Old Winter Ale
Fuller's

Old Winter AleOld Winter Ale
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From:
Fuller's
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Winter Warmer
Ranked #32
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
87
Ranked #15,993
Avg:
3.89 | pDev: 9.25%
Reviews:
65
Ratings:
117
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 01, 2022
Added:
Feb 18, 2002
Wants:
  22
Gots:
  11
Wonderfully comforting in colder weather, Old Winter Ale is a dark and distinctive beer that wraps you in a warm glow of familiarity. Unlike most things in the season of snow, sleet and ice, it's exceptionally well balanced.
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Rated: 4.42 by xander10 from England

Dec 01, 2022
Photo of Spike
Reviewed by Spike from England

3.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500ml bottle.
L: Clear, chestnut colour with a long-lasting, off-white head.
S: Not much of anything.
T: Sweet and malty. Moderate/high bitterness.
F: Smooth mouthfeel with an extra dry finish.
O: Not sure this is a winter warmer (any more). Alcohol is too low, bitterness is too high, mouthfeel isn’t sufficiently decadent. It’s an adequate ESB. Looks great though.
Dec 15, 2021
Photo of JonnoWillsteed
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

3.43/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
The first new beer I've found in the shops since 6-October, this the end of a suprising drought.

L- A luscious looking chestnut brown, clear as a bell, pours with a small and fleeting patch of foam. It's not my glass killing CO2; this is my regular beer glass and FWIW it's nucleated too! Presumably this is simply a trad-low low CO2 ale, we'll see.
S- Very mild, just light malt.
T- Malty, and then hops rise into quite a notably hoppy-bitter twist. That was the first sip and as I continue the hops linger on my palate between sips. The level of hops remind me of a heavily hopped trad IPA.
F- Notably hoppy-dry, in fact their bitterness rather over-dominates for me. CO2 in the mouth is good.
O- It is something different, though not really for me. It's a great looking colour but for a winter ale I'd wish it to be meatier on the malts and less of a hop-hammer on the palate. The hops mask the ABV% pretty well, so I don't get a sense of warmer from this Winter Warmer.
£2.45/500ml from Waitrose, London. For sake of comparison an Abbot Reserve (another premium London ale) is £1.70/500ml from the same shop. BB: 1/Dec/22.
Nov 21, 2021
Photo of BPVandenbroek
Reviewed by BPVandenbroek from Canada (AB)

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Fuller’s Old Winter Ale is crystal clear and deep copper colored, with reddish highlights. Thin streams of CO2 support a packed, cream colored head with decent retention.
My first impression of this beer’s aroma is that it’s very malt forward with a notable brown sugar sweetness. It’s a much richer aroma than I was expecting. Malty sweetness moves quickly into a center I find leather, earth, and a sort of rum and raisins quality, only without the raisins. Overall, Old Winter Ale’s aroma reminds me of something that might have spent time in a barrel, though I can find no evidence of this actually being the case. Somehow, it the malt, sweetness, and rum notes all combine to remind me of Christmas without smelling of the usual Christmas spices or aromas.
Taking a sip, Fuller’s Old Winter Ale is smooth, with very restrained carbonation. It’s malty up front leading into a center that is offers flavors of both nuts and leather. In that sense it reminds me of an English brown ale. Brown sugar sweetness is there, but more subdued, taking a supporting role next to the other flavors. All of this leads to a crisp bitterness that is very English in nature. Which is to say, earthiness and peppercorns rather than citrus and pine. Definitely the right choice for a traditional English beer.
The flavor and aroma on this beer are very much what you’d expect in a winter ale. Specifically, it smells and tastes like Christmas. But at the same time, it smells and tastes like a well crafted English ale. That balance makes this a very good beer to have during the Christmas season or at any time during the winter season.
Dec 06, 2020
 
Rated: 3.98 by smi69 from New York

May 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.98 by bmaggot from Lithuania

Jan 13, 2020
 
Rated: 4.06 by NightINgale from Russian Federation

Jan 02, 2020
Photo of matuto
Rated by matuto from Brazil

4.5/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
On tap. 6.3% ABV according to bartender. Very good! Sweetness pretty balanced with earthy hops. Medium body.
Jul 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.01 by Frankgabriel2383 from Dominican Republic

May 23, 2018
 
Rated: 3.58 by gwydno from Spain

Dec 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by hasse67 from Sweden

Dec 03, 2017
Photo of vinicole
Reviewed by vinicole from England

3.99/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Bottle. Clear auburn with an ever decreasing frothy head.
Rich fruity aroma. Caramel malt and toffee.
Sweetish with a light dry and bitter finish. More mixed dried fruit and mild treacle.
Smooth with middling carbonation which makes this easy to drink.
Another good offering from FS+T.
Nov 09, 2017
Photo of Dentist666
Reviewed by Dentist666 from Russian Federation

3.81/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Clear copper beer with medium-sized beige head, moderate retention.
Smell - nuts, caramel, dried fruits.
Taste - spices, dried fruits, caramel malts.
Medium body, soft carbonation.
Aug 26, 2017
 
Rated: 4.33 by monkist from Hungary

May 08, 2017
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Reviewed by josanguapo from Spain

3.71/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
From Labirratorium. In Ikea's pint glass. Reading JHTP11 Ch24. At first seems a bit flat, with just a slight nuttyness, but as warms up becomes more noticeable and better.
Jan 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.44 by Houborg1 from Denmark

Dec 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hanyuu from Finland

May 19, 2016
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Reviewed by drmeto from Germany

3.81/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
L:
-pours a clear copper-red with a medium to big,foamy,offwhite head
-low to medium carbonation visible
S:
-strawberries,plums,raisins,dates,slightly spicy,biscuity,fruitcake
T:
-spicy,slight coffee,plums,raisins,dates,grassy,nutty
-medium to high bitterniss for the style
F:
-medium carbonation
-light body
-slight alcohol noticeable
O:
Good overall, but very light and hoppy for a Winter seasonal.
Apr 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.84 by Silke_Neryn from Sweden

Dec 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by Robertas from Lithuania

Dec 17, 2015
Old Winter Ale from Fuller's
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 117 ratings