Fish Tale Old Woody English Old Ale

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

Bottled 2003 version: Dark amber coloured. Clear. Light beige head. Malts, fruit, alcohol and light spices in the aroma. Flavour of prunes and raisins, alcohol, earth and some hoppyness. Ends on a flavourful bitter note. Very nice beer. Leaves a nice alcoholwarmth on the lips.

Thanks to Buck Dich for this. The great beers from Buck Dich just keep on coming. 2003 bottling. This one pours hazy ruby with a smallish off-white head. Aroma of dark fruit, hops, malt, cognac, port, smoked sausage, oak...a barleywinish aroma. Tastes malty, very dark fruity, with finishing cognac, cabernet, prunes, even a rauchy oak element. Multiple layers of complexity of flavor, and a very smooth, dense palate. Finishes fruity, oaky, and rauchy, and goes very well with aged extra sharp white cheddar.

bottled. purple brown colour and a head that died quickly. aroma of sultanas and absinthe. quite sweet, some minty character and hard treated water with a little seaweed character. not too bad

2003: This Old Ale is akin to a Gale’s Prize Old inasmuch as it’s 10% abv and is a lot like a barleywine in flavor. Thick, viscous malt with tons of body. Delayed roastiness in the aftertaste that tastes like a charred tree. Typical barleywine flavor. Decent, but not my bag. Very thin head. Plum and molasses notes present.

2003... Poured a reddish, prune color with a small, off white head that quickly diminished leaving a ring around the edges, leaving spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma of strong red wine, vanilla oak, light roastiness, and tons of sweet malt. Plums and other vinous aspects, chocolate, caramel malts, and spicy alcohol finish. Thanks Larry!

A light hazy brown body with a thin lace. Malty aromatics with a hint of the barrel aging. Malty flavors blend well with the flavors from the wine cask. Finish is smooth with a hint of vinosity!

2003 12oz bottle: Pours a hazy brown with NO head. Has aroma of malts, whiskey, and caramel. Very complex flavor of molasses, malts, fruits, vanilla and oak. I could go on. A very good beer, worth trying.

Bottle. 2003. Sweet molasses aroma. Beautiful dark, ruby red with an off-white head. Although tough to see through the body, particalia is visible as is small bubble carbonation. Very nice, sweet, rich alcohol flavor. Undercarbonated, which may be as a result of it sitting in the bottle for so long. Wow, is this stuff good! Instantly warming. I am a little surprised this isn’t more highly rated, although 93rd percentile is pretty darn high. Perhaps other vintages weren’t as good? Or perhaps it improves with age? And no, I am not biased because of the name. And no, I am not drunk, although I might be after this bottle. Plums, oak, alcohol. This is the 2nd Fish Tale brew I have had, the 2nd one courtesy of Slikwily that is, and the 2nd Fish Tale beer I have rated over a 4.5. I know it’s tough to judge a brewer on two beers, but let’s just say I like what I see so far! It’s a shame there beers aren’t available in the San Francisco Bay Area where I will be visiting soon.