Fish Tale Poseidons Imperial Stout (Barrel Aged)

Formerly brewed at Fish Brewing Company/Leavenworth Beers
Style: Imperial Stout
Olympia, Washington USA

This might have been the best suprise of the Labor Day gathering. Not so much having it blind tasted against 8 Imperials I have had, but finishing and finding about 7 ounces left in the bottle for me to finish. Smell is mellof and slightly sweet. There is a bitter well rounded hop profile to it. Coffee flavor comes out. Really, there is a nice balance of tasting oak and vanilla and still touting some hops to the fight.

As the blind taste pourer at the 05 middle o fno where party...I only got an ounce or so, but that was enough to say: It smelled like sour chocolate milk, but pour nice and looked great. Sweet to the taste with a bitter finish. RBSG 07 I would say the same!

Bottle: Courtesy of Jsquire. I believe it was batch #3. Aroma has a lot of sweet milk chocolate with some bourbon. Pours a dark brown with a nice tan head. Flavor is very sweet with lots of bourbon. Chocolate and vanilla are nice, but it’s real sweet chocolate, almost sugary. Some fruitiness. I get very little coffee presence. A tad too sweet for me. While I do find this a tad sweet, I think my rating is lower than it normally would have been had I rated this alone. This was 1 of 11 differnt Imperials in a blind tasting.

2001 Bottle (so 4 years old) at 42nd St in Long Beach, WA. Aroma: a little oxidation but otherwise mild. Big dark head, opaque black. Flavor: the booze is immediately and always noticeable, but not overwhelming. You get roast, oak (mellow, but there) and a smooth maltiness. This is good, but still kinda hard to drink. Aftertaste of booze and roast lingers.

750ml. bottle Batch #4,2002 thanks to Dorwart. Dark black color with a small brown head. Amazing aroma that is all over the place. Molasses, dark, smoky roasted malts, dried fruits and a faint tart vinous background. Flavor was equally complex and enjoyable. Smoky roasted malt, prunes, dark chocolate and port. Thick, very rich and creamy palate. Jason, thanks for sharing and nice to finally meet you at the Heavyweight open house.

08.06.05 750ml, Batch 4, Nov. 2002. Big thanks to Dorwart for sharing this bottle. Molasses black pour with creamy brown head. Aroma is rummy, prunes, tar, toffee, maple, and lots of woody port. Thick, syrupy raisin juice. Bran, toasted grain. Kahluha, mocha on back of palate. Astringent roast and hops linger. Funny how the beers you’ve been pining for have a way of just showing up. Beautiful stuff, thank you Jason!

2000 Vintage. Black w/ creamy, light brown foam. Roasty aroma of dark, bitter chocolate & fresh coffee w/ notes of caramel, vanilla, oak & grapefruit. Thick, oily feel. Flavour is sweet & roasty up front, moves through a fine hop bitterness, then finishes leaving a lingering earthy woodiness.

[2000 bottle at RBSG] Black. Spicy butterscotch aroma with bourbon and vanilla and oak notes. Bourbony roasted malt and plenty of hops and malt bitterness make up the flavour with a nice sweet/bitter balance--above average flavour for an average aroma (for this style). Medium to full body with an almost clean finish.