“One of Australia’s truly remarkable beers, Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale is made using carefully selected hops, barley malt, crystal malt and malted wheat. With nice levels of bitterness and fruity flavours, this fine ale will mature beautifully over the next two years.”
Glassware: English Pint.
Appearance: Rusty/bronze kind of affair. It forms two fingers of well retained head and laces well as it subsides.
Aroma: Very malty, nutty and sweet…oh so English! Truck loads of caramel and toffee, white bread, earthy hops, dark fruits, raw almond, honeysuckle and brioche. There’s also something that we just can’t put our finger on…it smells a bit like buttery fairy bread. A classic Aussie delicacy!
Flavour: Follows the nose – it’s malt forward with a lick of earthy hop character. Quite toasty as well, hitting notes of brown bread along with toffee, dried fig and slightly burnt caramel. Estery yeast flavours in there which drag out in to the dry and mildly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium-full body with a somewhat frothy and well rounded texture. A hint of the 7.5% AbV shows through but ultimately it’s well disguised.
Overall: Like all bottled Coopers beers there’s a little clump of settled yeast at the bottom of the glass, so watch your pour. We like this beer as it ages well so drinking it this early will have some pitfalls. Straight to the cellar the other 5 go!