Fish Tale Old Woody English Old Ale

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

I am a sucker for strong ales / old ales. It is "old woody" true enough. How could you be disappointed?

Pours a dark reddish brown that fades to a light orange on the edges, with a small head. Lots going on in the nose: booze and wood dominate, but there’s raisins, plums, caramel, brown sugar, white chocolate, and a floral/spicy hop character that’s well integrated in the overall picture. Taste lives up to the aroma. Sweet flavors of sugar, caramel, toffee and vanilla dominate with a nice booze flavor and a bit of a bitter wood taste. Finishes a little hot, but that fits the profile fairly well. Flavors of wood, dirt and whiskey linger on the tongue and throat, but the bitterness is nothing near some of the more hardcore American barley wines. Mouthfeel is quite big without being viscous. Creamy, but somewhat slick, and the flavors are really smooth. There’s no sharp edges to this beer and every element was a pleasure! So much better than regular Poseidon

Deeply hazed crimson and browns, creamy khaki colored head. Nose held soft notes of dark fruit mingled with woody vanilla and caramel booze tones. A touch of sugar cookie expands outward at room temp. Flavor is well balanced fruity caramel and vanilla oak that ends with nice citric hop component. Full bodied and smooth, warming abv, lightly bittersweet finish. Nicely done....

A thin, light tan/cream colored head quickly recedes to a ring of fat bubbles. The body is a dark, clouded blend of burgundies and Mojave desert tones, very pretty and earthy, with a healthy glow. The nose very rustic, with plenty of scorched caramel, earthy and tingling hops, overripe fruits and low alcohol to intrude in on the fun experience. Oak notes are bold and well integrated while still maintaining a charred and separate nuance. The flavor is akin to drinking a liquified tractor clogged with grassy debris. Bitterness is sustained but not too aggressive, sweetness refrained and caramel dominated. The finish is bitter, mildly astringent, resiny from ample hops, lengthy and lovely. The mouthfel is medium-full bodied and very soft, lightly sticky.

Pours a hazy caramel brown, with a small, swirly light tan head. Very oaky, woodsy, caramel aroma, with a big malty presence. The taste is semi-tart, with a big alcohol kick, mixed in with the caramel, and sweet bitter dark fruits. The alcohol is heavily present throughout the experience, especially with the heat left in the finish and the aftertaste. Alot going on here, pretty full flavored. The bitterness hangs around towards the end, but segways into caramel and malts. Nicely done. I might have toned down the alcohol a tad bit, but not much.

22oz Bomber
A deep amber color with a thin head. The deep woody aroma and the malts where awesome. Had some deep molasses flavors with some good spices. Loved the flavors of this beer. The beer finishes quite dry and when it warms up the flavors and the wood aromas really come out. Great after dinner beer. Not for the weak of heart of the light beer drinker.

12oz - 2005 JPDipso (secret Santa Dec 05) - Aroma is chewy caramel, oak, alcohol, raisin, leather. Pours transparent ruby red with a medium lasting head and great lacing. Flavor is more like campfire wood with some smokeiness that blends very well with the assertive alcohol, caramel and leather. Palate is smooth and tart. A very well crafted ale.

22 oz bottle. No vintage, so I’m guessing the most recent. Nice nose of malty sweetness with some hoppy/yeasty dryness lingering in the back. Up front, though, there is caramel and toffee with a hint of port wine. Also the tiniest bit of zesty cinnamon. Mostly malty sweet flavor which quickly fades to some dry and spicy hop and yeast notes. Fairly rich and oily on the palate with decent carbonation. This one comes really close.