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Fullers
 scrapes in
 decent
 good
 excellent
 sublime
Fullers, 1845 Bottle-Conditioned Ale (England) 
Beautifully dark ruby-tinged colour, with a deep, thick, cream-coloured head. Quite aromatic, with very fresh, almost iodine nuances and hoppy notes. Otherwise the nose is rich, with baked dough and fruit-cakey notes. On the palate it is initially sweet, with a lot of grassy hoppiness. There are malty notes, and some chocolate and caramel, but then a biting, almost aggressive endive/chicory-like bitterness takes a grip of the finish. This multi-award-winning beer is very complex and arresting, and though I find that finish a little troublesome personally, it is a world-class beer. 6.3% ABV, 50cl, �1.99, Asda, Booth's, Livingbeer.com, Sainsbury's, Waitrose.  |  |
Fullers, Discovery Blonde Beer (England)
Launched in May 2005, this new beer from Fuller's, brewed with barley, wheat, and Liberty and Saaz hops, is aimed squarely at 'weaning' the lager drinker onto ale. It pours a pale to medium gold with a good off-white head. The aroma is an immediate tang of orange and biscuity malt, with a touch of leafy hops. On the palate the texture is fuller and more smooth than most lagers, and it has fine flavour with a really fruity palate of orange and grapefruit, a warming lick of malt and a fresh, clean, zesty finish. Fine session stuff. 4.2% ABV, 50cl, �1.65, Sainsbury's, Waitrose. |  |
Fullers, ESB Champion Ale (England)
This recently re-packaged beer pours a deep bronze colour with a definite ruby at the core, and a thick, creamy head. The nose is all bitter hops, chicory and burnt, toasty malt with a lovely smokiness and hints of sourdough bread. On the palate it is full and smooth, with a wonderfully rich concentration of malty flavours, where a fleeting impression of sweetness is soon overtaken by oily, roasted, hoppy bitterness and a streak of grapefruity, pithy acidity. A wonderful bottled beer. 5.9% ABV, 50cl, �1.85, Asda, Booth's, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, quite widely available. |  |
Fullers, Golden Pride (England)
Thankfully, there are two things of which the Chiswick brewers of Fuller's are not afraid: one is hops, and the second is alcohol! Here is a beer that will split the jury down the middle, but which I really appreciate for its complexity and depth of flavour. Pouring a deep ruby-tinged gold with creamy head, it has a spicy, marmalde and Christmas-cake quality on the nose, with caramel, a touch of iodine, and a hoppy undertow. On the palate it is thick and mouth-filling, with a creamy, sweet-edged flavour loaded with honey, and a big blast of charry and unctuous malt. A real grip of oily, bitter hops starts to make its presence felt on the mid-palate, and the beer powers through into an endless finish of bittersweet flavours and complexity. This is another uncompromising but brilliant brew from Fuller's, available in selected branches of the supermarkets below plus independent beer merchants. 8.5% ABV, 50cl, �1.89, Beersofeurope, Onlyfinebeer, Safeway, Sainsbury's, Waitrose. |  |
Fullers, Honey Dew Organic (England)
Target hops and organic honey are in the recipe of this pale- to medium-golden beer, with a white, gentle persistent head. On the palate there are notes of oatmeal and brown bread, with, yes, a hint of honey and some nettly hops. On the palate it has a rich, roasted malty flavour at first, with a fresh, juicy fruit palate and good hop bite. The caramel of the malt and freshness of the beer show strongly into the finish, and the honey is very much a bit-part player in a nice beer. 5.0% ABV, 50cl, �1.85, Booth's, Waitrose, widely available.  |  |
Fullers, London Pride Premium Ale (England)
This ale pours with a glorious barley-sugar colour and thick cream-coloured head. The nose is fairly muted at first, with soft summer fruit notes emerging and a nice herbal, nettly hop character. On the palate this has a nice mouth-filling texture and a great tension between sweet-edged fruit and malt and quite crisp and punchy hops. The finish is dry with plenty of spice and a hint of chocolate, in an eminently drinkable beer. 4.7% ABV, 50cl, �1.75, Asda, Booth's, Waitrose, widely available. |  |
Fullers, Old Winter Ale (England)
Target, Challenger and Northdown hops join all Crystal-malt in this heart-warming brew that is the essence of cosy, wood-fired evenings in with its deep amber colour, thick off-white head and warming, malt and tobacco-tinged aromas. There's a rich fruitcake quality too in a very amiable style of beer. On the palate it is more crisp than you might expect, with a really good bitter hop character adding plenty of liquorice bite to more of that malty, nutty personality. With good length and moderate alcohol, a lovely winter brew. 5.3% ABV, 50cl, �1.65, Sainsbury's, Waitrose. |  |
Fullers, Vintage Ale 1997 (England)
I was absolutely thrilled when Fuller's supplied me with a rare bottle of this, their first ever Vintage Ale, which was opened in March 2005. Brewed on the 18th of May and 22nd of July 1997 "from the best of the year's crops of malted barley and hops". It is darker than other beers in the series, lightly hazy, with a dense, high-foaming cream head. The nose is very dark and raisined in character, with caramel and dark molasses aromas, and a spirity, Cognac-like warmth and depth. On the palate it is luxurious and thick-textured as always, and has huge presence. There's a streak of something vegetal and bitter, like endive or liquorice root, masses of caramelised Seville orange, cocoa and a wonderfully rich, thick, enveloping bittersweet density. I have no doubt this ale will go on and on. A real honour to drink this wonderful beer. 8.5% ABV, 55cl. |  |
Fullers, Vintage Ale 1999 (England)
Opened in March 2005, this is bottle number 26,330 of the edition. Champion Fuggles hops and Champion Optic malt have produced a ruby red beer, which pours slightly cloudy, with a creamy light-brown head. The nose here is very earthy and wine-like, with an almost Burgundian character of damp, sweet earth, truffle and a hint of rotting vegitation. Remnants of a richer maltiness and still sweet fruitiness add complexity. On the palate it has a typically smooth, immensely rich and dense texture, with immediate sweetness that fills the mouth with flavours of herbs, intense sherried fruits and walnuts and a huge core of powerful alcohol and thick, bitter chocolate malt. This is an assault on the senses, with Christmas spices, green chicory flavours and all sorts of bitterness in an endlessly complex beer. Magnificent. 8.5% ABV, 55cl. |  |
Fullers, Vintage Ale 2001 (England)
Opened in March 2005, this bottle (number 13,244 of 30,000 produced) poured a deep, slightly cloudy amber/red colour with a moderate cream-coloured head. The nose is very malty and soft, with Horlicks aromas and a tang of marmalade. There's a smokiness and tiny seaweedy, briney note too. Rich, smooth and very luxurious on the palate, there is a massive fruity sweetness here suggesting honey and ripe figs, but that huge chocolaty malt and bitter grip of hops and liquorice really asserts through the mid-palate and on to a heady, mouth-filling finish. Extremely good beer this, with no signs of tiredness and a fusing of components that makes it very harmonious. 8.5% ABV, 1pt.2.6fl.oz. |  |
Fullers, Vintage Ale 2004 (England)
The brewmaestros of Chiswick must love the opportunity to brew this no-expense-spared supreme beer each vintage. Opened in March 2005, my bottle is number 35,696 of the annual edition of around 50,000. It pours a deep mahogany colour, with a moderate cappuccino-coloured head. The nose has a wine-like complexity, with damson fruit, bruised apples, lots of liquorice-toffee malt and a twist of hops. On the palate it has a thick, creamy texture and unguent quality, with a massive chicory-like bitterness and rounded, chewy, toffee and chocolate caramel sweetness playing against each other. There is a deep, deep reservoir of power and complex flavours in this magnificent beer that is crying out to be cellared. 8.5% ABV, 50cl, �2.99, Sainsbury's, Waitrose. |  |
Fullers, Vintage Ale 2005 (England)
Eagerly awaited as always, the new vintage ale from London brewers Fuller's follows on in a tradition of strong, complex beers made for cellaring. This young beer needs time, but for now, it pours a brilliant dark ruby, with a pillowing, creamy off-white head. The nose is crammed with powerful, vinous notes of red fruits, herbs and earthy, warming scents. There is a rich maltiness, and a gree tea-like hoppy note in the mix. On teh palate it is huge: sumptuous in texture, a creamy, sweet-edged barrage of malty flavours fills the mouth, but all tinged by that characteristic bitter edge of chicory and liquorice, with hints of burnt caramel, sweet red fruits and delicious complexity. I have no doubt this vintage ale is well up to Fuller's terrific standard, and it will get better and better. Buy six and open one every year or so for a fascinating lesson in aged beers, and some wonderful drinking pleasure. Available from November 2005 in a limited edition. 8.5% ABV, 50cl, �2.99, brewery website, Waitrose. |  |
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