RATINGS: 184   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.6/5   SEASONAL: Winter   EST. CALORIES: 270   ABV: 9%
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
The Trader Joe’s 2008 Vintage Ale is a brown Belgian-style ale of great distinction produced by traditional top fermentation methods resulting in a rich and full-bodied flavor. The Champagne-like effervescence and smooth moth feel are the result of a natural secondary fermentation in the bottle obtained by the use of carefully selected yeast. This deep brown color vintage ale, with a tint of red hue displays effervescent generous beige foam. It has notes of coffee and spices, mild aroma of tropical fruits. Trader Joe’s 2008 Vintage Ale has a smooth round mouth feel and notes of roasted malt, carrying toffee-like flavor, finishing with well balanced noble hops. True to it’s Abby Dubbel style, this year’s vintage ale offers a highly distinctive flavor enhanced by the fruity and floral notes of the yeast. The result is a complex and warming ale that offers both strength and subtlety. Brewed once a year in limited quantity, please enjoy Trader Joe’s 2008 Vintage Ale. This ale will age exceptionally over time, developing more complex flavor as the years go by. Exclusively bottled for Trader Joe’s. Best before 09-09-2011.

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3.8
hopdog (19493) - Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA - DEC 24, 2021
UPDATED: DEC 24, 2021 750mol bottle. Part of a 11 year vertical. Poured a deep brown color with a smaller sized tan head. Yeast, dark fruits, and caramel. This one held up the best for me.

3.8
douglas88 (12184) - Portland, Oregon, USA - OCT 15, 2017
Bottle shared by the always generous Hannont. Pours a murky brown color with a large white head. A big toffee and spicy nose. Sweet, oxidation, dark caramel and toffee, berries, bready paper. Solid. Still very good.

3.8
wedgie9 (2703) - Nashville, Tennessee, USA - FEB 5, 2015
Tasted on 1/3/12 from a corked and caged 750mL bottle. Pours hazy amber garnet with an average off-white head that leaves thin, bubbly lace. The nose is sweet golden raisin, caramel malt, and spicy Unibroue yeast. The flavor is a bit darker with date, burnt brown sugar and toasted marshmallow. The body is medium with average, stinging carbonation, and a long date, raisin, and toasted marshmallow finish.

3.7
gramity (1829) - Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA - DEC 5, 2014
Brown with foamy, fizzy tan head / Nose of brett and caramel / Medium body, Uni fizz, malty but balanced with good finish / Slightly sour flavors of banana, milk chocolate, plums, and cloves with brett notes

3.8
skoisirius (1908) - Earth, Washington, USA - FEB 14, 2014
750ml bottle. Not sure why this gets different years for each vintage as I don’t believe the brew changes from year to year. That said, I’m copying and pasting this to each vintage I’ve had due to this factor. Beyond that, every year this comes out it’s worth picking up a bottle. It’s a great dark fruited and spiced out Belgian style, something like a dubbel, yet stronger. Can’t beat it for the price!

3.5
FROTHINGSLOSH (11821) - GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania, USA - FEB 5, 2014
From the February 2014 3R6P tasting +++ Sampled from a 750 ml corked brown bottle this beer poured a hazy caramel-brown color with a large fluffy tan head that faded quickly and left no lacing. The aroma was cola, wood, dark fruits, yeast and the typical Unibroue house character. The flavor was cola, fig, cherry, yeast and Unibroue house notes. Medium length cola, cherry and wood finish. Moderately full bodied. Solid.

4
rederic (3347) - montréal, Quebec, CANADA - NOV 15, 2013
750ml bottle, with a cloudy brown hue, with a bubbly white head, with a yeasty, fruity apple sauce, apple pie, apple strudel, light spicy cinnamon like, orange peel nose, with some faint fig, pineapple, tangerine esters, with a raisin pie, faint coffee, chocolate notes in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a nice yeasty, fruity, figgy, orange, tangerine peel, pineapple, tropical fruit, apple pie, spicy character of coriander and vanilla reminiscent of an old Trois pistoles yeast base, with some faint kind of Grand Marnier liqueur, orange lollipop, raisin pie, orange marmalade flavours, with a faint honeyed toasted, bready, pale, chocolate maltiness backbone, still has a good carbonation, leading towards a yeasty, candied orange, tangerine, lemon peel, figgy, dried rainsin fruitiness, vanilla, coriander spiciness, doughy raisin pie finish.

3.8
DuffMan (10981) - the land of bitumen, beef & beer, Alberta, CANADA - JUL 27, 2013
Bottle, shared at RBAG 2013. Nervous bringing this out considering its age, but I’ve stored it properly... Pours a medium mud-brown with heavy particulate and a small beige head (no coaxing required either). Aroma is nice, no sign of infection so far! Lovely sugar bread, light chocolate, sweet plums, treacle. Mouthfeel is silky. Excellent!

3.9
Ferris (23109) - Burnaby, British Columbia, CANADA - JUL 20, 2013
Bottle - Caramel, dark fruit, grains and yeast. Clear amber with a medium head. Brown sugar, dark fruit and a light sourness. Like a Belgian strong in taste. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

3.8
DrSilverworm (11039) - Cincinnati, Ohio, USA - APR 3, 2013
750ml bottle, shared by tmoney99. I got the end of the bottle, probably about 5-6oz. Dark brown color, lots of sediment resting on the bottom of my glass. Good thin off-white head, little loose lace. Dark fruit, some chocolate, light coffee, little spice, light citrus (orange peel, pineapple).. Good amount of tropical hops for a dubbel, balances out those dark notes nicely.. Medium to bigger body. Soft, smooth carbonation. Easy drinking, for 9%... Very little alcohol taste. Moderate bitter, light sweet. Very interesting, complex ale. Drinking great right now, especially considering it’s age. The nice, smooth effervescent carbonation is also still impressive, 5 years later.


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