Fuller's Vintage Ale - Limited Edition (2008)

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Fuller's Vintage Ale - Limited Edition (2008)
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
The Griffin Brewery
Chiswick Lane South
London, England 
Est. 1845
www.fullers.co.uk

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 16.9

Postmortem Brew Review
Rich thick looking dark caramel color on the pour.
Sweet aromas of malt and fruit; orange predominance.
Tan colored, one finger high head that dissipates rapidly.
Scant cover of lace on the glass.
Very sweet malty taste with a bit of rich fruitiness.
Carbonation is at a minimum.
Full rich bodied mouth feel; alcohol warmth at end. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The 12th Vintage Edition of Fuller's is run to a production of 145,000 bottles.  This one here is No.122901 and was purchased for me as a gift (thanks Dean) on St. Patrick's Day.

It was cold, lying in state in its own box.  No handles, hrmpf.  Still, you gotta' love a dead soldier that comes equipped with it's own coffin.  Muahahah.

Ffffpt, bahhhh, I digress, back to the ale.

Fuller's features two English hop varieties, Northdown and Challenger combined with Maris Otter malt.  Or so says the box bio.  That's funny.  I didn't detect a hint of otter in the taste.

This ale is rich and "luxurious" as the folks at Fuller's call it, and I'll certainly give them that.  And while you can't compare it to anything else, we all agreed that it was a bit like Sam Adams Utopias, in a smaller way.  It had that alcohol bounce and fullness of malt character, all the while being on the sweet side.

So if you can't get your hands on some Utopias, you may want to get a bit of that experience in a less expensive version.