#Beersaturday - Vertical Tasting on Cooper's Vintage Ales

It has been a long time since I've written anything for #BeerSaturday, it's not like I haven't been drinking Beer, but I just haven't been in an environment where I've felt I wanted to take photos, and notes on the beer.

But when invited away recently for the long weekend to my brother's holiday house at Phillip Island, which is about 2hrs drive East of Melbourne, Australia I thought it might be a good opportunity for something a bit special.

They have changed the label over the years, the 2017 is my favourite

You see over the years I've accumulated a number of Cooper Vintage Ale beers from various years. Now for you non Australians Coopers is a brewery out of South Australia who were the only alternative to the big multinational beer houses for many many years, they were famous for Ales in a world when all you could get was fizzy lagers. The Vintage Ale is a once a year. It's a Strong Ale, it measures in at 7.1% sort of like an a cross between a amber ale and a doppelbock. and the recipe is tweaked each year.

We couldn't fine 12 glasses that matched

I have 11 beers - each years beer from 2011 through to 2021. This is the first issue it's too much beer for 1 person and 1 session (although they are 375ml bottles so smallish), so you need more people - hence the appropriateness for a weekend away. we have 3 (sometimes 4) people, and we decide to spilt the beers over two nights. The Odd years on Night one and Evens on Night two. Due to a lack of glasses we are drinking 3 at a time, i.e. 2011, 2015 and 2019 (if you can do maths that's like 12 glasses which is a lot for a holiday house). I will present my notes here though by chronological order, the photos though, well that's as we drink so different years in each pic.

So let's see the notes:

2011: The oldest of the beers, like most aged beers they lose their hoppiness and carbonation, so this feel toffee sweet, looks like flat coke but is still quite nice. This is the last bottle of have of this, so future tasting we kick off with the 2012.

2012: This one is not as sweet as the 2011, it feels like it has no booze, which of course makes it smooth if not a little thin. We have done this tasty before (the last time in 2018) and this has always been the weakest of the vintages.

2013: This one has always been one of the best, and it was certainly the best of Night one, which is impressive for a 10 year old beer. It has a great nose and a nice balance.

2014: This was also pretty good, there is a sweetness there but still a hint of alcohol There is even a hint of hops.

2015: Not much smell, and a little thin. I should say that storage of beers you are aging is important, and everything newer than this has lived in my 'cellar' which is a cabinet in a storage room underground in the apartment I live in - the temperature down there barely chages which is perfect. But we moved into this apartment in Feb 2016 so this one (and those before it) likely lived at my brothers in a box upstairs and for about 6 months as we moved between places, I don't think it helped this year.

2016: Also a tad thin, but it is sweet in the smell, more so that the taste. I have to say it is really drinkable

All of the odd little soldiers lined up for battle

2017: Has some head on the pour, this is the first beer that has this, so we can learn that the carbonation pretty much starts going after 6 or 7 years. As it has some carbonation it feels so much lighter in the mouth and nowhere near as sweet.

2018: Still has a head which lasts, a great mouthfeel kinda light and sparkly but with a aftertatse of toffee sweetness - I think if I was just looking for a beer to sip by itself this would be the one.

2019: A Soft mouthfeel, much sweeter at the front of the sip but then ends sharp, which makes me think we might still have some hops in there.

Cheese, cheese is important when drinking beer

2020: This is a interesting one, all three elements are there, the sweetness the booze and the hops, I just get the feeling this one may not age well, but I have about 10 bottles of this left so I guess I'll find out at some point.

2021: This is Much lighter than the rest it almost feels Belgian, there is the this toffee candy sweetness, a spiceness and clove character and the alcohol is all still there,