Vintage Ale
(has 1 batch)

12 fl.oz bottle. Klares bernsteinfarbenes Bier mit einer mittelgroßen beigen Schaumkrone. Geruch süß karamellig malzig, nussig, leicht süß holzig. Geschmack süß malzig, süß holzig, Vanille, rote Früchte, gering oxidiert, gut!

2014 edition. Appearance- murky copper, with an amber hue. A really small light brown head which quickly fades. Aroma- bready malt, toffee and caramel, sweet raisin, caramel biscuit. Taste- sugary boozy dark fruit, raisin with hints of plum, Belgian dubbel, banana bread, lots of malt, caramel biscuity backbone, red wine hints, fluffy slightly sticky mouthfeel. Everything is in place, although it doesn’t quite all come together.

Dark golden with a white head - Sweet caramel malt aroma - Sweet caramel malt body - Sweet malt goes into the finish - This was nice

2008 vintage : a hazed dark amber ale with a thin creamy mocha head. In aroma, sweet fruity vinous malt with treacle, licorice notes, light grassy hops, nice. In mouth, a sweet fruity caramel malt with light vinous notes, light grassy hops, light oxidation, very thin, past its prime.

Bottle 330ml @ Geokkjer
[Courtesy of bergstaden] Pours hazy deep golden with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, toffee, caramel and hint of honey. Taste is medium sweet and light to medium bitter with a long slightly warm and toffee finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.

2014 Vintage. 355 ml. bottle. Faint brownish amber, little in the way of head. Little tanned head largely on the sides. Nose is caramel malts, sugar, faint iron, light oxidation, some spices, faint herbal, overall sweet, malty with light oxidation. Taste is light iron, oxidized caramel, malty, feels a bit empty, touch spices, sweetish, light nuts, touch caramel, touch oxidized nuts, quite a bit of orange peel. Feels rather empty despite the malts. Descent but seems to miss the things necessary to make it great or solid even. It is nice but come across as being somewhat hollow & empty.

"Extra strong vintage ale" which is, according to the label, to be "stored under cellar conditions" to become more complex. So I did just that, but for only a year, and now it is time to evaluate the result. Thinly lacing, moussy, regular, off-white head breaking open after a while but leaving a steady rim around the edge of the glass; colour is a clear coppery, dark amber with lively fizz, turning a murky light chestnut brown with the deposit. This eventually resides in a thick, milky cloud of yeast at the bottom of the glass - I assume pouring this one after a five year cellaring, will have to be executed with great care, if the dead yeast is already concentrated like that after only one year. Sweet bouquet of candied figs, caramel, hint of sweet sherry, dried orange peel, old raisin bread, toast with honey, some bubblegum, hazelnuts, red apple, weak hint of baker’s chocolate even, with some ’rusty’ oxidation but not too much, fitting for an English-style strong ale, because that is indeed what this looks and smells like; adding the deposit gives more dried fruit sweetness, more breadiness as well as something undisturbingly phenolic (glue-like accent). Restrainedly and ’dry’ fruity onset, dried plums, figs and raisins with a red apple peel acidity to it; carbo is quite sharpish and minerally, adding further sourishness. Elegant malt flavour, caramelly and toasted, quite nutty, with a sweet chocolate accent; body is smooth, supple and lean, but on the thin side and a bit metallic as well. Finishes in more toasted malt flavour along with a nice, deep and earthy, ’noble’ hop bitterness, a bit peppery, and some warming, gin-like alcohol, but nothing overpowering or astringent; I do get a resiny, bit sticky, almost faintly glue-like mouthfeel in the end. Noble vintage ale which finds good balance between sweet and dry, feeling very traditionally English, with nice aromas of dried fruit and old alcohol, which doubtlessly increase with more age. I still like this type of old school strong ales and old ales, they seem to breathe something authentic and traditional, and this one surely has enough complexity to be cellared for a few years; it does feel a bit ’commercial’ in the sense that it lacks boldness and complexity, and shows something metallic in the middle, which probably becomes even more apparent in ageing it more than, say, a year or three. Admittedly, I had the same effects in most other English strong ales I tasted so far, so style-wise, this is clearly a very adequate example. In short: good and suitable for ageing, but do not expect something world class to come out of it, this is just very decent and classic for what it is.

Light brown with loads of chunky yeast residues. Has a nice biscuity malt taste with a light sweetness and a bit of spicy complexity from the yeast.