Fuller's Vintage Ale 2008
Our 12th Vintage features two of our favourite English hop varieties, Northdown and Challenger. These, combined with floor malted Maris Otter malt, produce a rich fruit aroma laced with dark orange hop notes. A full luxurious mouthfeel is finished off with a satisfying alcohol warmth.
3.7
328 reviews
Chiswick, England
Community reviews
Impressive in 2015 with raisins and lots of dried fruit. Taste is wine like and sweet with good freshness after this time. Impressive that it can develop to this extent over the years.
Light brown with a pale head. Aroma is brown sugar, candied orange peel, musty basement. Medium bodied, lightly sticky mouthfeel, slightly oxidized but still well balanced with a sweet finish. Taste is raisins, orange peel, caramel, hint of leather.
Bottle from the rotter. Pours red to light brown with orange highlights. Nearly no head, just some light film of bubbles. Moderately oxidized nose with dried light fruits like a trail mix almost, nutty and fruity. No hops in the aroma. Flavor seems a tad flat with a severely lackluster malt sweetness that just seems to be watered down dextrose. Unfortunately, the flavor does not seem to deliver like the aroma does. A tad papery as well.
Bottle thanks to Jbeez. Pours a clear orange with small white head that diminishes to nothing. The aroma is caramel, fruity malt, citrus. Medium mouth, very sweet, caramel, light booze, held up very well but a bit thin.
Garrafa #76364. Vermelha, turva. Espuma média de média duração. Aroma de malte e ameixas, com toques de caramelo. Sabor complexo, adocicado sem exagero, com fortes notas de frutas secas, esp. ameixas, além de caramelo, baunilha e madeira. Retrogosto adocicado com final amargo, de longa duração. Forte sem gosto pronunciado de álcool.
50cl bottle @ Black Door. Number 46114. Mahogany color, thin but lasting white head. Madeira like aroma, strawberries, some dried fruity notes. Flavor has strawberries, almonds, alcohol warmth. long finish, quite sweet. At least this bottle has aged enough.
Bottle 46114@blackdoor. Amber. Dry fruity, almost vinous tones on nose. Malts, slight sweet boozy white raisins. Full smooth soft body. Vanilla, some wood, dry toffee. Malty, smooth, subtle, fruity complex. Very nice drink. Long finish.
-- bb
16.9oz bottle in a tulip. Pours brown with a small, beige head. Aroma of caramel and toffee and lightly nutty malts, some floral hops, hints of dark fruits, and light notes of alcohol. Flavor the same with a strong maltiness. Smoother texture. A decent beer but just not my taste anymore.
Pours hazy amber with a large, frothy off-white head, great retention and lacing. Aroma is sweet caramel and nutty malt with pine, citrus, and floral hops; fruity with light alcohol notes. Flavor is a malty and hoppy start with an alcohol and spicy hop bite, fruity with some light doughy yeast notes and chewy malt. Full bodied, warming with high carbonation and a dry finish.
Limited Bottle no. 82127. Niewielka piana, kolor jasnawo herbaciany, zapach intensywnie chmielny. W smaku lekko miodowy ale chmiel tu rownowazy i nawet przewaza nad slodkoscia i obecnym posmakiem miodu pszczelego. Finisz wytrawny oraz nieco rozgrzewajacy. Klasyczne i ladne kartonowe pudelko, recznie skladane. Fajna oprawa i dobre wspomnienie pozostawia po sobie to limitowane Ale.
Bottle at home on 21 August 2014. Pours red brown with a thin white head. Aroma of raisins, blackcurrant and mint. Sugar sweet. Very nice.
Backlog, tried at a vertical tasting 07-12. All bottles from Systembolaget.
500 ml bottle into snifter; 2008 vintage, Bottle #113845. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep reddish copper color with a 2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings around the glass, with some moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, toffee, pear, apple, plum, raisin, fig, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, herbal, light pepper, light leather, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of malt and fruity/earthy yeast ester notes; with good strength. Taste of big caramel, toast, toffee, raisin, plum, pear, apple, fig, brown sugar, brown bread, herbal, light pepper, light leather, and yeast earthiness. Zero bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toffee, toast, raisin, plum, pear, apple, fig, brown sugar, brown bread, herbal, light pepper, light leather, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity of dark/bready malt and fruity/earthy yeast ester flavors; with a great malt/yeast flavor balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic old ale! All around awesome complexity and balance of dark/bready malt and fruity/earthy yeast ester flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.
Pours dirty brown with a small white head that quickly disappears. Aroma is fruity and sweet malts with some light citrus hops. Taste is syrupy, sweet caramel and fruity malts. It’s rich and still some alcohol but it balances well and a small orange or citrus hops still present but very faint.
Murky caramel coloured pour, fast disappearing head. Still a bit of booze in the aroma and taste, and a very slight metallic quality. Still, lots of dried dark fruit, raisin, plum, caramel. Was good but the 2007 at the same tasting was a step above. Will gladly come back to this one in a year or so.
Medium offwhite head. Clear deep dark red body with lazy
carbonation. Linoleum and old books aroma with orange marmalade
notes. Sweet-dryish dried fruit and caramel taste with honey and
spicy linoleum notes. Mid-to-full body. Mild, smooth mouthfeel
with slight heat. Dryish honey and dried fruit aftertaste with
old books, spice, and port notes. Lingering old books and port
flavour with buttery notes. Very harmonic, scarily drinkable,
and just very, very good. (0.5l bottle from ... I forget where.
Wife loved the aroma, but hated the taste.)
50cl bottle thanks to Scopey! Color is dark copper, head is thin to medium. Body is very smooth. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter. Aroma is orange, alcohol, liquor, caramel, cinnamon.
Rich fruity taste very smooth and creamy . Aged for five years.
Bottle purchased from the brewery website & consumed at Merton Beer Festival Meeting next door at Nick & Anna’s (next door) Tuesday 3rd December 2005 Pours amber its a little hazy with an off- white head. Fruity and nutty on the nose, little bit of tea, sweetness clings, some sweet overipe tangerine, thick in the mouth, slight late fruity twang. I like this, touch chewy, good. A8 A4 T8 P4 Ov16 3.9
Get this if you see it. Not cheap but worth a go. Smooth and delicious. Nuf said.
From my cellar, autumn 2013.
Glowing ruby. Malty sweet. Soft, no edges. Nuts, malt, the well known Fuller’s charater. Over the top.
Feb 2012 Chris O’s Fullers/Gales Tasting. Sweet. Toffee. Too sweet. A bit dull, but still drinkable. I’m starting to struggle here as we get to the end of these fairly strong beers.
Bottle, RBAG 2013. Bottle 81828. Orange pour, small lasting white head. Nose has tofee and oranges. Caramel malts in the mouth, light fruitiness and orangey hop notes. Smooth and pretty mellow with some light alcohol notes near the end. Decent.
Big thanks to Sid for sharing this at RBAG 2013, from the verticel 2005-2008, brown copper pour, smell is rasins, carmel, a bit of sweetness, taste is Exceptionally smooth and well delivered.
Bottle - Vertical 2005 to 2008 - Raisin, toffee and biscuit on the nose. Cloudy brown with a tiny head. Brown sugar, raisin and the usual port suspects and some light alcohol to the end. A really nice example in this vertical.
Pours hazy mahogany into an English pint. Off-white head with medium retention recedes to skim surface. Bread, roasted nuts and pit fruit aromas. Slick, thick and sweet with hot toffee, caramel and bananas flambe front to back and through the lasting mildly bitter earth finish. Yummy.
500ml bottle, No. 55112, beer gift from Leif, thanks. Frothy, off-white head reduced to a patchy surface. First pour is near-clear, apricot coloured, the last pour is cloudy. Dotted spots to the glass. Herbal and leafy hops to the nose mingled with mid-sweet malts. Fine taste of ripe fruits alongside citrus freshness added by honey sweetness leading to a long-lived dry, bittersweet ending. Sherry notes to the aroma and taste profile, as well. Soft and fresh on the swallow. Another well balanced Fuller’s brew (at home, Tromsø 18.05.2013).
500 ml bottle. Slightly hazy amber body with a decent off-white head. Mild aroma of caramel malt with a hint of oxidation. Flavor is sweetish caramel malt, some fruit and a bit harsh bitterness, not bad but not as elegant as the other vintages. Medium body and slightly more bitter aftertaste than other vintages.
50 cl bottle. Bottle No. 13873. BBE 12/2011.
Lots and lots of ripe fruits on this one, very sweet and plum-y. Faint bitter malty kick at the end, otherwise smooth palate with a soft carbonation. Toffee seems to have vanished almost completely leaving only ripe fruits and malts behind, some caramel on the aftertaste. Still in okay shape.
Rating for this aged bottle: 7-4-7-4-15.
50 cl bottle. Bottle No. 34018. BBE 12/2011.
Rated: 13.04.2013.
Some weird berry notes have appeared on the aroma, not as syrupy sweet as it was fresh. Toffee is the dominant flavor, with caramel and malts. Somewhat rounder taste now. Probably wont improve from this, but I’ll cellar another one for some few years just for curiosity’s sake.
Rating for this aged bottle: 7-4-8-4-16.
50 cl bottle.
Originally rated on 20090404.
Pours clear dark copper color with a minimal head. Aroma of ripe fruits, caramel, mild alcohol notes, toffee and sugary syrup. Flavor of ripe fruits, sweet malts, caramel, toffee and resin. Nice warming alcohol burn at the end. Very nicely balanced and tasty brew.
Herb würziger Antrunk, malzig, leicht nach Schokolade. Süßlich würzig, etwas brotig. Hell, etwas zuckrig, erdig. 9/13/12/12/12/12