Fuller's London Pride Original Ale

Fuller's London Pride Original Ale.

4.7 % ABV, 30 IBU. Fuller's Brewery, London, England.   

This post marks only the fourth time that the beers of Fuller's have been in the Nib. According to Untappd, the last time I had this one was in 2013, but it doesn't say where I had it. At a bar, I'd guess. If I had it at home, I wouldn't have missed the opportunity to include it in Ye Olde Blogge. (but I'd bet that that's what happened, because those things do.)

So, I bought a single bottle at work, and will now drink it while I look back at notes from nearly 18 years ago, 4/28/2003:

Dark bronze color, medium amber at the edges, with a nice 3/4" fluffy white head. 

Aromatics are soft, creamy, herbal, with a touch of spice, and a little hint of fruit, with a hint of apple and citrus. 

Assertive hoppy bite upfront on the palate, which slowly, softly subsides. A touch of copper exists as well. A little caramel malt flavor, too. Texture and body are mild, with a good, lasting finish. For a "pub ale", quite good. Not the sort of brew that I'd write a sonnet upon. It tastes good, but not enough to divert your attention from the dartboard.

This exists solidly between their ESB and IPA. And that's OK.

So, that's what 2003 me said. I'd leave it at that. IPA? I haven't seen their IPA in years, and haven't thought about it in even longer. Looking back, 2002 me ripped that one to shreds. I ranked it 15.4% below the average. For the London Pride, I was only 6.1 % below. 

Brewed under the watchful eye of our Griffin since the 1950s, London Pride is unmistakably London's beer. With its well-rounded flavour and rich history, everything about this authentic, characterful beer binds it to our capital city and the people who love it.

Cask: 4.1% ABV

Bottle, Can and Keg: 4.7% ABV

Fuller's London Porter

The sample man came around again. Sometimes, they like to remind us of things we've known of for so long, and perhaps tend to forget. This is a beer that I first reviewed on BeerAdvocate.com 14 years ago, on April 28, 2003. Clearly, I haven't had it in a while. Let's look at those old notes:

Fuller's London Porter, Rich, Dark and Complex. The World's Finest. 5.4% ABV. Brewed beside the Thames sine 1845. There's more on the back label, but the type is too tiny, and I can't read it. (This is written in 2017. I didn't have that complaint in 2003.)

Color: a somewhat clear russet brown, head: 1/2" of toasted tan. Nose is on the burnt side, very roasty and sharp, bitter, hot, with flavors of pepper and espresso.

Mouthfeel is warm, texture is smooth, hops are hard to notice. Malt stands up proudly, though, in all it's lushly roastedness.

This is quite a consumable porter, a very flavorful session ale, to say the least. Finish is sweet and nutty, and lasts just long enough.
A darn good porter.

Still is. 

Fuller's Vintage Ale 2009

Fuller's 2009 Bottle Conditioned Vintage Ale Limited Edition No. 105160. 1 pint, 0.9 fl. oz. "Best before end 2012." Whoops, really? Then why did I pay $7.99 for it, rather than get it on the cheap? How does a "Vintage Ale" only age for 3 years?
Alc. 8.5% Vol.
There's a lot of gobbledygook on the back, and I may need my glasses for the fancy script label copy.

Very hazed, deep mahogany, dark amber hue. Slim white head.

Aroma: Pungent malty/fruity aromatics. Plums and raisins. Port-like. Terrifically complex and arousing. Very vinous. Slightly sour. Barley-wine country, English-style. Low on hops, big with malt. I'm still only sniffing.

Time to drink: More of the same. Very mellow, cool, even-tempered. A still malty affair, loads of yeast character, very tasty. …I'm going to take a break and try to read the label:
 "I have crafted this very special ale from the finest Goldings hops, Tipple malted barley, and of course our own unique yeast to create  a truly extraordinary limited edition brew. Individually packed and numbered, this bottle of one of only one hundred and sixty thousand produced. Although we are obliged to produced a Best By Date of 2012, like a fine wine or whiskey, this mellow golden ale will improve with age for many more years. {well, that explains that, except…why are they obliged to date it 2012?} Being bottle conditioned, this beer will form a natural sediment, so pour carefully, sit back and enjoy this, the very finest of Fuller's ales."

Golden ale? Huh. Doesn't taste like one? Was it barrel-aged, or just bottle conditioned to age for 5 years or more? Nonetheless, it fits the profile of a classic English barley-wine, and definitely shows it's 4+ years. Probably doesn't have more left in it, or, as we say, it's reaching it's peak. Pretty nice peak.Makes a wonderful nightcap, this fine, frozen February night.

Fuller's ESB

Yet another from the sampler pack.
English Ales get a hard knock these days from the beer geek world. Classic producers have gotten completely overshadowed by all the activity and innovation in the American craft beer world. Brands and styles that have stood the test of time seem passe' in light of the shiny new bottles of each new extreme edition and every transformation. It's a pity, but there's not much that English brewers are doing to catch the impressionable beer geek's attention, if they care to at all. Much of the best stuff from small, innovative brewers is almost prohibitively expensive, as well.

In February, 2003, I was going full steam ahead in the beer review game, chugging away, checking everything off the shelves.
Now, I cut my teeth on English and Irish beers, used to be a genuine Anglophile in the beer arena, before I found an American craft beer I liked (or knew they existed). (It was Summit EPA, by the way, and it was 1992.) Bass Ale was the first beer I ever actually liked, but I would choose it over only the very worst, these days. So, ten or 11 years after I cast off what I considered boring English ales and explored the variety and depth of more exciting and hoppy American ales, I took down bottle of Fuller's ESB, and wrote the following:
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Perfectly amber color, under a big, bubbling, bone-white head. An indistinct aroma, that cast off hints of flowers and honey, but also strains of coppery flintiness. A sly hop attack occurs on the tongue, which fades back fast. Light body, faint texture. Nice, but unmemorable finish. A very un-bitter "bitter", a textbook session ale. A good fruitiness comes out the middle, and the flavor overall is pleasant, but it's largely forgettable for my taste.
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I have to say that I agree with the me of 8 years ago, but would have to add an asterisk, that this is an excellent example of an ESB, a style that never really thrills me. Nor should it. Just a good ol' drinkin' beer. All these years later, my tongue has settled down, where I can really appreciate those subtler styles. Back then, I gave it a "B/ 3.6", where the average on BeerAdvocate is A-, making my ranking 13% below the mean. If I were to re-do it, I'd maybe bump it up. No, definitely. I certainly judged it for my taste, not for the style. For the style, it's a world class champ.