“The 2020 release of our much-loved Vintage Ale had to be special to recognise the 20th brew of one of our most famous ales. The Coopers brewing team has revelled in the challenge of making an authentic Vintage Ale with that special twist we have become accustomed to. A special ‘Leabrook’ barley from the Adelaide Hills was chosen to create the Pale malt for this brew and, when combined with crystal and wheat malt, provides a smooth mouthfeel and a fine creamy head.”

Glassware: English Pint.

Appearance: Kinda muddy light brown with toffee highlights. It manages a short beige head which slowly peels off. Nice wavy lace clings to the sides of the glass.

Aroma: A proper malt bomb but that’s exactly what we were expecting. The fact that it’s still pretty green means it’s displaying a fair bit of earthy and floral hop but the lovely nutty, toasty and toffee-laden malts take centre stage. The classic Cooper’s yeast in all of its estery glory plays a big part too. Solid!

Flavour: It’s definitely a bit more bitter than we expected… probably due to its freshness again but the earthy, floral and grassy hops certainly provide a heady dryness that counteracts the toasty malts. Burnt toffee, cocoa, carob and toast finish with a nice dry grassiness in the tail.

Mouthfeel: Chewy and well rounded with a defined bitterness in the swallow. Medium-full body with low-ish Co2. 7.5% ABV is slightly noticeable.

Overall: Probably not our most favoured vintage.. which works with the sort of year we’ve all had anyway, so it’s fitting right?? Not bad.