Fish Tale Leviathan Barleywine (Barrel Aged)

Formerly brewed at Fish Brewing Company/Leavenworth Beers
Style: Barley Wine
Olympia, Washington USA

a big thank you to Silphium for this one....batch 4, 2002.....pours reddish brown with almost no head....the aroma is excellent and is of caramel, light floral hops, oak, and stir fry....flavor is dominated by the oak/bourbon flavors, and has some sort of woody aftertaste...alcohol is present here as well.....this beer is a must try

Batch 4, November 2002.
Finally, after sitting on this for a year and a half, it was time to open it...on a 91 degree day in late May. Murky red-brown body, thin off-white head. Aroma of caramel and toast, a bit burnt, with bitter, citrusy hops. Unique notes of red wine, oak, and soy complemented the traditional barleywine notes. Alcohol was notable. Wine and oak were in the forefront of the flavor, leaving an interesting tannic coating on the palate. Caramel and toast were the dominant flavors beneath the oak. Medium-bodied, a bit thinned by alcohol and aging. Complex and excellent, but lacks the figs, plum, and toffee that characterize my favorite beers of the style.

(Bottle 75 cl) Hazy light brown with a handsome, creamy and rather stable, beige head. Fresh, caramelish head. Solid, full body with lots of caramel and some lightly perfumy, fruity notes. Lightly hoppy finish. Tasted at the Oklahoma Beer tasting March 06 hosted by mjames and lilannie. 250306

Vintage 2002. Served in a Duchesse De Bourgogne goblet. In retrospect, the glass was quite appropriate. Oxidation is very apparant. Nose is that of caramel and sour fruits. Very similar in taste to a Belgian sour brown ale...it really reminds me of a Liefman’s Goudenband. I’m a fan. I wish this wasn’t retired as I’d love to drink one approaching its peak.

Nice head, faded fast. Nose of apple and oak, some grape alt beir notes. Warm mouth has a hoppy cabernet flavour, fruitiness.

2001, Batch #3, Sampled in 2006. Cloudy brown-amber, firm head. Big oak aroma. Plummy and figgy with some oxidized sherry notes. Small turpentine and acrid notes. Sweet and light fruit. Some pepper hops on the finish.

Bottle (11/2/02, Batch 4) : Courtesy of DarkElf via trade. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, toffee, and hints of fruit. Vinuous aromas are there too, but I didn’t notice until I actually tasted the strong vinuous flavors. Initially pours a cloudy reddish-brown, but as you get towards the bottom of the bottom, it just becomes a cloudy brown. Small off-white head. Quick caramel and toffee is quickly overtaken by a strong vinuous flavor that contains moderate sourness. Lots of woodiness in the finish. Even though this isn’t bourbon barrel aged, there is a bourbon character to the flavor. Light vanilla lingers throughout in the background. A tad thin.

2001, Batch 3, big thanks to The_Beer_God for this one! Deep brown, hint of amber, surprisingly actually had some head after all these years. Huge aromas of caramel and dark fruit. The mouth is filled with raisins, currants, molasses, caramel, and some piney remnants of hops. The finish has an oaky, winey note to it. Fantastic. Sampled at the first Richmond "gathering."