Fish Tale Old Woody English Old Ale

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

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.

pours a semi-cloudy dark copper with a red tint when held to the light, thin egg-shell head, decent lacing. smell is of malt, caramel, oak, slightly hoppy, and some dark fruits. taste is thick and sticky, caramel, malt, some pine, roasted nuts, dark fruit, ends slightly bitter. overall reminds me of a barleywine only a little thinner.

750ml bottle, from Nov. 2002. Tasted Dec. 2008. This was one hiding in the bottom of the fridge that I kept planning on drinking and never got around to it. It opened with a loud "pfffft", letting me know that all was well with this oldie. The color of this gem is a ruby tinged brown, that is just not quite clear. There was a fairly large off-white head on mine. A wonderful mix of fruits, floral, woody and spicy aromas. Very smooth and rounded taste. A faint tartness to it with some fruits providing that. Spices, malts and a tinge of alcohol in the background. Very warming as it goes down. This is very good!

From mcbackus via trade. The pour was mostly brown with some slightly lighter ruby highlights. The head was off-white and there was spotty lace. The aroma was very malty with some light spice, floral hops and some alcohol heat. The flavor was mostly malt with light hops and some light alcohol. Above average mouthfeel.

2008 Bottle - Pours copper orange with a medium off-white head...aroma is malty dried fruit and floral hops...flavour is what you think when you headr "strong old ale"...high alcohol, high honey malt, bitters that linger...i’m drunk now....

Bottle shared by alexsdado6. Poured a dark cloudy brown color with an average frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate to heavy roasted woody malty aroma. Medium to heavy body. Medium to heavy woody bittersweet flavor with a medium woody finish of moderate to long duration. This is a standout beer that is excellent for style.

22 oz. bottle, 2008 vintage. Pours a beautiful ruby amber with light carbonation and nearly no head. Sweet aroma with hints of wood and apple cider. Good body - smooth and slightly thick, but not syrupy. The sweetness in the flavor is balanced by a dry hoppiness.

(22 oz. bottle from TheCheeseMan, thanks Daniel!, cellared for 10 mos. after trade) Sweetness and alcohol…Pours cloudy darkish amber with a bit less than a finger of light amberish/biege head that stays as a thin covering. Aroma of licorice, caramel, candyish malt and raisin. Mouthfeel fairly smooth, a tad sticky, about medium-full. Light weepy rings of lacing. Flavor of licorice, raisin and candyish malt. A fair bit of alcohol presence arises towards finish. A bit of a boozy wood presence and some smokyish malt. Some chocolate on the back of the tongue in warmer samples. At times this reminded me of both a doppelbock and a barleywine in terms of flavor and aroma. Pretty enjoyable big beer with some complexity but maybe a bit raw in terms of the alcohol-soaked feel.