A couple of beers with no other connection except they are named after the year in which their brewing companies were founded.
Fuller’s 1845 (6.3%), first brewed in 1995 to celebrate 150 years of the Fuller, Smith & Turner partnership. This is a bottle-conditioned beer, and it is conditioned for at least 100 days before being released for sale – and it is certainly a fine beer, although not necessarily my favourite style. A strong, sweet beer – you can smell the sweetness as soon as you open the bottle – with strong fruity tones of plums and apricots. Deep amber, and with a creamy, almost oily texture, and a sweet, syrupy taste – almost cloyingly sweet, but also quite surprisingly bitter. Certainly stronger and sweeter than I normally prefer, but given the right situation it’s a very nice drink, and it’s one I’ve returned to on a few occasions.
Joseph Holt 1849 (4.5%). Again, celbrating 150 years of Joseph Holt (“count the rings of experience” as it says on the bottle). This is more the strength of beer I prefer
– although this, too, is a dark amber beer, but it has a light aroma and a surprisingly light taste for a dark beer. Beers are often described as “biscuity”, but this one really did remind me of digestive biscuits – a slightly toffee taste as well, but not overly sweet – but having said that, not much bitterness either. I thought it was fairly inoccuous, mildly pleasant, but without any great taste. I also found it a bit gassy. I enjoyed the one bottle, and would probably enjoy another one occasionally, but it isn’t a beer I’d want to drink more than one of.