Beer Advent Calendar Day 10- Fuller's 2011 Vintage Ale

After a day of online Christmas shopping (well, possibly half an hour, but let's not get bogged down by semantics), it's time to extend charity towards myself in the form of Day 10's choice, Fuller's 2011 Vintage Ale....

Fuller's 2011 Vintage Ale (8.5% ABV) is the latest offering in the Fuller's Vintage Ale range. Since 1997 these beers have been released once a year, with each one aiming to showcase the best malts and hops from that particular year. This year's hops are choice English bad boys, including Goldings, First Gold and Sovereign. This beer interested me greatly when I saw it on the supermarket shelf, so let's see if Fuller's can produce an interesting, thought-provoking beer to add some diversity to their usual tried-and-tested range.

The beer pours a copper colour with a decent, lively head that soon settles down to virtually nothing in the glass. The aroma is actually quite alcoholic, with a nice malt backbone and some fruitiness from the hops coming through. The taste is biscuity and sweet, with a significant alcohol taste- similar in intensity to spirits- in the finish. No real sense of the hops in the taste. The mouthfeel is light, with virtually no carbonation. In conclusion, Fuller's have certainly produced an interesting beer, but the noticeable alcohol content means it could do with a few years in the cellar to allow that aspect to die down and create a more well-rounded taste. Might just have to stock up on a few for that very purpose! I'd recommend it if you're willing to wait and see how this beer could develop with a bit of time.

Tomorrow evening, a potential review of BrewDog Camden if I make it to the EFP tasting event! Until next time....