Fish Tale Old Woody English Old Ale

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

22oz 2008 Bomber. Pours a dark caramel brown with a thin but tight off white head that dissipates to a very thin ring around my glass rather quickly. This one has hints of brown sugar, toffee, tobacco, leather, and apple. I am picking up some of the 10% in there as well. Taste is semi sweet and peaty. Notes of bread and some apple also. Carbonation isn’t super strong and this one warms a bit as it goes down. The oak is oh so faint and this one does have some slight bittering on the end. I have heard this one ages well and I think I will have to pick up another 1 to test that out. Enjoyable brew.

Bottle. 2008 I believe although I did not see that on the bottle. Pours a murky orange brown color with a good amount of sediment and some small tight bubbles on the edges. Nose is red wine, cider, oak, and vanilla. Caramel nose comes through more as it warms. Flavors are pretty relaxed. A spicy oak, some caramel, and prune. A bit hot. It muddles the flavors a bit. I imagine this one is better aged a year or two so I will do that with my next bottle. Still fresher is a good drink.

2007 bottle. Lots of sweetness in the aroma, toffee, caramel, nuts, fruity sweetness, some notes of oak. I got coconut and vanilla oddly enough. Poured orange brown with a lasting nice head and lots of floaties as I got down to the bottom of the bottle. Lots of sweetness in the flavor, like an aged barley wine without any oxidized notes. Toffee, caramel, candied fruits, nuts, and perhaps a light tartness imparted by the oak wine barrels that rounds out the sweetness from all the malt. Very sweet, full malty body, 10% is hidden very well. I enjoyed this thoroughly.

2007 vintage. In the bomber bottle from the brewery. Pours very dark with ruby undertones and a large yellow beige head. Everything about this screams barleywine. Sure, its a delicious beer, but if you are going to get a gold medal at GABF for entering a BW in another category, then why not enter a BW in the American light lager category and win that one? Here’s a tip: buy this one at the grocery store in Olympia instead of the brewpub or a bottle shop as it is way cheaper.

Bottle thanks to eclectic. Pours a nice mahogany color with a big and thick beige head and lots of lacing. The aroma is powerful; loads of fruit, some strong malts, sweeter notes, and maybe a bit of chocolates. The taste is very nice; toasted malts, fruit, mostly plum and something akin to strawberry, some woody almost tart flavors, some caramel and nutty aspects also. The oak wine casks add a lot I think, something like a Barley Wine aspect, nearly tart in the finish, but balanced out well by some more traditional Old Ale flavors. Excellent. A nice creamy palate.

2006 vintage. Slightly hazy brown pour with with thick off white head and minimal lace. Malty oak aroma. Caramel, oak, malts, nuts, brown sugar, and ash. Dry floral finish

Dark brown in color with a medium sized off white head with good lacing. The aroma was yeasty with a prominent backbone of chocolate and brown sugar with notes of brandy and caramel. The flavor is also yeasty with notes of chocolate and brown sugar. The texture is syrupy. Im fairly new to English Ales but so far I love em.

Bottle of what I would assume is 2008. Tons of not well compacted yeast towards the bottom. 9 point something abv listed. Pours with a frothy off-white head and a deep haze amber body with alcohol legs as well as good lacing. Aroma of maple, oak, caramel, brown sugar, brandy a bit ashy with some chocolate. Taste is chocolate, toffee, maple and some wood. Syrupy mouthfeel with light bubbles and some warming alcohol.