Fuller's Vintage Ale 2014
This is the 18th edition in the range and has been brewed with three of this year’s finest hop varieties from both sides of the Atlantic. Goldings, from England, has been used for subtle bitterness and American varieties Liberty and Cascade were used in dry hopping to give a zesty, grapefruit aroma.
This is an exceptional beer that is only available as a limited release of individually packaged and numbered bottles. We have added a best by date of 31st December 2024 as this mellow golden ale will improve for many years to come like a fine wine or whisky. Being bottle conditioned, this beer will form a natural sediment, so pour carefully, sit back and enjoy the very finest of Fuller’s ales.
This is an exceptional beer that is only available as a limited release of individually packaged and numbered bottles. We have added a best by date of 31st December 2024 as this mellow golden ale will improve for many years to come like a fine wine or whisky. Being bottle conditioned, this beer will form a natural sediment, so pour carefully, sit back and enjoy the very finest of Fuller’s ales.
3.8
245 reviews
Chiswick, England
Community reviews
Panel "Nudna Anglia vs Nieciekawa Belgia" w Strefie Piwa. W aromacie suszone owoce, jakieś słodkie kandyzowane owoce tropikalne, miód. W smaku wypada bardzo podobnie do wersji 2013, z tym, że tutaj goryczka już prawie nie istnieje, nie ma kontry do tej całkiem solidnej przecież słodyczy. O ile pachnie minimalnie lepiej niż 2013, to smakuje wyraźnie słabiej.
De geur is fruitig. Zeer weinig schuim als je het uitschenkt. Je smaakt honing als je het drinkt. Goed, maar geen topper.
Best before end 2024.
Pours a hazy rusty brown, nice head of foam and lacing.
Smells of caramel malt, oxidation which brings some notes of sherry and cardboard, raisins, toffee.
Tastes a bit sharp, less smooth than other vintages I've had. Malty, a bit fruity, oxidation that I usually find attractive in English Old Ales not so much here at this particular time.
Toffee and raisins round things out.
Must be, hopefully, an awkward stage in the maturation process of this 2014 bottle.
Amber. Aroma is horse blanket, some citrus pips, some caramel, oxidized. Taste is very phenolic, caramel, harsh sweetness. Very heavy. Not my favourite.
(bottle) opalescent deep amber colour with a frothy light-beige head. aroma of damp rugby fields and dusty malts, with a hint of bergamot, some grass and sweatsocks. flavour is mostly orange peel, doughy malts and more sweatsocks, with some chewy toffee, lots of earth, herbal hops and a semi-tannic grape skin finish. heavy-bodied with average carbonation.
Bottle. Cloudy red amber, offwhite lace. Cork, oxidized, a hint veggies and farm stuff, light fruity toffee. Medium light dry body. Caramel, wood, wet leather, light spice, Werthers Echte. Cork and leather retronasal.
Bottle. Hazy brown-orange color with white head. Aroma is horseblanket, even like a cork, malty. Taste is malty, toffee. Silky mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Weird!
Bottle, cellared at ~8 C. Opaque amber color, creamy off-white head. Juicy malt and hop aroma. Fairly hoppy flavor that follows the aroma, skirting just past aniseed to reach creamy fudge. Full body, medium carbonation. A good vintage.
(bottle, #010741) Hazy, amber to copper colour with a medium-sized and slightly tanned foamy head. Mildly sweet malty aroma with cautious nutty notes, caramel, lemon zests, Earl Grey and a touch of herbal spicy hops. Moderately sweet flavour, medium to full bodied with a medium carbonation. Mildly bready and slightly earthy malt character with notes of caramel, dried berries, zests and a mildly spicy hoppy bite, lingering into the bitter-sweet fruity and caramelly finish with warming alcoholic notes. Still very young and a tad too fruity imho. 02.XI.17
(Bottle) Cloudy, almost opaque, dark orange body with a medium-to-large beige head. Fruity, sweet malty aroma; caramel. Medium to full body; velvety texture. Strong alcohol; dried fruit, caramel, wood notes.
Rami Rami is drinking a Vintage Ale (2014) by Fuller, Smith & Turner at garwolińska
Ej, jakie fajne, quadowe, slodkie, bardzo suszono-kandyzowano-owocowe, ciut przypraw... nieco syropowe cialo, zaskok pozytywny.
W aromacie ciemne suszone owoce, migdały. W smaku jakieś rodzynki, suszone ciemne owoce, sporo słodyczy. Zaskakująco dobre.
28.09.2017 Z: keks w płynie. Suszone owoce. Migdały. S: to samo. Słodko bardzo. I to samo co w nosie. Rozpływa się w ustach.
Bottle. Amber with an inch of cream head. Aroma of toffee, butterscotch, sultanas, marzipan, just a little bit of grapefruit, suggestion of alcohol. Very rich indeed but with just enough bitterness - with the tad of citrus and a little more of pepper - to stop it becoming cloying. No overt alcohol. Deep and lovely. [8/17]
[5/18] Aroma is brandied and nicely integrated. Head doesn't last long.Very lovely, glad i have some left. Surely will reach peak soon. Rich and deep malt with some graceful sherry touches. Now the best Vintage Ale I've had. Some left, probably worth getting more.
Delicate nice butterscotch and fudge over slight bread and spiciness but what makes this beer is the malty caramel.Alcohol shows up as it warms. Some dried fruit, sweet.
Drunk January 2016 - Excellent beer and a standout amongst others. Fruity, hoppy, malty with a lovely mouthfeel and a taste that lingers after every sip which brought a different flavour and texture. A fantastic complexity that was surprising. Alcohol very well hidden and very drinkable.
Pours clear dark orange copper with medium creamy off-white head. Aroma is molasses, nuts, syrup, dark berries, spruce, grass, sweet oak, ginger, banana. Medium sweet, medium bitter, woody yet berryish aftertaste. Some salt. Medium body, oily to creamy texture, soft to average carbonation. Delicious.
Bottle #038378 An attractive golden amber pour with a tight cream head; aroma of vintage orange marmalade; dry in the mouth with a nutty caramel taste to start then some raisins and fudge; before a warming vinous finish, with lingering chocolate liqueur. Excellent depth and complexity.
Bottle, 500 ml, courtesy of klm1 (thanks!). Shared with JFK10000. Pours dark orange to amber, small off-white head. Malty, dried fruit, toffee, some caramel, sweet. Medium bodied, more body would be nice.
Bottle #148305. Pours a dark amber color with small tan head. Heavy malt aroma with caramel and toffee notes. Mostly sweet flavor with big malt character. A bit of grapefruit hop presence in the finish. Very mellow and smooth on the palate. This is very good.
Bottle shared by Fabio @Luppolo Station (Rome). Ambrata carica, schiuma bianca media abbastanza persistente. Al naso sentori di malto, datteri, caramella d’orzo. In bocca è dolce, maltata, con finale amarognolo. Corpo medio-pieno, carbonazione media. Gran birra.
PREZENTACJA:
klarowne, miedziane, bardzo obfita żółtawa piana dość szybko redukuje się do cienkiej warstewki z obrączką, przy czym pięknie oblepia szkło;
AROMAT:
syrop z cebuli, przejrzałe owoce, głównie suszona brzoskwinia, suszone mango i renkloda, alkohol, syrop z brzoskwini, rodzynki w rumie, syrop klonowy, whisky, lekki mosiądz;
ODCZUCIE:
ciało średnie, średnio nasycone, bardzo puszyste, alkohol znieczula wargi i lekko piecze w przełyku;
SMAK:
średnio słodkie - syrop klonowy, cukier trzcinowy, likier brzoskwiniowy, ciemny karmel, miód, alkohol, goryczka ledwo zauważalna, alkoholowa, metaliczny i cukrowy posmak;
OGÓLNIE:
piwo ma wady w postaci wystającego wszędzie alkoholu i gdzieniegdzie metalu, ale jest tak dobre, że to nie ma znaczenia; bogatemu wolno więcej, a tutaj mamy wręcz przepych różniastych słodkości.
Bottle. Creamy White good mostly lasting head. Dark yellow colour. Moderate malty and hoppy very nice aroma. Moderate sweet and heavy bitter flavor. Long heavy bitter finsih. Creamy palate. Very nice balanced brew.
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.
Piwo nr. 400. Barwa miedziana, nieprzeźroczyste. Po nalaniu tworzy się ładna drobnopęcherzykowa piana tworząca lekki lacing i degenerująca się do obwoluty. W aromacie czuć dużo karmelu, nieco migdałów, orzechów i trochę opiekanego chleba. Pojawiają się również nuty bourbonu. Wszystko jest świetnie ze sobą zmieszane. A i jest jeszcze do tego dochodzi lekka śliwkowa nuta. Po wzięciu do ust po pierwsze czuć gęstość, pełnię i słodycz. Świetne ułożenie alkoholu, który jest praktycznie niewyczuwalny. Smak jest bardzo charakterystyczny intensywny - wszystkie składowe świetnie ze sobą współgrają. Dużo w tym toffi, cukierków karmelowych, trochę również śliwki. Końcówka jest krótka leciutko alkoholowa i delikatnie chmielowa. Bardzo wyraziste. Nasycenie niskie z plusem. Naprawdę dobra propozycja.
Bottle. BBE Dec 2024; Drank Oct 2016 - Clear Reddish Orange Amber in colour. Massive creamy off-white head. Good lacing. Very Malty; toasty, bready malts, caramel, toffee, candy sugar, syrupy. Very Fruity; citrus orange, marmalade, dried fruits, raisins, vinous. Spicy; lightly peppery. Hoppy; grassy hops. Rich and smooth. Rather sweet compared to previous vintages. English Strong or Barley Wine? Sweet malty syrupy fruity throughout. Enjoyed this. Nice Vintage Ale! (2016-10-01)
Bottle from LCBO - bottle #64512. Drunk on January 6th 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: "Near the end of the series now, and this one is showing barely a hint of age. Nicely rounded toffee malt sweetness, dried apricot, hints of clove and black currant, and a well bittered finish with strong notes of candied orange and lemon."
Bottle, 0.50l, courtesy of CanCrusher. Clear mahogany color with medium soapy tan-like head and sparkling appearance. Aroma of dried fruit, citrus, caramel, wood and dandelion syrup. Taste starts with moderate sweet toasted malt, caramel and mild roasted malt, follows by dried fruit, grass and citrus, mouthfeel is warming alcoholic and spritzy, while finish is medium bitter. Full body, thick texture and lively carbonation in palate. Rich and tasteful as expected...
Bottle
Aroma-dark fruits, caramel
Appearance-amber, hazy, tan foam,
Taste-medium sweetness, lightly sour, lightly bitter,
Palate-medium body, creamy, soft carbonation, long finish,
Overall-very good
Shared at the December THT at deanso’s. Clear amber pour with a thin off-white head. Notes of cognac, dried fruit, caramel. Medium body, soft carbonation, bitter-sweet finish. Compared with the 2012 version, it is less bitter, smooth around the edges and with more caramel and dried fruit.