Fish Tale Leviathan Barleywine (Batch 5+)

Brewed by Fish Brewing Company/Leavenworth Beers
Style: Barley Wine
Olympia, Washington USA

Dark honey brown body with slight orange showing through, hazy looking in the glass not cloudy but there’s a definite haze. Rocky light tan colored head capped off this brew didn’t really have great retention though but a skiff still remained on top, lots of bubble columns are rising up from the bottom of the glass they look pretty. Appearance just got an upgrade at the bottom of the bottle there was a ton of sediment my beer is now cloudy not hazy. Very nutty aroma combined with dark bitter smelling malts, noticeable hops are giving the beer a nice citrusy smell. The aroma is good not to weak and not overpowering I really like it, it seems to smell gets sweeter the more the beer warms in my glass. Good malty bitter taste, combined with wood and nuts, the alcohol is defiantly noticeable in the finish and this gave the beer a nice warm feel. Perfect amount of hops in the brew not overpowering the taste but still giving it some zing, the beer finishes sweet but leaves a mild bitter after taste, maybe even some darker tasting fruits in here YUMMY. Perfect beer, smooth, tasty and very high quality, too bad it only comes in 650ml bottles these just aren’t big enough."

Just realized upon purchasing a bottle of batch 4, that this rating is for batch 5, so I’ve put it where it belongs. Garnet red colour with a huge lasting creamy pale yellow head and very sticky lace. Sweet malty aroma, orange, caramel, biscuity malt with a nice brandy like aroma. Flavour is also sweet and malty. Quite vineous. Orange and spicy malt are apparent before the bright and intense hopping starts to come out with pine, resin, and spice being noted. Very well-balanced with a long sticky finish that reminds me of brandy or sherry. As it warms there is even more maltiness, light molasses and brown sugar. Very complex and delicious, like a fine sherry. Warming ABV is noted as well. Sublime.

My goodness, this is good! An ever-so-slight tinge of Isopryl Alcohol-like bite gets your tastebuds ready for the flavor explosion that is about to be detonated on your tongue. Sweet, subdued malt hide the hops slightly. The high ABV is masked superbly; don’t chug this one, even though the mild flavor could certainly lend itself to doing that. A true treat, this is.

Poured with a deep, dark, amber body with yeast chunks in lazy suspension. A yellowish/tan head surprisingly doesn’t last long. Hops have mellowed oh-so-nicely here, very low alcohol aroma, big fruity malts, honey-sweetened tea, light florals. Decadent. Heavy on the palate, a might sticky, mild carbonation does little to contradict the heftiness, alcohol burns on the tongue and the finish finds low grittiness. Sinuses react late to the ABV burn. Full-flavored and well malted, citric bittering shows through with orange rind & grapefruit but the overall persona is caramelly sweet. Kudos.

<font size=-4>From an old notebook (circa October 2007). Bottle courtesy of (and shared with) Cornfield, thanks buddy.</font>

This one rocked. I need some of the BA version. Great apple and pear aromas from the hops. Slightly musty smells as well. Alcohol is hardly noticeable. Sugary sweet aftertaste. A little caramel taste. Very smooth and good.

BIg thanks to my friend in Washington who dropped this in my lap over a year ago. Anyways onto the beer...

2006 Vintage -- I love Barleywines, a nice clear light mahogony body that has a quickly dissapearing ivory head. Aroma of sweet peet and malt, with a slight spice/hop accent. Taste is somewhat malty, with an interesting sweet spice overlay. Ending is a spice aromatic. Very tasty.

12-oz, Batch 5. Pours dark amber to muddy brown, with a thick, rocky, diminishing tannish head. Heavy, sticky lace. Big fruity plummy/dried fruit nose. Sweet and sticky on the attack, with toffee and port notes asserting almost immediately and holding court until the hops start to fight through. By the time the hops take completely over at the finish, it’s all gone hollow, grassy, and dry. This is a hugely gratifying beer that manages to be comfortingly complex without being a chaotic jumble of flavors. Which may make it a great reason to choose a chaotic jumble of flavors for the next beer after this one.
Cask at the brewpub, 4-5-08. Murky coppery dark amber. Foamy tan head. Sweet yeasty floral, brown bread, and biscuit nose. All these return for the mid-palate. Bit of vodka bite at the end. Light, watery body. Very intense and bracing experience for being such a feather-light beer.

Batch 5 12 oz bottle. Pours that classic reddish copper with a bigger than average (for style) head, quickly settling down to a thin white film. The nose is classic barleywine. Lightly sweet malt, a touch of alcohol, boot leather, dark fruit, lightly floral hops, and a not so out of place hint of smoke. Even a hint of chocolate. The palate is nice and smooth as well, with low carbonation, a bit of viscosity, and somewhat slippery. The flavor really has a complexity that I’ve found to be lacking in even my favorite barleywines. This is also at the opposite end of the spectrum from cloying. Light sweet malt is overcome by smoke, tannins, and alcohol (which isn’t overpowering). There’s something very reminiscent of a dry red wine. Oaky earthy unsweetened chocolate flavors also come in, with a nice floral bitterness blending into alcohol and tannin mouth astringency. The inside of my mouth became all rough with each sip. This is perhaps the most drinkable barleywine I’ve had in terms of being able to drink quantity. Unfortunately, I only brought one bottle back from Seattle, which I was obliged to share!