Fuller's Vintage Ale 2017
This year’s Vintage Ale is the 21st edition of our limited edition brew and, like any great 21st, we’ve celebrated in style. The 2017 recipe has been created by our new Head Brewer, Georgina Young, and, in the spirit of all things new, uses a malt and hop combination never seen before in a Fuller’s beer.
The Denali hop has a big, inviting aroma that imparts pineapple, citrus and pine notes – perfect for bringing a tropical touch to the Vintage Ale series. It’s been used here both late in the boil and for dry hopping, dovetailing with classic British hop varieties Target and Goldings.
We’ve also used a new malting barley this year – a British variety called Laureate. New varieties don’t come along very often, so we thought it fitting to use one this year alongside our new American hop.
As with every Vintage Ale, it’s a special beer inside and out, perfect as a gift or to add to your collection.
The Denali hop has a big, inviting aroma that imparts pineapple, citrus and pine notes – perfect for bringing a tropical touch to the Vintage Ale series. It’s been used here both late in the boil and for dry hopping, dovetailing with classic British hop varieties Target and Goldings.
We’ve also used a new malting barley this year – a British variety called Laureate. New varieties don’t come along very often, so we thought it fitting to use one this year alongside our new American hop.
As with every Vintage Ale, it’s a special beer inside and out, perfect as a gift or to add to your collection.
3.8
182 reviews
Chiswick, England
Community reviews
50cl Bottle @ Craftbeer-shop.com, Parchim, Germany.
Brown colour with a thin white head.
Aroma is malt, sweet, dried fruits.
Taste is malt, caramel, prunes, slightly citrusy.
Medium body, average carbonation.
Uklar rose med offwhite skum. Aroma malt karamell. Smak malt karamell plomme. Saftig øl med god fylde, balansert. Godt øl. Delt med DjOeye. Flaske fra Kvickly Middelfart
Aroma; marmalade, jammy hops, juicy malts, inviting scents. Look; off-white head on silky rose body. Taste; solid and spicy malts, plummy jammy hops, dark fudge, dark syrup, brown woody marmalade, plum, melon, almond, and finish is sweet lingering solid. Feel; good body n soft co². Overall; it`s good. Same procedure as last year, miss Fuller? Same procedure as every year, James. [bottle tasted@ Hamna&Beer apr2020]
Bottle. No idea where from. Clear copper colour. Island of off white head. Nose has sweet and fruity malt. Chewy toffee. Some sticking plaster. Some vinous notes. Taste has malty and fruity sweetness. A tad dry. Light leafy bitterness. Medium body is smooth and a little oily. Soft carbonation. Some tea leaf bitterness towards the finish.
500 ml bottle. Pours a clear mahogany with moderate head. Aromas of raisins, cane sugar, grass and toasted malts. Flavors follow same with more metallic candi sugar and herbal tea.
0.5 l bottle from 'craftbeer-shop.com', cellared for more than a year. Almost clear, deep ruby with a thin, frothy, slowly diminishing, beige head. Sweetish-malty, gently fruity and slightly resiny aroma of strawberry jam, molasses, marmelade and some pine. Gently sweet, malty, slightly bitter, quite fruity and a bit resiny taste of molasses, strawberry jam, raisins, marmelade and pine, followed by a medium long, gently bitter, moderately resiny finish. Medium to full body, smooth and gently effervescent mouthfeel, average carbonation. Well-brewed and well-balanced as always, very pleasant, nicely hoppy as well.
Bottle. BB Dec 2027; Drank 31st Dec 2019 - Clear amber brown. Medium off-white head. Heavily malted, toasty malts, bready, caramel, toffee. Dried and citrus fruity, raisins, prunes, dates, orange, marmalade. Moderate hop bitterness, piney hops, earthy notes. Rich and smooth. Quite dry. Sweet-bitter heavily malted dried and citrus fruity and moderately hoppy. Enjoyed this. Good stuff. Good choice for my last beer of the decade. (2019-12)
Bottle from LCBO. Rich dried fruit aroma. Sweet toffee taste with the dried fruit as well. Tasty as usual.
Bottle from Pivný raj
This is yummy. Just right amount of bitterness, silky smooth, gorgeous warming alcohol. Very tasty
Was hoping for more complex flavours
Refrigerated 0.5 L brown bottle poured into a glass. Translucent copper with small off-white head. Aroma is caramel, medium body, lower carbonation, and little lacing. Taste is caramel. A really nice beer.
Decanted from bottle into English pint. Pours murky orange w/off-white head that faded. Fruity in aroma and taste, orange and pineapple upside down cake, zesty & spicy finish.
Sample@Ølfestival København 2018. A dark amber coloured beer with an off-white head. Aroma and flavour of malt, caramel, sweetness, fruit, bread and alcohol.
Flarra på Wilhemshill efter sista doppet för året. Svag rätt ointressant öldoft. Smaken desto bättre med hallon kola o en god maltsötma. Lååång eftersmak med en liten men naggade god beska. En mycket annorlunda öl som är en crossover för många olika öltyper. God o lättdrucken.
Flarra Wilhelsmshill med PQ . Färgen är rödavinbärssaft likt. Doftar milt av billig öl. Va?? Smakar då? Jo fint av hallon, smultron , fiiin smak. Små fina bubblor . Lågt kolsyrad såklart. Lång eftersmak . Vad är detta? Jo en mellanting mellan en Barely wine, American strong ale och ale. God lättdrucket udda öl.
Quite the ale. Caramel pour, thick tan head. It's full thick malt flavour with sweet honey, hay with a touch of booze at the end. Mouthfeel thick enough to hold up a spoon. Nothing complicated here, but a very solid execution.
Clear orange color with off-white head. Aroma has caramel, malt, bread and fruity notes. Taste is malty sweet with long sweet and somewhat bitter aftertaste. Flavors of caramel, malt, bread, dark fruits and toffee.
Huge thanks to Erzengel for sharing! Bottle looks simple but really good. Beer in the glass dark brown, small head. Malty and alcoholic aroma. Starts warming-malty, light sweetish, soft alcoholic touch. Hints of caramel. Finish wonderfully balanced. Quite drinkable for its strength. Really nice one!
Bottle No 100603. Smooth mild beginning. Fresh and round with a caramelly body. Easy to drink with amoderate bitterness, smooth dry caramel, floral hops over a very easy drinking caramelly fruity body. Nice one.
Piana średnio obfita, szybko opada do chmurki. Barwa miedziana, delikatnie opalizująca. W zapachu przyjemnie, ale mało intensywnie - troszkę toffi, karmelu, suszonych i kandyzowanych owoców, odrobina migdałów... W smaku półsłodkie, karmelowe, orzechowe, tostowe, delikatnie słonawe, z solidną dawką rodzynek i miodu oraz suszonych moreli w posmaku... Goryczka nieduża, ziołowo żywiczna, nisko wysycone, nieco oleiste i lekko rozgrzewające w odbiorze.
Piwo jest zaskakująco zbalansowane, niby delikatne, ale złożone, bardzo brytyjskie, troszkę trappistowskie, ciekawe i pod mój gust.
Flasche 0,5l: Kupfer, deutliche Trübung, mäßig stabiler mittelporiger Schaum; kräftig malzige Nase, kräftige Süße, Karamell, Vanille, dunkle/eingelegte Früchte, Hopfennoten, Malz, leichte Hefearomen, dezente Röstaromen; würziger Körper, kräftige Süße, Malz, Malzzucker, Karamell, cremig, kräftige Kohlensäure, würzig, angenehme Röstaromen, dunkle/eingelegte Früchte, etwas dunkle Schokolade; angenehmer fruchtig-würziger Nachgang
Bottle at home. Clear amber color, decent sized beige head. Aroma is malts, a bit buttery. Flavor is malts, sweetish a bit, buttery again a bit, maybe a caramel / toffee hint? Hmm I don't know, I'm not a fan. Actually, I don't like it very much. Maybe it's just bad. Meh.
50 cl bottle @ home. BBE 12/2027.
Bottle #062567.
Aroma has toffee-like malt, caramel and some moldy cellar(!). Flavour has toffee, caramel, some biscuity malt and dlight moldy tones. Also menthol and sugary notes. Solid and balanced, quite what you would expect from this series.
Cask (handpump) @ GBBF 2017, [ Great British Beer Festival 2017 ], London Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, England W14 8UX.
[ As Fuller's Vintage Ale 2017 ].
Clear medium amber orange colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, dried fruit, wood, alcohol. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and light moderate bitter with a long duration, orange, dried fruit, sweet malt, wood, caramel, malty, light alcohol, marmalade hop notes. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat, finish feel is warming and light alcoholic. [20170809]
8-3-8-3-16
Flesje gedeeld door Benzai. Amberkleurig bier met weinig schuim. Aroma is houtig en hooiachtig. Smaak is bitterzoet met een hint van donker fruit. Nasmaak is iets bitter. Weinig body.
500ml bottle. Pours orange brown with a pillowy white head. Cherry, biscuit, caramel, strong toffee, bit of sweet wine, strawberry, pineapple. Gorgeous soft body. Wonderful.
Bottle. Color: Copper, very long lasting soft off-white head. Aroma: Malty, caramel, dark fruit. Taste: Smooth, almost creamy, medium sweet, caramel, slightly floral, dark fruit, prunes, vanilla. Hints of berries, very lightly sour. Boozy hints. Moderate hopbitterness, subtle citrus and pineapple notes. Over medium body, below average carbonation. Typical British. Great.
Foggy amber. Orange highlights. Small ivory head. Aroma: honey, sugared fruit, toffee, caramel, a hint of hay. Medium body. Taste: light initial sweetness, rich malts, nuts, oaky hints, honey, dried pears, floral hops. Light plus bitterness. Short ending. Overall, a well-tasting quality strong ale. I just wish it had a more convincing finish.
The 2017 edition in this still enthusing series - brewed before sadly this established English brewery was taken over by Asahi... Vintage bottle from Willems, 50 cl shared with Goedele. Thinnish, breaking, egg-white, mousy head consisting of a steady ring and flattened islands over the middle, lightly hazed deep orange blonde robe with near-amberish hue and fine strings of lively sparkling, misty with deeper amber robe after adding the sediment. Aroma of old cheese crust, dried orange peel, old biscuit, tofu, tamarillo peel, candied pineapple, persimmon, whisky (very pronounced even), pine nuts, wet toast, dried pineapple, bread crumbs, old ginger powder, deep-fried tomato peel, light hint of brown honey, white pepper. Sweetish onset in a restrainedly fruity way, notes of persimmon, dried orange peel and apricot, alcoholic warmth apparent from the start, very vague dried meat-like umami aspect from proteins, softish carb. Slick, rounded but full, biscuity and lightly peanutty malt body, ongoing dried fruit notes but subtly so, smoothly gliding onwards into a heating, softly bittering finish in which a very whisky-like alcohol aspect takes over and overshadows the fruitiness of the hops, though dried orange peel, mandarin, sweet flowers and ginger-like aspects are still obvious enough; the hops provide a subtly rooty bitterness in an ongoing biscuity malt sweet profile heated by the alcohol. I like this series because each one is different and they constitute a long pedigree of classic English old ales inviting to compare vintages with one another, but so far I have found most of them to be a tad too hot in the alcohol department and this one is no different; other than that, I get the appeal of applying a fancy New World hop variety to a very old-fashioned English beer style, but this seems a bit contradictory considering these ales are intended for long-term aging. In this case, the hops still provide nasal sweetness, but in a faded and lightly cheesy way considering the age - which seems a bit of a pity. Interesting and flavorsome sipper like the others, but not the best one I had in this series so far and somehow I was expecting more.
Bottle: Hazy, orangey coloured, medium-sized and pretty stable off-white head, moderate - still complex - nose of dried fruits and/or raisins with a touch of Miami, toasted malt and herbal hops, "supported" by some booze; moderate to solid bitter-sweet flavour, surely full bodied, but not very soft; lingering and drier hoppy, vinous and caramelly finish. Reliable and solid Fuller's quality...