Fuller's 1845

Over the years trips back to the UK have invariably meant time spent waiting for a train in London. Luckily for me there nearly always seems to be a Fuller's Pub either in or next door to the station, which means I'm never too far from a bottle of 1845.

Fuller's are one of the old UK breweries that have always been around but have prospered during the recent emergence of craft beers and the popularity of old brews. Where many other traditional brewers fell by the wayside, some canny marketing and excellent customer service in their bars (alongside an awesome beer range and great food) have seen them become ubiquitous in their native London, whilst their beers gained traction across the country.

Popular globally too, on my last long-haul journey I managed to have a pint of their iconic London Pride before I left home, at the two London stations en route to the airport, at Heathrow itself, at Dubai Airport and finally back home in KL at journey's end.

While famous for their big flavoured take on traditionally British, malty ales, they always championed the less favoured styles as well, before they came back into fashion.

1845 is a classic Strong or Old Ale, typically dark and malty. Like a counterpoint to the modern IPA styles, Old Ales are less bitter... richer with more sweet and spicy notes, but no less ballsy or flavoursome. 

It was first brewed in 1995 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the brewery, making it a surprisingly young beer, but one brewed in classic style using amber and chocolate malts and bottled with live yeasts so the beer continues to ferment and condition for 100 days before it goes on sale and can continue to mature for a number of months if stored correctly, allowing for a more rounded flavour.  It is said that the first hops cast for the inaugural brew came from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. So revolutionaries beware, the Monarchy do have their uses!

1845 is brewed at 6.3% and pours a deep tawny colour with a surprisingly pale, almost white head. A live beer, it tends towards more complex flavours, in this case fruits and spices with almost sherry notes, but well balanced with a dry biscuit finish.

If you like 1845 it's also worth trying the two beers either side of it in the Fuller's range, ESB and Golden Pride, similarly full-flavoured ales. You could also consider Founder's DKML that we reviewed recently or even Paulaner Salvator, for a German version of a big, malty beer.

2022 UPDATE: Sadly the Fuller's range has disappeared from the shelves in Malaysia. The importers lost interest, which isn't a great shame as they didn't really know what the beers were or how to sell them, which is part of the reason they didn't sell very well. But it leaves a big gap in the market as many other classic real and traditional ales have also disappeared from the country. The importer bringing in things like Youngs and Adnams has closed and the old school importers now seem to prefer Big Beer as a safer alternative, while the Craft importers don't seem interested in more traditional brewers. There's still plenty of interest, but sadly no route in at the moment.