Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale
375ml bottle, 2009 vintage. This beer pours a dark, murky golden brown, with a fair bit of fine sediment, and two fingers of dense foamy pale beige head, which leaves a sole vertical peninsula of lace around the glass as it settles. It smells of sweet toffee malt, dried tropical fruit, spicy, earthy hops, and a mild booze warming. The taste is fruity biscuit malt, dry raisins, a bit of sour citrus, and soft earthy, musty hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body a strong medium weight, and generally pretty smooth. It finishes off-dry, the fruity biscuit malt predominating, tempered somewhat by a building astringent alcohol warming. A somewhat plain vintage ale - kind of soft all around. The well-integrated ABV helps in making this easy to drink, but it just doesn't grab my attention.