Fuller's Vintage Ale 2013
The 2013 Fuller’s Vintage, our 17th edition, is brewed with four of this year’s finest hop varieties: Goldings, Sovereign, Challenger and the trophy-winning Admiral. WIth a dry spring and wet summer, we have chosen a winter barley wich, when combined with our unique yeast, gives a rich and complex result.
3.7
257 reviews
Chiswick, England
Community reviews
Bottle 0,50L. Hazy, dark amber color with small, frothy, off-white head. Aroma of plums, caramel, some berries. Taste starts light sweet and malty. Finish turns to light bitter, but still malty. Medium to full body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Not bad, but it doesn’t knocks me off...
Bottle. Opaque amber color, frothy off-white head. Pleasant, sweet aroma of dried plums. Aromatic flavor with juicy malts, chocolate, notes of licorice. Full body, medium-high carbonation. Very nice, and a fair pairing with cheese.
Robe ambrée, fine mousse. Nez puissant qui rappelle celui de l’orval de 3 ans, fourrure, malt, caramel, pointe de houblon, épices, cuir, café au lait. Bouche à l’attaque légèrement doucereuse, suave, élégant, bulle délicate, fine amertume et longue finale maltée. Une bière exceptionelle qui pourrait évoluer de nombreuses années. Impressionnante.
Bue en bouteille de 50cl (n°058474) à la brasserie.
Couleur ambrée, peu de mousse pas de gaz.
Nez sur la vanille
Attaque sur le bois avec une pointe acide très ronde en fin de bouche il manquait quelque chose...
Part of a vertical tasting of vintage years 2008 through 2015, drank in January 2017. 2008 (bottle #127432) was rounded out to a solid caramel, with that lovely oxidation that makes vintage beers what they are. 2009 (#105287) suggested some tobacco and a luscious nose. 2010 (#094046) help up better than the 2011 (#108000), with better caramel flavors and some fizz; the later year was just flat and old tasting. 2012 (#125741) was clearly brighter in the nose, though losing some of its body, while the 2013 (#109909) was showing some signs of oxidation. 2014 (#141264) was equally bright with 2015 (#134049), and both were worthy bottles that I could have enjoyed had I just been sitting with the whole bottles. Thanks for my friends for joining me as I shared these bottles.
Bue en bouteille de 50cl (n°058474). Couleur ambrée, mousse blanche épaisse disparaissant rapidement. CO2 peu présent, maltée, délicatement houblonnée. Ronde en bouche. Finale courte.
500 ml bottle No. 036159. Unclear golden orange, creamy beige foam settles and mostly lasts. Aroma of rich sweet malts and earthy fruity hop. Taste is quite strong but not too boozy, darker toasted caramel toffee malt, slightly fruity, some spice. Softer carbonation, medium-Fuller bodied, moderately hopped. NFL (Not For Lagerboys)
From bottle no. 115625. A long standing New Years Eve tradition of mine is to crack open a cellared Fuller’s Vintage. I found this 2013 long after it was released and I never got to try it until now. Beautiful reddish-amber pour with a modest, short-lived cream colored head. Big sweet, malty aroma with caramel, toffee, and even a touch of Anise or licorice. The body is smooth and better than medium. Very sweet flavor even after three years. No fading here. Also some licorice and a mild to moderate bitter finale. It is 8.5% ABV but the alcohol has well faded.
Bottled, bought years ago, not sure where. Beautiful copper/mahogany colored, small off-white head. Caramel malty nose, some hops, toast, bit nutty. Bittersweet flavor, caramel malts, some hops, quite light bodied, not overly complex. Unusual bittersweet finish. Aged too long or not long enough? Either way, for me it appears to be one of the least successful examples of the series.
Bottle from LCBO - bottle #56312. Drunk on January 5th 2016 and reviewed on my personal Facebook page as part of a series of posts reviewing FVAs from 2004 to 2015 over the course of the Xmas and New Year holidays. Now transferring over notes for those that I’ve not yet reviewed on RB. Notes for this one: "There’s an earthiness in this one that I didn’t find in previous vintages - perhaps from the winter barley that was used in the recipe? - so the plum and caramel sweetness is nicely tempered. Hops are still quite lively as well, giving a pleasant citrus marmalade bitterness in the finish."
Bottle at THT. Almost clear amber with cream colored head. Lots of sweet grapes, sweet malts, light peach, some fresh grass, red berries, bread crust, black berries. Medium sweet with alcoholic bitterness. Over medium bodied.
Bottle at the December THT. Poured a clear medium amber with a frothy white head. The aroma is malt, light floral hop. The flavour is moderate bitter with a smooth rich woody light alcohol light liquorice bitter palate. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Still here, THT December at deanso’s!murky brown amber with off white head. Sweet toasted malts and white raisans. Medium sweet and light bitter. Medium body, low carbonation. Creamy feel.
0.5 l bottle (#012866) from ’BierPost.com’, best before end 2023. Clear, dark reddish amber with a medium large, frothy, almost stable, off-white head. Sweetish-malty, slightly fruity aroma of caramel, wild honey, strawberry jam, candied cherried and some raisins. Rather sweet, very malty and slightly fruity taste of caramel, wild honey, molasses, raisins, some vanilla and candied cherries, followed by a medium long, moderately bitter, a little warming-alcoholic finish. Medium to full body, oily mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Nice stuff! Not too deep, but very satisfying.
500 ml bottle sampled June 2016. Clear, deep reddish golden body with a big tan head. Aroma has smooth malt and caramel with dry fruit. Flavor is quite sweet malt, caramel, dry fruit, a nice hint of oxidation and warming alcohol. Moderate bitterness. Fine body and smooth, sweet aftertaste. Another nice Fullers Vintage.
Bottle. Creamy White good mostly lasting head. Amber colour. Moderate malty and hoppy aroma. Heavy bitter flavor. Long moderate bitter finish. Creamy palate.
Bottle from Sainsbury’s Washington. Aged for approx. 3 years; Very dark hazy amber coloured with a sweet currant and cherry flavour, slight soapy fruity and spicy flavours oin the finish. Pretty good but tastes better when fresher.
50 cl bottle @ home, BBE 2023
Bottle #028641
Aroma is sweet and heavy with fruits and caramel. Also toffee candy. Flavour has toffee, dried fruits, caramel and mild fruity hops. Finishes with biscuits and menthol. Also flavour is sweet and heavy. More like American Strong Ale by aroma and flavour.
Sampled from a 16 oz brown bottle this beer poured a hazy medium brown color with a large creamy-soapy orange-tan head that left decent lacing. The aroma was sweet caramel, toffee, black cherry, raisin and fig. The flavor was strong raisin, plum and molasses followed by toffee, a hint of banana and some brandy. Long finish. Medium body. Nice.
Bottle 500ml (2013) - cellared for 3 years. Served at cellar temperature. Pours a bright copper. Head is off white, averaged sized and is mostly lasting. Aroma is rich and complex, with notes of brandy, quince paste, spiced fruit loaf, glazed orange slices, aniseed balls (red), burnt toffee, toasted malts and chocolate (light). Flavour is a light, earthy hop bitterness with toasted malts, brandy soaked fruit cake, caramelized dates, dried oranges, burnt brown sugar, aniseed (light), rum and raisin chocolate (light), a pinch of cinnamon and toasted/earthy wood notes in the finish. Full bodied with light carbonation, an oily texture and a good length, warming finish. Top stuff!
Tumman kuparinen, keskiruskean värinen olut melko pienellä vaalealla vaahdolla, joka häviää aika nopeasti jättäen vain aavistuksenomaisen kerroksen oluen pinnalle. Tuoksu tamminen ja viljaisa sekä alkoholinen, jopa aavistuksen viskinen, vaniljainen ja karamellisen makea, oikein toimiva kokonaisuus. Maku maltainen, karamellinen ja varsin makea, mutta samalla ennen kaikkea loppupuoleltaan hieman enemmän yrttisen humaloitu. Keskitäyteläinen suutuntuma, runko vähän turhan kevyt loppujen lopuksi.
2013 Vintage No. 012859
L:
-pours a hazy glowing dark amber with a small to medium,foamy,offwhite head
-medium carbonation visible
S:
-sweet orange,strawberries,rose hip tea,apricots,spicy
T:
-spicy,caramel,orange,apricot,grainy,slight grapefruit
-medium bitterniss for the style (surprisingly hoppy still after 2.5yrs)
-finishes dry
F:
-low to medium carbonation
-light to medium body
-slight alcohol noticeable
O:
The "Imperial Bitter" description fits this nicely.
Good overall, but considering the hefty price tag, i was a bit disappointed.
I would take any of Fuller’s regulars (London Pride,1845,ESB etc.) over this.
Flaska från SB. Smak och doft av karamell, smörkola, ljus torkad frukt, brunt socker och honung. Oljig, rund och len, lagom sötma, fina rena smaker i fin balans. God beska med toner av citrus. Mycket gott!
Flaska från SB. Lite citruszestigare än vad jag minns att andra versioner varit men en hel del syltade citrusskal och lite mer beska. Annars är det mesta sig likt och väldigt gott.
Amber color. Caramel malt aromas, fruit and citrus, some vanilla. Sweet, caramel taste with fruits and vanilla. Rich malt base. Sweet lingering finish.
Stone cellared in box aged at 15-17C. Pours a deep clear amber/red with a sudsy off white bubbly head retaining lots of lacing. Immediate nose of alcohol, raisins, caramel, soured ripe fruit, and yeasty brown bread. Sweet, and hoppy. It will all calm down as usual over the next few years. This is a particularly good batch as is, but I’d still give it 3 more years to really start to shine. Brown butter, mineral notes. Traces of iodine, molasses. Cakey. Finish is herbal and clean. This is very good.
Opened the bottle on June 25th 2016, it pours out a little murky with a soft quickly fading head with microscopic carbonation bubbles. Brownish orange ruddy colour like pumpkin pie filling, it’s unfiltered. You can smell the yeast aromas coupled with heavy notes of brown liquor and wood barrel slightly acerbic. Some stone fruit aroma like peaches balanced with spices cinnimon nutmeg influence the fragrance. Smooth and sweet at first with malt flavours coming up front. The taste has legs it lingers on your tongue and leaves you with a warming feel. After three years of cellar aging this beer it has become mellow and easy to drink, excellent for sipping.
Look: orange brown, cloudu.
Aroma; quince jam, dried apricote.
Taste: strong sweetness, moderate fruity sourness, some spicy bitterness.
Flavour: candied fruits, dried apricotes, dried figs.
Light grassy bitterness at the end.
Good.
It is very similar to 2012 but more sweet and probably complex.
tasted at May 22 2016
SAMPLE 75 ml at tasting. Big malts, quince jam, alcohol-infused candies, bit of balanced faded grassy bitterness. Not too complex, but surely yummy.
Medium head, dark amber and murky. Smells quince jam. Full malty body. Tastes fruit, quince, and a bit of alcohol. There is a slight sourness in the aftertaste though. Very good