Fuller's Vintage Ale 1999

Bottle Conditioned.

The Champion theme was used once again for this classic Vintage Ale with Champion Fuggles and Champion Optic malt. Slightly redder in appearance, this ale is full of body with a sherry-like flavour.

393 reviews

Chiswick, England

Community reviews

4.0 Clear honey red with a nice head, even after 14 years :) . Aroma of fruit, heavy syrup, vinous, sweet, alcoholic, tobacco, vanilla, lots of oxidation - but well melded with the rest of the aroma. Taste of raisins, cooked fruit, compote, prunes, low carbonation, warming palate.

3.8 Bottle #21023 @ Parcel Yard. Deep red/brown with small off-white head. Aroma is malt, caramel, oxydized, earthy and toasted. Flavour is malt, caramel, toasted, toffee, medium sweet, dusty, oxydized, dark fruits,

4.0 Bottle #21023 @ Parcel Yard, Kings Cross. nice head with good duration. Color is amber. Aroma and taste are rich dried fruits, caramel, alcohol and malt. A little oxidated, but still great.

3.9 Sweet, liquoricey (not over powering), very drinkable ale. Surprisingly smooth for the ABV. Could drink a lot of this if it wasn't for the price! Rated by BrewTom

4.0 Ratebeer rating 555. Slightly chilled bottle. Number 05838. 14 years old! Dark red/brown with a white ring of head. Mild smell of coffee and sherry, some vegetable and marmite. Taste is biscuity, sweet, coffee liquer, background liquorice. Doesn’t have the intesity of flavour that the JW Lees 2001 has, but that makes it more drinkable. The finish is a little watery but that suits the beer and prevents it from becoming overwhelming. Enjoyable beer.

3.8 550 ml bottle sampled January 2012. Reddish amber body with a moderate sized off-white head. Some oxidation in aroma, but this is a twelve years old beer. Aroma still has nice malt, caramel, spicy and a hint of honey. Flavor is sweet malty, caramel, oxidation and light bitterness. Fine body and a very pleasant, smooth aftertaste. I believe some of the oldest vintages has to be more robust than the later as they seems to have more live to them than the newer one has after fewer years in the basement.

3.8 550ml bottle (thanks FatPhil), drunk 11.12.2012 (13y old). Hazy raisin color, not much head. Raisins, some woody notes, chocolate in aroma. Dark chocolate, very very little peppermint, raisins, sweetish flavor. Aftereights in aftertaste. Absolute stunner. I didn’t expect this to be that good!

4.0 18.6oz bottle No. 73146 11/30/12-41° in English Pint-Pours a murky amberish brown with a huge off white head. Aroma of malt and oldness. Taste of malt, sweetness, sherry, caramel,and toffee.This full bodied brew is better than I was expecting from the aroma. Holding up for 15yrs. Not too shabby in fact I would say pretty darn tasty.

4.0 Bought from the brewery shop in 2011 and enjoyed on November 30th 2012, bottle no. 10996. After 13 years in the bottle the beer was bursting to get out erupting before the glass could be offered up. Initial good head smelling slightly of rancid butter though not tasting so, fortunately. Vinous, spicy, woody & resinous, alcohol dominant with a barley wine type body and back taste becoming more rounded & full bodied after the first few sips. This beer had held up well. The head diminishing quickly changing to an oily, deep teak colour, not as thick as later brews. Maybe a year or two past its best but holding up far better than many a strong beer of this age and a delight to have experienced such a drinkable, historic brew.

3.8 bottle thanks to bman. poured hazy amber with an off white head. aroma was caramel, grain, sherry, and some noticeable oxidation. The flavor was pretty much the same with a slick body and low carbonation.

3.3 Bottle at friends - 27/08/12. Firstly this bottle had clearly turned and despite having had a couple of excellent 99’s this year I felt it appropriate to leave this review as a warning against anyone else who may blow £8 on a bottle that was a pretty quick drain pour! I believe I picked this bottle up from the Fullers Brewery shop in July ’12. It was number 02293, a very low number compared to the others I’ve had in the 60,000/70,000 number range. The label was musty and actually fell off as soon as I remvoed it from the box, it appeared to have been stored in dampish conditions (not by me!). Murky reddish brown with a minimal tan head which soon thins to nothing. Very woody musty nose - not right! Muted backnote of dark fruits but hard to penetrate the dank musty aroma. Taste as nose, all flavours impaired, just picking out cherry, prunes and figs. Medium bodied with zero carbonation, still as a pond. I have a few more 99’s kicking around so will re-rate in time. Original rating:- 4- 3 - 4 - 3 - 8 Total + 2.2. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Re rated (bottle) @ Frank’s (Ramnuts) tasting - 06/11/12, #16341. Hazed mid amber with a thin off white head which clears to the edge quickly and forms a small pond. Nose is dark fruits, prunes, dates, a little wood, a little too much oxidisation me thinks. Taste is dark fruits, figs, prunces, toffee, woody notes, again over oxidised. Medium bodied with a bite, smooth. Much better than #2293 but again not a great one, way past its prime. I’ve had 2 really good examples of this vintage in this calendar year which would be firmly in the 3.8-4.1 bracket. Keep trying - I have a couple left!

3.6 Bottle, 55cl. Bottle # 02056. A light copper to amber colored beer, pouring clear, and topped by a minimal sized off-white head. The aroma has some oxidation and alcohol, as well as caramel, dried fruits and a little camphor touch. Nice bitterness in the flavor, along with caramel, oxidation, some camphor and a faint mint touch. Full-bodied, smooth and lightly warming on the palate, and with a lasting finish. Certainly in good condition even though it’s more than 12 years since its release. 120106

4.1 Dark copper colour with a small off white head. Sweet malty aroma with caramel, melon, blood orange, berries, with a hint of acidity. Somewhat sticky, warming palate. Great sweet flavour with bread, caramel, liqueur, orange, spices, honey, a hint of coffee. Exceptionally enjoyable.

3.8 Bottle. Dark amber color. Still pours a surprisingly steady head. Sherry, sewer and lemon in the aroma. Medium bodied, still. Alcoholic. Sherry and raisin. Powdery mouthfeel. Still some remaining hopbitterness. Almost whisky-like. Has kept very well, better as the 2002. Still lively and in shape.

3.9 Red deep golden colour with an off-white head. Aroma is licorice, alcohol, berries. flavour is licorice, malt, alcohol, oxidation, hop, caramel. Full body. Nice beer.

4.1 Bottle 7504. Clear-to-muddy chestnut with a creamy beige collar that shrinks to a slick. Well-behaved, conditioned, hugely drinkable beer wafting with vinegared batter, sake, cocoa-dusted dankness. Deep and textured with a silken, dank, cocoa and aniseed-dusted sake..something about it. Tempura river fish, sherry, star anise..develops a distinct, mildewed, oriental sweetness; muscovado, Grottenbier. It would be sacrilege but I want to marinade some pork or beef in this. Had my reservations, but as 5K beers go it’s more than worthy; a deep, luxurious experience that’s got me thirsting for some more vintaged English. If only the whole portfolio was aged for 13 years.

4.2 Bottle. Slightly hazy deep mahogany, nose brings syrup, a little wood and medicine, touch of coffee, palate has old wine, a little coffee and chocolate, some phenol, dry fruity finish with woody hints (2012). Re-rate 10 years later, it's bright with only a slight spritz, nose is sherry, wood and a little gravy, palate is sweetish and woody, raisins and a little phenol, rich and lightly bitter with a touch of orange marmalade.

3.9 55 cl bottle. @ The Grand Vintage tasting. Bottle No. 11265. Pours clear mahogany color with a minimal head. Lots of plums on the nose, dark fruits and some caramel. Plums, caramel and dark ripe fruits on flavor too. Very refined still. Excellent. 50 cl bottle @ KBF. Rated on 20101126. Copper color. Aroma of ripe fruits like plum, malts and caramel. Flavor of caramel malts, ripe fruits and raisins.

3.5 Bottle at Chriso’s Fullers-Gales Tasting. It pours clear deep red-amber, with a thin off-white head. The nose is wood, leather and some sweet, sticky fruit. The taste is wood, dust, leather, golden syrup, honey, spice and toffee, with a bitter-dry finish. Full body, moderate carbonation and a thick, slightly cloying mouth-feel. Fairly straight forward actually. Nice enough, but perhaps too sweet.

3.4 Bottle care of Chris O. Hazy tawny amber. Nose is alcoholic, bit raw, marmalade, sherry, sweet and malty. Taste is very soft, no hops or bitterness, orange marmalade, fruity, sweet barley malt, and some subtler tangerine notes. Overall it’s soft and very sweet and possibly too cloying.

3.8 Huge thanks to GT2 for providing the opportunity to try this mini whale! Nose and flavor were rife with candied orange and caramelized sugars, molasses, date, plum, and hints of cardboardy oxidation. Palate was oily and slick. Seemed a bit past it’s prime, but still nice and so cool to try.

3.8 hazy chestnut, large bubble white ring. Nose is tea, oak, bit of pepper, dates. Flavor has more dates, candy, brown sugar, tea. Not as dry or integrated as nose, soft coating body, lightly oily.

3.7 550mL with a big thanks to anders37. Pours murky mahogany with a medium, yellow, barleywine head. Decent retention. Nose is toffee, orange mint, sharp tawny barleywine character: fruit cake, fermented raisins and plums, red licorice, muted alcohol. Shaper mouthfeel and finish with obviously hoppiness. Never getting too sticky sweet. Slight slickness in the finish. Nice stuff. Reminds me more of American barleywines.

2.9 Thanks GT! Murky brown pour with a thin beige head. Lots of brown sugar and port in the nose with dark fruit and severe oxidation in the flavor. Cardboard and toffee big time. Rich palate with low carbonation. Very cool to try this.

3.8 Bottle courtesy of GT2, thanks. Murky brown color, scant white edge head. Aroma of butterscotch and light spice. Taste is rich, fruity, caramel and scotch. Very nice.

3.2 Bottle 550ml #02056 @ home [Courtesy of yngwie] Pours deep amber/ brown with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of oxidized, malt, raisin, prunes and berries. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.

3.9 Bottle, courtesy of yngwie.Bottle no 02056. Pours deep golden with an off-white head. Aroma of campher, malt, oxidized malt, sweet red berries, mint and fruitiness. Flavor is sweet and malty with some bitter mint and caramel. Medium body , average carbonation. Nice beer.

2.8 Bottle (#11146) at a tutored tasting GBBF 2011. Hazy brown colour with a small white head. Alcohol and caramel malty nose. Caramel and a bit fruity flavour, with some vanilla and alcohol.

3.8 Bottle@ home 10/12/11 Slightly murky with yeast esters, vanilla and plenty of carbonation again and really thick bodied.

3.7 Thanks Bill!! ..very excited to try this! .. Pours tan .. light foam .. good simple lacing .. . vanilla, wood, biscuit, oak, and caramel .. . light and classy .. . aged quite well! .. . . Why do people in ship mutinies always ask for "better treatment"? I’d ask for a pinball machine, because with all that rocking back and forth you’d probably be able to get a lot of free games..