Fish Tale Poseidons Imperial Stout (Batch 5 +)

Brewed by Fish Brewing Company/Leavenworth Beers
Style: Imperial Stout
Olympia, Washington USA

Spawned on Nov of 2005, I believe, 12 oz bottle. Pours a very dark brown with a quarter inch head that fades pretty slowly. The lacing is very thick and quite sticky. This isn’t quite as dark as most of the Imperial/Double stouts that I’ve seen. Smell; lots of dark roasted malt and coffee aromas. There’s and underlying sweetness, with molasses and toffee with some dark fruits and nuts thrown in. Taste; the roastiness is just as strong in the flavor as it was in the aroma with coffee and roasted malts. After the roasted flavor a sweet molasses and a little chocolate come out, and some dark fruts make an appearance. The finish has a bit of an alcohol kick to it, but it doesn’t take over at all though. Mouthfeel is maybe a touch thin for an Imperial stout, but it’s still thick enough to let know that you are drinking a stout. Drinkability is good, as this seems to be disappearing quickly. I just finished shoveling the 3 foot snow drift in my driveway, and this was a pretty good beer to relax with afterward, and to ease the pain in my back a little.

Deep black in colour, thin but lingering tan coloured head, some light lacing. The aroma is very rich, lots of dark chocolate, a bit boozy, some molasses, dark fruits and coffee. The flavour is again quite rich, noticable licorice, very malty. Hot alcoholic mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes very hot, lots of alcohol warmth, lingering. Just like the barrel aged version, there is too much noticable alcohol for my tastes.

355ml bottle obtained in a trade with <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?U target=blank>Larry Pitonka, thanks Andre.
Bottled November, 2004.
Batch #5.

Bottle from footbalm. Dark, dark, dark brown with ruby edges. Damn this stuff smells and taste like bandaids!! There are some roasted malt flavors as well as molasses, and chocolates notes but I can’t get past the bandaids. Smooth mouthful that gives way to hoppy bandaid finish.

This one was labeled "Reel Ale". I think it was. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and some hints of dark fruit. So dark you can’t see through it, but with halogen behind it there are some ruby tints along the edges. The tan head didn’t last long. Started with a hint of chocolate, followed by such dark toasted malt flavor that tar comes to mind. Molasses comes along. The near burnt malt covers the tongue. It’s almost smoky. There’s hop too, but it’s hard to distinguish from the toasted flavors. The finish goes on forever, and the hop finally arrives to provide some balance. Marvelous stuff.

22 oz bomber. Pours a black color with a medium sized whitish beige head. Aroma is of fine chocolate,roasted malts with a hint of burnt piney hops. Taste is very much like the scent-dry hoppy chocolate,roasted malts and slight pine flavor. Very good.

[Bottled. Marsiblursi delivers] Black colour. Brown head. Big, fiery and toasty nose with segments of chocolate and black currant. Wonderful, compact flavour profile. There is a good toastiness with milk chocolate, and also grass lurks in the background. Soft mouthfeel and a superb chocolatey bitterness that seems to last forever.

(Bottle, thanks to Marsiblursi) Sampled at a tasting night at Marsiblursi’s place. Vintage 2006, labeled 8%. Black color, brown head. Sweet and vinous scent, also alcohol and grains, chocolate. Taste is grass and nettles, quickly overrun by burnt rubber and oil, coffee and chocolate, alcohol. Smooth mouthfeel, medium high bitterness.

(Bottle, thanks Degarth) Pours black with red and brown hints Roasted, dark fruits, roasted nuts, and berries in aroma with hops, alcohol and it is a bit vineous. Dark malt and dark bread. Sweet, roasted, light burned flavour with dark chocolate, burned dark fruit and some liquorice root. Full body. A bit sweetish. Hoppy and coffee-ish afterbitterness. Very well balaced. I like it alot.