Past Masters Old Burton Extra
Fuller's

Sample from bottle at Copenhagen Beer Festival 2013. Brown colour, moderate off-white head. Surprisingly moderate aroma, malts and a hint of fruit cake. Rich malty flavour, not too sweet, with a firm hoppy bitterness in the finish. Well balanced and drinkable.

Had on bottle at Old Bank of England (London), poured into a Fullers pint glass.

A - Pours a coppery orange brown with a thick light-tan head that lingers
S - Aromas of bourbon, raisins and other dark fruit.
T - Caramel malt, fruit cake, smooth boozy bourbon notes, slightly hoppy bitterness towards the end, but mainly sweet overall
M - Very smooth and velvety with just the right amount of carbonation
O - Amazing flavours that combine ever so well. This is really like a boozy fruit cake in beer form.

 

 

Coming off tasting the Fuller's vintage ale coming in at .5%, I was expecting this to be a similar brew on a lighter scale. That was more or less the case although the nose was weaker than expected. Flavor was very much like a vintage light with a malt forward, stone-fruit centered profile. Although the nose led me to believe it would be under hopped, there was some good bitterness to balance it out. Overall, a very enjoyable beer. It is a shame this is not a regular offering since it is one of the better Fuller's I've had.

Deep chestnut colour.
Malt and green hops.
Light fruitiness. Well balanced malt. Medium sweetness.
Pleasant carbonation and I hardly noticed the alcohol.
Very nice.

Drank from my Mane liquor chalice

A - Pours a deep cola colour with a thick white head that retains well and laces.

S - Heaps of caramel, oak and malt.

T - So balanced ! Oak flavours up front with some caramel malt and almost whisky barrel flavours. The ABV is very well hidden.

M - Low carbonation and medium to full body. Smooooth

O - A Master piece. What more could you want from this style ?

 

 

 

Very dark brown pour, low head, sticky retention.
Smells of caramel malts, toffee, floral honey, dark fruit and green herbs.
Malts are first, mildly caramel, dark grains, then going to wet hay. Fruitiness is limited, some dark fruit (raisins, sultanas, sweet dates) and a low acidic character. Spices are there, typically dark, with a hint of clove. Some mild nuttiness. Hops bitter in the finish, muddled with a somewhat strong booziness.
A great ale that somehow messes it up in the finish, too bad. Anyway, some other great notes, nice to try.

 

 

 

 

Clear mahogany pour with a beautiful three finger beige head with great retention and lacing. The nose is bold and complex, but nicely balanced with lots of sweet malt and fragrant hops. Hints of caramel, toffee, tea, brown bread, perfumey hops, and some subtle dark fruit. The taste mirrors the nose in a less bold, but still balanced fashion. Lots of sweet caramel malt up front along with hints of brown sugar, tangy hops, molasses, nutty brown bread, tea, figs, and just a touch of banana bread. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with light carbonation, good balance, a nice tangy hop bite, with a slight aftertaste on the finish. Overall, another solid offering from Fuller's.

 

Ruby tan with outstandingly lacey, pocked, sandstone head.
Big toffee, golden raisin, and cake malt nose.
Blonde brown sugar, a toffee hit, caramel turtles, plum and some EKG hop notes.
Caramel apple finish and clean bitter linger.
Med-full, sticky, round.

My first knowing encounter with Burton Ale, once a widespread style of its own, now encountered mostly as Winter Warmers.

Way sweet, with no hop aroma to balance, as per style guidelines. But not out of balance, so the hops are doing their work. All the intricacies of malt are on display - I see the winter warmer parallels.

Ultimately, well-attenuated and not cloying so very drinkable.

Pours a lovely rich stained oak color with a thick, quickly dissipating light grey head.

Smell is fantastic, clovey malty hoppy apple and banana.

Taste is good. More standard dark English ale than the nose. But still a very fine vintage ale. A couple years bottle conditioning will make it shine, I'm sure. But fantastic off the shelf.

Finish has a slight aftertaste but nothing to kill it.

A definite favorite. Fuller's delights yet again.