Fuller's Vintage Ale 2009
Vintage Ale is a truly distinguished bottle conditioned beer. Each vintage is a blend of that year’s finest malt and hops, creating a unique limited edition brew. Being bottle conditioned, it is after bottling that the flavours truly begin to develop, and continue to do so well beyond the best before date that we are obliged to state.
The 2009 Vintage features Kent grown Golding Hops and East Anglian Tipple malted barly. It has an intial aroma of rich Muscavado sugar followed by a brandied caramelised [sic] orange palate and finishes with a creamy vanilla warmth.
The 2009 Vintage features Kent grown Golding Hops and East Anglian Tipple malted barly. It has an intial aroma of rich Muscavado sugar followed by a brandied caramelised [sic] orange palate and finishes with a creamy vanilla warmth.
3.7
311 reviews
Chiswick, England
Community reviews
Bottle no. 125853. Aroma is sweet malt, caramel, warm alcohol, bread and toffee. Flavor is verrry smooth. Good carbonation and heat. Still sweet in the finish but there’s no residual lingering. Yum
Pours hazy brown amber with low white head. Aroma of toffee, hazelnut, butterscotch. Taste is sweet, mildly boozy, distinct butterscotch. Medium to rich bodied and creamy with soft carbonation.
Slightly hazed light umber to copper colored liquid. Small head diminishing light taupe head. Sweet roasted malt, caramel, lightly roasted almonds, and light fruit in the aroma. Quick thick, nearly coating and a touch cloying with the sweetness. Really nice finish with a long toasted malt sweetness. Floral hops seem to add to the sweetness rather than distracting from the malt. A fall evening around the fire type brew. 4/10
Amber color, beige head. Aroma has dried fruits like figs and raisins. Taste follows with the dried fruits, dark malt and a bit of earthy bitterness on the finish. Medium body and carbonation.
Bottled, 500ml, aged 6yrs, from Sainsbury’s in Banbury. Dark reddish brown with cream head. Smooth and full, rich beer with a caramel toffee body, sweet but darker roasted malts. Fruit cake fruity balanced with leafy hop notes. I do like these Fullers vintage ales, thank you to Sandra for thinking of them each year.
Bottle. Thanks to Reuben. Pours amber with a beige head. Aroma and taste is malts, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, toffee, dark dried fruits, alcohol. Soft carbonation. Light bitter warming finish.
Bottle - big thanks to Colin for this one. Pours dark Amber with a small off white head. Aroma and taste is sweet malty, with some caramel, toffee, brown sugar, some dark dried fruits, light spice in there, nice deep warming finish.
Fast klare orange goldene Farbe, mittelgroße leicht beigen Schaumkrone. Geruch nach reifen Früchten, Karamell, holzig, oxidiert. Geschmack alkoholisch malzig, reifes Obst, Vanille, holzig, leicht oxidiert.
Aroma: intense caramel, bourbon, oak, dark fruits. Appearance: hazy brown, no head. Taste: heavy sweet. Palate: caramel sweets continue, oak, bread and grain malts, very light alcohol, warming caramel throughout. Overall: beautiful one, could do with maybe even a bit more complexity. Bottle at The Doric Arch, Euston. 3.9
12Feb2018 Sweet grain and bread malts, dark molasses, caramel, wet cardboard, dark grain toast, sweet candy, figs, dates. Hazy, dark brown, small, frothy, off-white head. Medium sweet. Sweet grape must, dark, toasted malts, caramel, dark molasses, candied figs and dates, soft carbonation, full bodied. A touch of oxidisation in aroma, great taste and palate, getting quite sweet. Bottle at Fuller's Vintage Tasting at The Bottle Shop, Bermondsey. 3.8
500ml bottle from Fullers online shop. Bottle No. 014929. Murky orange-brown amber colour, thin beige foam head and aroma of brown sugar, honey, malt & grain, raisins, fig, fruit cake. Taste is sweet malty, grains, molasses, toffee, fruity, fig & raisins, caramel, hint of chocolate plus some grassy boozy notes and light bitterness. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, earthy nutty warming bitter finish. Nicely drinkable.
Bottle at the Doric arch Euston. Bottle number 014109./ a rare winner. Good
Reddy amber coloured pour with a lasting off white head. Aroma is mint, cakey. Malts. Vanilla. Oak, sweet fruit cake. Flavour is composed of sweet fruit cake, mint. Cake. Fruit, mint. Faint choc. Palate is semi sweet, little choc, semi sweet, moderate carbonation, smooth warming alcohol. Good boost. Fuck the Euston tap . lingering boozy fruit cake, choc, warming alcohol. Love it.
Bottle at home In celebration for Victor 5K. A nut brown cola coloured pour with a lasting sticky beige head, ruby red. Aroma is semi sweet, light mint, caramel, cakey malts, toffee, light choco. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, cola cubes, light caramel, toffee, cake, apple , some jammy fruits, sterawberry. Palate is medium sweet, light tangy, oily, moderate carbonation.
pours brown/red with a fast diminishing beige head. Sweet, fruity, caramel, some brandy, dusty/old, slighty bready,alchool aromas. Flavor is heavy malty with notes of alchool, fruits, caramel. A bit winy in the end. Bready aftertaste
Last bottle of a sweet gift received from Jason Nagy. No. 105106. Consumed in a snifter glass. Deep mahogany color and the aroma really pushed through once it hit the glass...dark fruit...plum/raisin. Almost reaches for a caramel or slight hint of chocolate. Taste brings the alcohol punch like many of the other annual vintage ale efforts. The dark fruit of a Belgian dark abbey comes through. Raisin again with an earthy quality that really works for this ale. Bite at the end is strong with a little chocolate again making its ever so faint presence felt. Others mentioned it lost some of its beer qualities almost turning into a dark liquor and I can’t find fault in that argument. Definitely packs a punch. Expectations were high for this one since it was the oldest one of the sampler pack. Did not disappoint.
50cl bottle, #60140. An attractive reddish copper colour with a fast fading tight cream head; aroma of soft brown sugar and raisins; thick vinous body, with a taste of brandy soaked sultanas; and a satisfying, warming, finish. This vintage is still fresh and vibrant after six years.
This poured a mahogany color with mo head at all, almost still really. Aroma was of caramel, dark fruit, and oxidation
Flavor was as oxidized as the aroma.suggested, sweet, caramel, toffee and.figs.
BA tasting. Pours a clear dark to medium brown. No head. Arms of sweet caramel. Vanilla. Taste is sweet. Dark fruits.
Bottle thanks to Sean -- Poured into a pint glass. Looked muddy brown with little to no head. Smelled of caramel and booze. Flavor was perhaps a bit stale, but otherwise gave me the impression that an old ale turned into a caramel liqueur. Tasted good, drank well.
500ml bottle nr. 009590 (thanks FatPhil). Clear copper color. Caramel, malty, berries, raisins, candy in aroma. Raisins, caramel, plum stones, woody taste. Sugars are all gone and feels bit thin. Dry woody aftertaste. As it warms taste improves.
500ml bottle (Alko Arkadia, Helsinki)
On pouring, a lovely raisiny aroma, but in the glass it’s less sweet and less raisiny. Still pleasantly so, but there’s a wateriness to it, a touch of minerals even. Thinnish when cold, but on a little warming fills out nicely. Sweetish malts, woody, a little nutty. Lacking the bitterness of hops that other vintages have had. Definitely much better as it warms. Probably not worth cracking opening the next bottle for 3-5 years, this feels like it needs to autolyse and age abit.
(Bottle, 0.5 l - #9590, courtesy of FatPhil, 20141227) The beer poured mahogany coloured and clear. Its head was medium sized and white. Aroma had malts, raisins, dried plum, molasses and caramel. Palate was medium bodied with medium carbonation. Flavours were malts, caramel, molasses, raisins, dried plum, earth and bitterness. Aftertaste was malty, caramelly and bitter. A very nicely aged well done strong ale.
Bottle shared. Pours amber with off white head. Aroma and taste of caramel, malts, and hints of booze
Bottle. The look is Amber in color, beige colored head, and clear. The smell is butter. Rolls, fruit, sugar, and good. The taste is alcohol, fruit, sweet, caramelized, and ok.
16.9 oz bottle. Amber in color with a decent off-white head. Aroma is of caramel, apple pie, brown sugar, toast, light oxidation. Taste is of toffee, caramel, brown sugar, light herbal notes, biscuit, toast, and baked apple.
500 ml bottle. Bottle #020621. (Fuller’s) London, the UK. The Grand Vintage Tasting.
A dark amber colour with a tiny frothy off-white head.
Sugary sweetness, alcohol, dark fruits, mild hops and mild bitterness in the aroma.
The flavour is sugary, sweet, berry hoppy and malty with some alcohol. Surprisingly thin after the other vintages. Thin and sweet. A first disappointment.
"another well done malty but balanced beer. warming, but not hot or strong. I’ve had these just about every year - haven’t rated em all - and they’re always something i go back for."
Bottle. Poured a lightly hazy amber colour, with a thin off-white head. Aroma of rich berries, burnt sugars and big malt. Nice balance of flavours; sweet fruits, treacle, mixed with chewy grain and some pine hops. Finish was perfect mix of caramel, dried fruits, peppery hops and herbs.
Bottle, stored cool. Copper color, tan head. Lead pencil and oak aroma. Licorice and juicy malts, some fruity notes. Full body, medium-light carbonation. Signature vintage malt flavor which has probably dried out a bit with time. Very nice.
Bona cervesa molt equilibrada i gustosa.
Buena cerveza muy equilibrada y sabrosa.
500 ml bottle. Clear medium amber colour with a small, short lived off-white head. Aroma is sweet with caramel, malt and alcohol. Sweet caramel, malty flavour with a warming alcohol finish. Medium body, oily texture and soft carbonation. Very nice.
Bottle... Cloudy burnt-copper pour with a small, creamy, white head. Decent retention. The aroma is a malty, estery swirl of dates, red grapes, fruitcake and sweet port. Full-bodied and creamy with soft carbonation. The flavor is medium-sweet, boasting candied dates and raisins with a splash of vintage port. Malty, hearty, warming finish.