Fish Tale Poseidons Imperial Stout (Barrel Aged)

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

Black; Thick head; Nose was sweet and stout-ish. Wonderful cabernet qualities. Tannins? Tastes nearly like it should go with a steak. Great depth.

Samples of 2001 and 2002 vintages. This baby is bottle-conditioned alright - there was a fat plug of trub that formed a complete seal in the bottle opening in the 2002 bottle. Gargantuan spumous brown head that eventually faded entirely. Viscous and nearly opaque black body. Aroma of dark chocolate, caramel, dark-roasted coffee beans, raisins, alcohol, port and wild yeast. The flavor is dominated by strong Cabernet characteristics, medium funky acidity, cigar, cola, and prunes with a beastly but pleasing hop bitterness. Strikes me as retro-infected, in a good way, like it pulled tannins, wine residue, and dormant yeast from deep within the oak. Intense earthy bottle-conditioned complexity. This brew is balanced like a see-saw with a 500 lb woman on each end. Super rich but refined palate with some early fizziness. Outstanding.

Definitely a good Imperial Stout. Very dark/black color with a head that faded away too quickly. It had a nice aroma with just a hint at the ABV. Chocolate and coffee flavors are well balanced. A well done beer that doesn't have an overpowering alcohol flavor.

Second time I've tried this beer(thanks beer_god!)Beautiful chocolate stout creamy head with intense burnt and cocoa aromas. Smooth as silk like a rich chocolate dessert.Finishes long and sweet. What an Imperial stout should taste like!

Had at the Dallas RB Tasting. Black, black, black. Chocolate head, nice & toasty - very rich strong aroma. Tastes very dark, burnt roasted malt. Subtle chocolate notes. I can definitely see why this is one of the top Imp Stouts.

Vinous aroma, grape, shrimp cocktail too. Absolutely pitch in color. Pour a big head subsiding to a thin layer of very dark lacing. The palate is all over the mouth, the carbonation attacking with a full frontal of flavor. Musty up front then chocolatey and bitter, with a hoppy bite at the end to remind you that this is from the Pacific Northwest. A little alcohol comes out of the aroma but is less present in the flavor. Very enjoyable.

Batch 4 - 11/2002 - Bought at the Fishbowl Brewpub. It takes balls to put the King of the Sea on your bottle of stout and they deserve to get away with it. Pours a murky caramel colored head with extra duty lacing. The aroma is sweet and pungent - like a fine port - intoxicating. Palate - oily and silky. Every sip is like a shot of fine liqueur. Meant to be savored and swished around the mouth. Flavor is syrupy sweet but not sickenly so, chocolate, maple syrup, roasted coffee - its all in there and blended together nicely. Also makes a good addition to your morning coffee the day after!

Re-rating a bottle of 2002. The wine flavors completely mask anything that would resemble an imperial stout... no burnt malts, no licorice or smoke, just a small hint of chocolate. The sweetness of the oak wine casks is a pain.