Vintage Ale 2019
Fuller's Brewery in London, Greater London, England 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.52
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An annual limited-edition brew, Fuller's Vintage Ale is the most special beer to leave our Griffin Brewery each year. Every Vintage Ale recipe is unique from the last - yet all have to mature, with the flavours developing over time.
For the Vintage Ale 2019, we have traveled 12,000 miles for inspiration, as West London meets South Island New Zealand. Wai-Iti hop brings mandarin, lemon, and lime to the fore, whilst Crystal malt - grown on the New Zealand's Canterbury Plains - adds notes of toasted bread and honey. Looking a little closer to home, our famous Fuller's yeast gives the beer its familiar orange marmalade backbone.
BREWER’S NOTES
500 ml
ABV 8.5%
IBU 40
4.3 units per bottle
Malt – Pale ale, New Zealand Gladfield Crystal, Chocolate
Hops – Target, Goldings, Northdown, Challenger. Lots of New Zealand Wai-iti dry hop.
For the Vintage Ale 2019, we have traveled 12,000 miles for inspiration, as West London meets South Island New Zealand. Wai-Iti hop brings mandarin, lemon, and lime to the fore, whilst Crystal malt - grown on the New Zealand's Canterbury Plains - adds notes of toasted bread and honey. Looking a little closer to home, our famous Fuller's yeast gives the beer its familiar orange marmalade backbone.
BREWER’S NOTES
500 ml
ABV 8.5%
IBU 40
4.3 units per bottle
Malt – Pale ale, New Zealand Gladfield Crystal, Chocolate
Hops – Target, Goldings, Northdown, Challenger. Lots of New Zealand Wai-iti dry hop.
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7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Probably Waitrose. Clear copper colour. Very decent just off white foam. Looks boss. Fruitcake. Tea loaf. Fruit loaf. Teacake. Bit of breadcake. Some tea. Some loaf. Lots of fruit. Bit of cake.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Dec 2023
at 22:37
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
ruby red mahogany color. Nice spices oranges, earthy wordiness, cherries and chocolate in the nose. Malt forward, semi sweet, modest bitterness full bodied . Spicy hoppiness, full body. Rounded. Excellent malt and hop character. Super well balanced. Excellent
Tried
on 25 Sep 2023
at 14:17
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottled (from Alko Prisma, Vaasa). Amber colour with a mediumsized off-white creamy head. Aroma is fruity, floral, some sweet malts and also a wee bit of alcohol to it. Flavour is fruity, floral, sweet malts, some mild wood and a bit of bitterness to it as well.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 May 2023
at 08:09
7.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Appearance: Bottle 112435. Dark brown, mostly clear. Quite big, light tan head. Aroma: Medium to dark ripe fruits, raisins and prunes. Slightly toasted. Taste: Medium fruits, raisins. Malt, toasted. Some dark sugar sweetness. Warming, nice. Bought: Drinks of the World (Bern), 500 ml, CHF 10.50 Info: 18/5-2023, BB: 31/12-2029
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 May 2023
at 06:24
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle picked up from Meny (Frederiksberg) and shared at home (05/03/2023) - Toasted sweet malty with a nice sweet overlay of toffee and caramel, some hoppy undertones with sweet citrus marmalade shred, brown sugar, dried fruit, light spiced malty lingering finish. Good chance could be spot on with the aging on this one. Lovely.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Mar 2023
at 08:26
8.3/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 9
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Everyone says clear amber, mine looks dark amber to light brown and slightly murky. Well... About one finger of rather dense head, the slightest off-white. Good retention, some lacing. In the aroma: a deep malty base of nuts and caramel, with clean honey notes and maybe a chamomille-like feel. Strong fruitiness, mainly in the likes of fruit jam and with a light ripe character, with orange upfront plus lighter tangerine and a hint of lime. There's also a pleasant hint of aged/oxidation that borders oakiness and a warming suggestion. A pretty intense aroma that feels at the same time soft and freshly bright. Taste notes follow the aroma quite closely, again with good intensity, though perhaps with slightly less 'brightness'. Medium to high sweet, medium bitter, the slightest sweet edge in the mouth and a wonderfully balanced finish, with a slight hint of earthiness and a clean fruity aftertaste. As the smell suggested, feels both softly malty and fresh with hop notes. Medium to dense bodied, with average carbonation, perhaps a little higher than your average english strong ale; a very fine, light bubbled carbonation though. The mouthfeel is overall pleasantly soft and creamy. Wonderful one
Tried
on 18 Feb 2023
at 14:25
7.8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at home picked up from Waitrose probably. A mostly clear deep amber red coloured pour with a steadfast beige cap. Aroma is semi sweet, big stewing jammy fruits, prune, dates, nutty malts. A little age on the nose. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, nutty toasted malts, dried fruits, dates, jammy berries, light woody finish. Palate is semi sweet, light woody tannin, moderate carbonation. Nice layered malts and jammy berries. Good one.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Dec 2022
at 17:47
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
22nd October 2022 Almost clear amber beer, tidy cream colour head. Light smooth palate, semi dry, good fine carbonation. The malt base has a little creamy sweetness and a decent caramel touch. The toasted bread is delivered as promised, slightly savoury. 3 years on and the Wai-iti hops still deliver good citrus peel, with a light limey note and pine. A pleasing touch of toffee on the back end. Crisp finish finds all elements in harmony. Nice job. My only regret is not drinking this fresh as well as with the requisite 3 years of aging. Good balance and great drinkability.
Tried
on 22 Oct 2022
at 21:53
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at home in Hackney. Picked up at Waitrose. Pours mostly clear copper-gold with a rich, foamy off-white head. Medium sweet flavour, rich toasted malts, slight earth, dried berries, nips of toasted caramel. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Semi-sweet finish, more hearty malts, very faint oxidation, berries. Tasty, ageing nicely.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Sep 2022
at 21:39