the finest traditions.
EDITORS NOTE: Some sources have been erroneously applying the description for the Brewers Reserve No 1 to this beer. In fact, No 2 was aged in Cognac barrels whilst No 1 was aged in Whisky barrels.
3.6
162 reviews
Chiswick, England
Community reviews
Bottle # 10588. Cloudy deep amber body with a finger sized offwhite head. Aroma is toffee, oak, raisins, plums, light cognac notes. Flavour is sweet, light bitter, thickling alcohol, dark fruit, oak, toffee. Medium carbonation. Quite nice.
Bottle: #08148: Served in a taster: Orange pour.
Small white lacing on top of a amber warm red ish orange colored beer.
Aromas of apples, cognac, wood, malts, grapes, raisin,
Flavours of apples, creamy, honey, bitter, malty, light spicy, some grains, light wood tone, light soap, cognac, pear, light molasses and brown sugars (while not sweet), some grass, some malts and light creamy spiced tone.
Aftertaste is a mix of honey, cognac, wood, some yeast, bitters, light spicy tone and grass.
Low carbo, soft creamy light silky mouthfeel, medium to full body and a creamy texture.
Loved this: and I don’t normally like beers that have been ’messed around with’.
Boxed 500ml bottle (# 23226) best before the end of 2013, poured into an Abbot Ale glass tankard on 30 Aug 2013 at home.
Looked great, full on amber body with a good off-white crown of lasting bubbles on top.
Fruity malt nose with a slight spicy and cognac/brandy/sherry hint.
My sweet tooth really enjoyed the maltiness and rich sherry feel the flavours had. Oaky, nutty and even fruitier towards the end of each sip, not a lot of bitterness to be found at all.
Most likely the best Fullers beer I’ve ever had: their Vintage Ales are excellent as well though.
Bottle #28340. Deep copper color, rich off-white head. Appealing aroma with marmalade and stewed berries. Rich flavor with notes of apples, oak, alcohol, iron and juicy malts. The center is reminiscent of sherry, but the taste mellows out. However, the finish has a bit of alcohol in it despite the age. Full body, medium carbonation. Pretty good, but as I prefer whiskey over cognac, I seem to recall the No 1 being more to my taste.
50cl bottle with a fellow Siebel student, thanks Tim! Bottle #26753. Pour a mostly clear, amber-orange colored body with a finger-width, creamy, beige head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is fruity, but not as fruity as the Armagnac version. Some vanilla, toffee and caramel, cognac with a light alcohol warmth, and wood. Flavor is similar. Some wood and cognac up front with a nice fruitiness throughout. A pleasant vanilla-toffee and caramel with touches of toast. Finishes fairly dry and woody with a nice vanilla, a light malt sweetness, some fruits, and a pleasant cognac warmth. Lengthy aftertaste following a medium body and a soft, moderate carbonation. Overall, a really nice beer. The cognac is distinct and provides a pleasant warmth with a good amount of fruitiness and a solid vanilla-toffee malt backing. Very enjoyable beer.
Bottle. Hazy copper liquid with medium off-white head. Aroma of raw sugar, oak, vanilla, apples, toffee, caramel and dried fruit. Taste is light sweet and light bitter with notes of light booze, oak, dried fruit and toffee. Medium bodied with low to medium carbonation. OK, a bit mellow.
Smak och doft av humle, farinsocker, karamell, ekfat, whisky, cognac. Balanserad, lagom söt, rund och fyllig. Bra beska.
50 cl bottle.
Cognac comes through on the nose very distinctively, which is never a bad thing, lots of ripe fruits also. A lot more diverse aroma compared to the fresh sample. Flavor on the other hand isn’t that pleasant, some cardboard notes seem to have appeared here. Still lots of sweet ripe fruit and caramel flavors present though. No noticeable amounts of alcohol coming through. Slightly better with some age though might be at a turning point towards worse.
Rating for aged bottle: 8-3-7-3-14.
50 cl bottle.
Originally rated on 20110312.
Pours copper color with a small head. Aroma of ripe fruits, sweet caramel malts, some yeast, spice notes and wood. Flavor of caramel malts, faint cognac, ripe fruits and vanilla notes. A bit messy, could improve with age.
Klart lyst øl med minimalt skum. Litt søtt med mye smak av god modnet cognac. Ikke nor lang ettersmak.
Nydelig søtlig lukt. Tykk gyllen farge uten å kunne kalles grumset. Preget eikesmak. Noe tørr på smak.
Chris O’s Fullers/Gales Tasting Feb 2012. Light toffee with whiffs of age. Drinkable and tasty.
Courtesy of and shared with Nordcore:
Appearance: Bottle number 18501. Medium brown, some tan head.
Aroma: Dark fruit, roasted. Raisins. Malt, wood.
Taste: Dark fruit, warming, roasted, oak. Some alcohol.
Info: 500ml bottle, 27/12-2012, BB: 31/12-2013
from Au Grain d’Orge, Crissier - hazy reddish-brown beer with a poor foam left; woody aroma with notes of cognac and apples; full-bodied, tasty and with a solid yet subtle carbonation; some sweetness, low bitterness; long woody aftertaste of old apples, caramel and cognac - pretty dry
500 mL at the Ship in Wokingham into a pint glass. Radiant orange-brown, fizzy, very short-lived head. Fruity, rich, smooth and boozy. Lovely fruity, light cognac aroma. Warming mouthfeel, almost sherry beer. Tasty.
(Bottle) Pale reddish brown colour with frothy, beige head. Fruity nose with distinct cognac aromas, ripe pears, oak wood, apricots, orange, treacle and herbs. Fruity taste with notes of oak wood, brown sugar, dried apricots, orange peel, cognac, chestnut honey, a touch of chocolate and a bitter-sweet finish with a slight alcohol glow. More than medium body, with a certain sweetness. Lots of wood character, quite tasty. Nice one.
Very nice special ale. Color deep orange-dark red but not too much on the black side. Aroma of cognac and a hint of orange and alcohol. The foam lasts only a bit. Taste of cognac with a sweet caramel finish and a bit of alcohol too. Full body that fills the mouth and just enough CO2 to be there but not sting. Very nice beer.
Bottle. Nice head with medium duration. Color is amber. Aroma and taste are caramel, fruits, wood, cognac, malt and hops.
Bottle 50 cl. Amber, hazy with a creamy offwhite head. Aroma of malt, bread, oak, alc, dark fruit. Sweet taste with a nice strong oak ending.
Gravity Dispense at Wandsworth Common Halloween Beer Festival 2012.
Slightly obscured dark brown with a thin off white head that soon clears to the edges.
Nose comprises caramel, dark fruits, toffee, cognac, a little wood.
Taste follows nose, the alcohol is well disguised, cognac a little more prominent in the taste.
Fuller end of medium body with very fine carbonation and a great smooth feel.
Excellent beer !
Trockener, würzig herber Beginn. Trocken bleibend, Cognac, stimmig. Etwas alkoholisch, später noch trockener, süßlich, gut. 10/10/11/11/12/11
Bottle # 1652 at Håndtverkerstuene, Oslo. Shared with beer pal Ivars clear amber with a small white head. Complex aroma, lovely malts, sherry and oranges, trace of leather. Taste is almost identical as promised in the aroma, malty goodies, some dark red fruits, even raisins. Oily mouthfeel, lingering cognac finish. A very good beer.
500 ml bottle. Nice touches of cognac and oak in the aroma, and the bitterness is almost perfectly balanced. The palate is in general a little ’off-edge’, and I miss some other flavours.
In summer, but a cold and rainy night, this clear amber beer with good white head, was a pleasant choice. Aroma is mostly malty, with fruits and cask wood notes, a bit alcoholic. In the mouth, delivers again toasted malts, fruits, oak, and a sweet alcoholic well balanced flavor.
Didn’t like this one much when I drank it in 2010. To sharp and boring, but now it has settled in to a fruity, fudge, really balanced flavour. Nice colour, almoste no alohol taste.
Bottle, shared with VANØ Bergen. Pours a matte dark golden, with a small creamy head. Aroma is malty, with oak and barrel, as well as notes of peat, whiskey and some alcohol. Flavour is sweet, with roasted malts and syrup, with coffee and a dry malt in the finish.
Bottle at home. It pours almost clear amber with a medium off white head. The aroma has strong malty notes with cognac, dark fruit and toasted caramel. The flavour is highly malty with notes of ripe fruit, toasted caramel and the cognac is most profound in the finish.
Bottle. Creamy off-white good mostly lasting head. Amber colour. Heavy malty and moderate hoppy aroma. Moderate bitter nice woody caramellic notes. Average moderate bitter finish. Creamy palate.
500 ml bottle @ Håndverkerstuene. Clear reddish amber with a small off-white head. Harmonic in aroma, caramel malt, mild oak, dry fruit and warming alcohol from cognac. Flavor is sweet caramel, balanced bitterness, dry fruit, hint of oak and some cognac. Full body and long and warming aftertaste. Nice one.
Dark amber colour with a small off-white head. Aroma and flavour of caramel, fruit, malt, wood and cognac.
50cl bottle courtesy of Beer3000. Thanks man! Bottle no. 01726. Dark copper colour with a medium big white head. Aroma is fruity with notes of sweet malts and hints of cognac. Flavour is mostly like the aroma . Swet and fruity, notes of sweet malts, cognac and subtle hints of alcohol. Medium long aftertaste. A very nice beer.