Author Archives: Mads Barnkob

Quinta Do Portal Vintage Port 2000

Quinta Do Portal is a family owned wine yard and maker, founded in the 1990s in Porto, Portugal. The vintages from Portal is recommended to be stored for 10 years as they aim for a lighter Port to distinguish themselves form the traditional tannin heavy Douro Port.

Taste notes right after decanting

Aroma is dominated by alcohol with a thin dark spice to it.

Brown and red in the colour with orange edges.

Good balance very early, shows a fresh fruit with a sharp tannin. Comes off a little thin and with little to no after taste.

Intermediate rating 83 / 100

Taste notes 3 hours after decanting

Aroma is unchanged, alcohol is still dominating.

Colour has changed to be slightly darker, a good sign.

It has now gained some dried fruits in the after taste.

Intermediate rating 85 / 100

Taste notes 7½ hours after decanting

The alcohol is no longer dominant in the aroma, a deep and ark spicy fruit comes off nicely.

Slightly darker in the colour.

Fresh and lively wine, not full bodied in the mouth, but still with good tannin. After taste has also gained a fair amount of dried fruits and a prominent raisin.

Overall rating 88 / 100

Taste notes 26 hours after decanting. Less alcohol in the aroma, but not much fruit gained. Taste and mouth feel is more tame, tannin has worn off and it is flattening out.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2012

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 141.

Thick and hazy beer with a orange and red glow to the color.

A small head with just a little rough and fine foam.

The aroma comes off as a dump truck full of sugar, combined with notes of fresh yoghurt and its delivered with a knotted fist.

Extremely full bodied and overly sweet. A very low CO2 level and a after taste that will hunt you into eternity.

Overall rating 78 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2012 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2013

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 32554.

Brown with red notes in the color and slightly hazy.

A small head with just a little fine foam.

Very heavy sweetness in the aroma with a mysterious flavor to it.

Thick flowing, spiced up and full of candy sweetness. Sticks to the glass with its heaviness and very flat CO2 level. Notes of darkness.

Overall rating 83 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2013 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2014

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 13971.

Red and orange in the color and somewhat hazy.

A small head with both rough and fine foam.

Sweet fruit and spices in the aroma, accompanied with a tad of alcohol.

Low CO2 level, full bodied sweet and wine-like in the taste. Notes of oak.

Overall rating 88 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2014 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2015

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 62704.

Clear beer, brown and orange in the color.

No head, just a few large bubbles along the rim of the glass.

The aroma is dominated by a bitter scent of wood and comes of flat.

Comes off with a dominating citrus fruit taste with a okay CO2. Full bodied with a bit of darkness, wine-like notes with a bitter after taste.

Overall rating 85 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2015 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2016

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 4309.

Brown in the color with notes of orange, a bit hazy.

A small head with very little fine foam.

A sweet and bitter aroma that comes off a bit too flat. Has some green and fresh notes to it.

Fruited, sweet and with a long after taste. Full bodied with notes of wine and nuts.

Overall rating 83 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2016 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2017

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 21675.

Amber red to brown in the color with some haziness to it.

A small head with just a little fine foam.

Sweet and sour fruit notes in the aroma, comes off with notes of pine and a feeling of being thick as porridge.

Good CO2 level that balances well with the a sweet fruit, combined with the long after taste and notes of oak. A pleasure to drink.

Overall rating 88 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2017 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2018

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 134232.

Clear beer, amber red in the color and with no sediments.

A small head with just a little fine foam.

Very sweet fruit notes in the aroma with a strong alcohol dominating.

Very sweet in the taste with a heavy alcohol to it. Light notes of fruit that comes through easily. After taste is a little anonymous. Low CO2 level.

Overall rating 84 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2018 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Memminger Brauerei – Alpkönig Dunkle Weisse

Memminger Brauerei comes from Ulmer in Bayern, Germany and dates back to 1897. It has a long history of different owners, names, joint ventures and it ends up as a privately owned brewery in 2003.

I bought this beer from a German webshop at the price of 1,49 Euro for a 500 ml bottle at 5,1%

Brown and resembling of ryebread, thick flow and very hazy.

Grand big head with a fine white foam top.

Lightly fruited in the aroma with clear notes of wheat.

Good CO2, delicious sweet fruit with notes of darkness, hops and wheat. Good balance between all taste notes and they result in a great after taste.

Overall rating 82 / 100

Brasserie de la Senne – Taras boulba.

The history of the brewery Brasserie de la Senne starts in 2002 where the founders Yvan De Baets and Bernard Leboucq meet eachother. In 2003 they build a microbrewery in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, the former warehouse of the Moriau brewery. It was called “Sint-Pieter Brouwerij.” In 2010 they moved to Brussels and are now brewering from there 100%

I bought this 330 ml bottle at 4.5% at Carlsen’s Kvarter, a bar in Odense, Denmark at the price of some 7 Euro. It is a Belgian hoppy ale style of beer.

Uniform yellow in the colour.

Small head.

Aroma is a fresh and hoppy fruit, a bit to the weak side.

Good CO2 with a full bodied taste and feel. Good fruit and balances well with the hoppy bitterness.

Overall rating 77 / 100