Fuller's Vintage Ale 2006

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Bottle # 55656, purchased December 2006. Hoped that this would be better than the 2005 version I suffered through. Creamy tan head with a ring. Cloudy pour of dark amber hue. Faint aroma, maybe some malt and alcohol but I was expecting a higher profile. Sweet flavour, with malt, dark fruit, and alcohol. Supurb buttery smooth mouthfeel. Sweetish finish yet not cloying. Very nice, almost wished I'd held on to this a while longer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

This is my first try of any Fuller's Vintage Ale. I have purchased all since 2004, but have always cellared them. Bottle No. 68108. Pours a slight hazy copper-amber colour with foamy beige head, average retention (which is not bad for a brew with a high ABV) and decent soapy lacing. Very sweet nose with caramel, burnt sugars, butterscotch, but balancing things with some dark fruits (prunes, figs, plums) and with notes of oranges, spices and alcohol. No burning from it in the mouthfeel though. Just slight dryness. Smooth tasting and not as sweet as the aromas give out to be. Well blended after all those years with hints of Cointreau, toffee and dark fruits. Pretty nice English Strong Ale with the alcohol still showing, but nicely balanced with all of the other goods.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

The 2006 version is one of the better tasting beers in the series to date. Very well balanced between the sweetness of the malt and alcohol and the bitterness of the hops. Good roasted malt and toffee characteristics complement it quite well.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

The reason i had to rate this beer this low was the alcohol. Thats all I really got out of the aroma, there were some very faint hints of fruit and caramel. The flavor was dominated by the alcohol, as it warmed some flavors came through, and it did get a little better as my taste buds got used to it. The bottle lists as 8.5% but I have had numerous 10-12% beers that weren't this overwhelming. Bottle#88186

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

had in a mini 3yr vertical ... better than the '05 ... nice sweet biuscuit malts ... very british ... off honey flavours .. some slight ages notes... fullers quality!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Bottle No. 81614. Pours a slightly hazy brown with a medium white head that lingers. Wonderful aroma of sweet malts, dried fruits, alcohol and wood. The flavor is similar to the aroma and it is surprisingly intense. I think aging this one a little longer would have improved it slightly but I don't regret drinking it.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 2

I am very disappointed in this beer. I had it cellared for just over a year and decided to have it with my 2008 Thanksgiving Dinner. I had opened it just prior to dinner to drink it on its own, then pair it with Turkey and potatoes. This beer was a "one note" and that note was pure alcohol. There was no other complexity or adjoining flavors to counter the alcohol fumes. Other than that, it poured a clear copper color with a thin white head. It had strong aromas of alcohol with some fruity esters poking through. Had sybtle flavors of caramel, but was predominately alcohol. I hold this Brewery in high regard and hope that others from now on will be better.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Clear reddish color with a frothy head and some lacing. Aroma is fragrance, floral, some alcohol and caramel malt. Malty flavor at first with some dark fruits, overall a little bit winey and finishes with hops and slight bitterness. Light numbing. Very nice beer.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Bottle #64168 Body of the brew appears dark ruby red with honey brown elements the tan reduced quickly to a skiff but the skiff hangs around for a while. Aroma is a strong woody alcohol but this faded quickly to almost no aroma, toffee malts start to appear when the beer warms closer to room temp the smell was good just not all that strong. Mouth feel is smooth and creamy with no lingering after taste. Nice malty flavor with a bitter finish, wood, alcohol, and some metallic flavors all come through. I’m getting a lot of rye and vanilla in the finish. Taste is getting sweeter as it warms with milk chocolate notes coming through. Enjoyable with a tasty flavor and was cellared perfectly in a box under my bed.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Bottle drank in early 2008: Poured a clear copper color ale with a huge foamy head with good retention and some minimal lacing. Aroma of sweet caramel malt with some amazing notes of toffee. Taste is also dominated by some perfect notes of toffee and caramel malt with a very subtle hops presence. Body is full with some medium carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I believe the hops presence is less intense then in the other vintage (04-05) and I appreciated sticking to a more conservative English strong ale style this time around.