Would you like to Celebrate with Me?
Written: Feb 06 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A lovely and tasty beer; strong and flavoursome.
Cons: May be a little strong for some palates.
The Bottom Line: A top notch beer from an excellent brewery ~ tasty and full of character.
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| tange's Full Review: Fuller's 1845, Bottle Conditioned Ale |
Are you hot and thirsty? Do you want something tasty to drink; something that is intense in flavour and is strong and powerful too? Then you really should nip out and buy a bottle of Fuller's 1845 Celebration Ale! In fact, why stop and one bottle?
Fuller's Brewery is on the site of the old Griffin Brewery - a London Brewery that sits beside the Thames. Brewery has occurred there since 1645, but the present company really started in 1845, with a partnership between Fuller, Smith and Turner. Fullers are known for a great variety of beers, both draught and bottled. These include London Pride (At 4.1% ABV on draught and 4.7% ABV in bottles), Summer Ale (3.9% ABV in bottles - see my op for more details) and ESB (5.5% ABV in cask and 5.9% ABV in bottles).
1845 Celebration Ale was created (in 1995 obviously) to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of this special brewing partnership. Did you know that Prince Charles added the hops to the Copper at the first ever brewing?...that's a fact to store up and bring out at parties!!
Since its illustrious start 1845 has won many awards and has become a popular choice among the beer drinking public who buy it from shops, off-licenses and Supermarkets around the country. Its awards include the CAMRA Champion Bottle Conditioned Beer of Britain for the 1998 to 1999 season and the 1996 Best Dressed Bottle award from the British Bottle Institute.
Right...on to the beer! The bottle itself isn't really anything to write home about. It is a standard 500ml glass bottle containing beer! It has a small while label on the neck and a larger label (also white) on the main body of the bottle. The Fuller's logo of a gold Griffin appear on this label, along with the name of the beer and details of amount, alcohol contents, etc.
Fuller's 1845 weighs in at a rather hefty 6.3 % ABV and is classed as a Strong Ale. Looks wise, it is a dark brown colour, which is very clear and not at all cloudy. When you open the bottle and pour (in a smooth motion) you will get a creamy head (both in colour and texture!) that is a little frothy. The head doesn't remain while you drink and quickly begins to disappear.
A strong, treacly aroma from the Amber malt will greet you, along with the scent of the Goldings Hops and a slight spiciness. The texture and body of the beer are both quite full and rich - it's a little carbonated but not overly fizzy.
Taste wise 1845 is a very interesting brew. Your first taste will reward you with rich malt and fruit flavours. Quite bitter, with an orangey taste, balancing nicely with an interesting plum element and a caramel taste. The finish is distinctly bitter; this blends well with the malty nuttiness that comes through as well. The bitter toffee after-taste lingers nicely and the slight spiciness leaves a warm tingling in your mouth and throat. It's very flavoursome, yet refreshing and very drinkable. A good choice; it's nice to sip and savour!
Fuller's 1845 is a bottle conditioned ale, meaning that it is a "live" beer that keeps on fermenting after the bottling process has been completed. This procedure lets the flavour and texture mature and develops over a longer period. 1845 develops well into a nice strong ale; remember though that it?s very strong and as such should be treated with caution and respect!
I'm not sure of the exact price: Our bottles came from Safeway, but were a birthday present for my husband from a friend at work. I would expect to pay around £1.60 to £1.80 per bottle - this is based on what I have previously paid for bottled beers. I'm sure we will be moseying on down to Safeways soon to get some more so I will find out. Look out for offers and promotions too - a great chance to sample bottled beers at a bargain price!
So, as you can probably tell, I am definitely recommending Fuller's 1845 Celebration Ale. It's maybe not the ideal choice for non-bitter drinkers because of its strength and bitterness, but it will certainly impress the Real Ale fans out there. It's a tasty and excellent quality beer, from a brewery that can be relied upon for their production of fine ales... A great excuse for a Celebration any day of the week!
~~~BREWERY INFORMATION:
FULLER, SMITH & TURNER P.L.C.,
Griffin Brewery,
Chiswick Lane South,
Chiswick,
London W4 2QB.
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8996 2000
http://www.fullers.co.uk/frames.phtml
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tange
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Member: Andrea Waterhouse
Location: UK
Reviews written: 139
Trusted by: 34 members
About Me:
The beer monster has entered the Building!
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