I've said this before, and I'm saying it again: there is a lot more to Australian beer than Foster's. Those of us who enjoy craft brewed beer have been aware of this fact for quite some time. That's because we have been drinking Cooper's ales, in all of their glorious, rich and flavorful varieties.

Cooper's is one of Australia's oldest breweries with roots going back to 1862. The brewery has preserved the English ale tradition in the land down under, fiercely defending the honor of ale in the face of an unrelenting onslaught of bland lagers the likes of Foster's.

Those who enjoy Cooper's Sparkling Ale or perhaps the Best Extra Stout will certainly understand what I'm talking about. So, you can imagine my excitement at finding a supply of Cooper's Vintage Ale.

Vintage ale is a strong ale somewhat on the idea of an old ale or barleywine. It's meant to be aged or laid down for up to 18 months on advice from the brewery. At 7.5% alcohol by volume, vintage ale is about half again as strong as most beers, though certainly not the strongest out there.

My bottle has a best by date of October 9, 2006, after which date it will simply vanish in a puff of smoke, or perhaps self destruct ala Mission Impossible. I'm kidding, of course, though that date is on the bottle. I certainly think this one would be enjoyable well after that date. But let's waste no further time and get right down to a bottle, shall we?

Cooper's Vintage Ale pours to a slightly pinkish red-brown color with minimal head formation and a light fruity malt nose. The palate is slightly more than medium bodied but not as big as I would expect for a beer to be laid down.

There are subtle malty flavors here of chocolate, toffee (giving an almost Heath Bar character to the brew) and toasted nuts. There's a lot of fruit too, plum and raisin and prune most noticeably, though they're definitely here. In the finish, there's a grassy hop bitterness that lingers on the tongue with an herbal buzz.

The hops aren't overly assertive, however, and they meld with some sherry notes to provide a dynamite finish. A touch of alcohol warms the tongue, too. Certainly, there are a lot of flavors going on here, but they're all well rounded and subtle: none really overpowers the other in any category. All the more reason to drink Vintage ale at room temperature or slightly below to fully appreciate its finer points.

I do feel the flavors could be a bit more pronounced, and for that reason I'm deducting a half star. But make that a solid 4 1/2 stars. Because after all, you really don't want to miss out on this one.

Update 6/11/2016: Look what I found! While going through my stash to fill my new beer fridge, I found a bottle of Cooper's Vintage Ale that I had bought a few years ago and forgotten about. It was already aged when I bought it, 2009 vintage, and was past its prime. You can see the sediment that was in the bottle in the photo. Still, it was surprisingly drinkable and had a high octane alcohol burn if the malt and hops were no longer well represented. Lesson learned, 7 years is more than you want to age this vintage ale.



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