Fish Tale Anniversary Ale - 10²

Brewed by Fish Brewing Company/Leavenworth Beers
Style: American Strong Ale
Olympia, Washington USA

Pungent aroma, big lemon and squeeky soap aroma, kind of chewy, cheese. Pours with a small head and very little lacing. A fair bit of hop complexity in the flavor from all the different hops, though not much oak noticed. Better than those disasters oaked arrogant bastard and burton baton, in my humble opinion, maybe because the oak presence isn’t felt as much in a style that shouldn’t have it at all. Not too shabby.

12 oz. bottle - pours dark amber with strong citrus aromas; drinks smooth, but flavors fall flat and lacks the punch of hops

22oz from Liquid Solutions. A very pungent aroma coming from a deep amber brew with a modest but very creamy head. I actually think the hops are more subdued than some raters have suggested, though they’re still quite present. What tends to dominate is the malts, which are almost too much, bordering on syrupy. In this, the beer reminds me of Stone 10th, with a modest oaking (much less aggressive than Burton Baton). I enjoyed the beer, but I’m not convinced it all hangs together.

The aroma is incredibly hoppy with pineapple, citrus, and pine. The malts are very sweet. The appearance is deep amber with an average head. The flavor is like the aroma with hops taking the lead and really sweet malts following. The palate is not as thick as expected but it’s still smooth. The finish is earthy, with plenty of alcohol. This is a real hop bomb, but it’s more astringent than it should be.

Rich and malty with taste of mild fruit and caramel. The hops has a defeintive feel of pine trees. flavors of wood back taste is very splendid. A true winner

Pours a nice barleywine-shade of garnet with a white-ish soapy head. Aroma of grapefruit, pine, toffee and butterscotch. Tastes of brown sugar and butterscotch, but this was mostly about the hops (when fresh) as there’s a heavy grapefruit flavor and woody bitterness. Bitterness unfortunately lingers strangely on the throat. The body is fairly heavy, but well rounded, and the mouthfeel is just effortless. Good BW and IIPA hybrid beer with only a small flaw.

Bottle: Pours a rich mahoghany with reddish tones. Large off-white head and sticky lacing. Nose is lots of hops, citrus and floral with hints of pine. Some sweetness present. The taste is a hops parade with a dry, floral core and plenty of citrus and pine hops. A nice citrus sweetness blends with caramel malt. Very solid offering from Fish Tale.

Bottle. Ruby beer with a thin off-white head. Citrusy, oaky, slight sherry aroma. LIghter bodied than expected. Oaky flavor with pine and grapefruit that lingers. A bit muddled. I can imagine it being a lot hoppier in the past, but it’s mellowed now and doesn’t have a strong malt base to give it enough oomph. Slight astringecy.