Fish Tale Leviathan Barleywine (Barrel Aged)

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

Batch No.4 (Nov. 2002). Strong, fruity, sweet and complex aroma, with heavy notes of red wine, plum, tart berry and brown sugar alongside fainter qualities of apricot, cinnamon, cardamom, wood, cassis, earth, herbs and medicinal alcohol. Partially opaque reddish-mahogany color, with a diminishing head and very fine lacing. Flavor profile is fruity and sweet to start, seeing an influx of tartness and nuttiness midway and with a tangy, moderately bitter, sour and alcoholic finish. Body is medium-full, the palate thin, smooth and winey. Challenging and unique.

This was sampled at the San Diego Strong Ale Festival courtesy of the ever gracious jcalabre! Oh beautiful, beautiful barleywine, how i couldnt wait to sample thee! It pours with an orangey red vivacity with a frothy tanned and pearlish bubbly head...very tempting. The aroma was filled with fruits...oranges, woodiness...oh...yeah...and HOPS HOPS HOPS HOPS HOPS!!! The taste begins with a smack of souring and bitter hops with some orange and lemony tang. Nice smooth but dry finish. Some stinging hops right at the end there, but very very fresh. It ends bitterly, but a nice subtle maltiness is left with nice fruity undernotes..once again back to that orange... mmm... me want more. RERATE....had another bottle of the 2001 vintage at Pitonkatonks house last night. Amberish to copper color with a thick foamy tanned head and excellent lacing. Hoppy, citrusy, with caramel, grass and earthiness. Flavor is very sweet with candy sugar and brown sugar. Full bodied with a bittering hop finish. The balance on this beer is just sickeningly good. Syrupy, sticky as all hell with significant floaties visible in the beer. Just absolutely entrancing as it aged. Now I want it even MORE than before.

Vintage 01 batch #3 Medium sized tan head, good retention and lace. Sweet nose of malt and hops, fruity, resiny, inviting. Clear, chestnut colored brew with a ruby hue. Full bodied, silky mouthfeel, coating. Nutty, hop resiny flavors with hints of chocolate, wood, bourbon and alcohol. Great malt to hop balance.Finish is dry. Aftertaste is woody, prickly on the tongue, somewhat distracts from the overall expierence, but not alot.

Not crazy about this Barley Wine. I may have had a bad bottle though. Vinegar, wine, and fruity flavors. Finishes dry, bitter, and chewy.

Batch #3 - November 2001: This stuff poured a thick, dirty honey color, and that's not a bad thing. There was a whispy tan head that spread across the surface almost like an oil slick. The aroma was overpowered with hops at first, then the strong tang of alcohol set in, followed by a malty sweetness. On sipping, there was a momentary nothingness, then the flavor settles on your tongue like a hesitant lover. The hops moves in on the back of the tongue and rolled forward, much like I imagine the Leviathan on the lable would move, caressing the sides only when it had secured itself to the surface. This is some seriously good shit. :)

Batch 2, Nov 2000 - rated Dec 31 2005.
Dark and muddy burgundy colored body with a small filmy toast colored head. For being over 5 years old, it doesn’t have the expected "bottle" smell that I’ve found in so many other old barley wines, especially the high IBU brews. Flavor is initially sweet, spicy and woody, with some really nice rich and creamy notes in the finish, reminds me of a mellow cheese and some red grapes, pears, plums and dates. One thing I’m noticing is that it’s quite mellow... I don’t know how much this has smoothed out, but when I tried this same beer at the RBSG in Montreal, it seemed to be very "aged" in the flavors... like I could taste the bottle. This one I got from the guys at Bottleworks who kept it hidden away in the back room for awhile, but I don’t know if it was refrigerated. Regardless, it’s quite tasty and is probably just at the point that I want to drink it - a good beer to open for New Years Eve. More fizzy and slightly more thin than the 2001 and 2002 BA versions, and I don’t know if I can really say if I notice the cab-franc barrel specifically, but there are some wood and red grape notes that I’m sure are there - just really subtle. For subtlety and richness, this beer rocks... and the best thing if that after 5 years cellared it is downright DELICIOUS.

Batch 3, Nov 2001 - aged two years, rated January 2004. A big frothy tan head above a thick brown body. Aroma is wine-like with strong plums, cherries and various woods. The aroma is certainly unique, something unlike any BW or any beer I’ve had. Initially the flavor is mellow hops, which turns to alcohol, then a mellow maltiness during the middle of the drink, and then a really strong hop swallow before a very dramatic chocolate finish. Incredibly mellow, soft palate throughout - really an excellent combination of the wine flavors and the hops... an amazing creation.

The 2002 batch that I had

Batch #3, November 2001, via The_Beer_God. This pours a cloudy brownish/red with a dense tan head. Aroma is very bold and complex. I detect oak, red wine, and lots of malt. I have never had a beer with this unique of an aroma. Flavor is amazing! It starts with an attack of malt sweetness and alcohol warmth, then the bitterness and dryness comes through in the finish. It is sticky sweet, but very enjoyable. Not as bitter as I would have expected, possibly due to the age of the beer.

750ml Capped bottle. Batch#4 bottled November 2002. Poured a cloudy deep red color with a thin head that seems well carbonated. Aroma is unusual and complicated from the aging in oak wine casks. Has a sherry like quality with notes of fruit, sweet malt, hops and oak. This is the second I've had that is aged in wine casks and in all honesty, I'm not a fan of the idea. To me wine and beer do not blend well. Flavor is sweet and syrupy with oak and wine really dominating. Mouthfeel is really smooth and full. I suppose many like this since it's in the top 50, however I really just don't appreciate the wine attributes. I'm guessing it would be a whole lot better if aged in beer casks.