Fish Tale Winterfish Ale

Brewed by Fish Brewing Company/Leavenworth Beers
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Olympia, Washington USA

November 2003 bottle consumed on 11/24/05. Very sedimented, auburn-tan leather with a strong amber overtone. Off-white/beige head recedes to cover and is retained there. Light lacing. Smells of caramel, light oxidation (madeira), drying, old yeast. Light, sour notes, some perfumey hops in the background and a bit of pine-resin. Flavor is dry toffee, fruity hops and yeast (juicy cherries, peaches, tangerines, oranges). Dates, raisins, orange peel bitterness. Creamy, soft texture, not syrupy, and no thinning. Well-balanced at this point (good have been pretty intense two years ago). Light caramel and oranges. Pale malt and light honey sweetness on end. Natural carbonation is light. Touch of alcohol on the very end. Substantial. I would say the aging experiment was successful here. The aroma was more mellow, and perhaps weaker, but the flavors were very well-integrated and there was no aggressive bitterness or over-the-top hoppiness.

Hazy amber in color with a thin head. Sweet and spicy with a hint of smokiness and hops in the aroma. Very smokey in flavor. Bitter and mildly hoppy with grapefruit. A little weak in body. I think my bottle is past its peak unfortunately.

Clear bright amber color with a taller stable beige head. Fresh grapefruit with a strawberry on the side, touch of caramel also on the side in the aroma. As things settle a mid herbal hops had some depth. Dang, I’m going to need to do a side by side tasting with this SNCA and Founder’s Rye with this one. Light caramel start that is quickly balanced by pine and citric hops. Malt id is the background and shows up with more caramel and cookie dough flavors. Its quite spicy in the finish and I would prefer a touch more malt thickness at that point. Long malt linger. Another hopshead joy with just enough malt to keep me interested. I’ll be picking up more of this.

Pours a nice amber color with just a bit of a head that doesn’t last long. Aroma is nicely balanced hops and malt. Smells nice, but nothing spectacular. Flavor is almost pure hops. Add some Cascade or Willamette hops and you’d swear this was a PNW IPA. Nice, but not what I was expecting with a winter seasonal. It’s nice to not be hit in the face with the citrus, though, as the palate is smooth. This could easily be a go-to beer for me if it was priced right and available year round. Nicely done, but again: Not your typical winter seasonal.

Bottle. Pours a fairly clear, medium amber color. Smallish off-white head forms and fades to a slight ring and layer leaving small, spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma is fruity, sugary and little bits of juicy fruit gum pop up which is interesting but pleasant. Lighter side of medium bodied, decent carbonation. Slightly sweet in a candyish way for just a fleeting second and then a fairly pleasant hop buildup. I am really suprised to see this is all Chinook. It seems fairly well put together for such a high alpha hop. Pretty good.

(12 oz bottle: Liquid Solutions in Tigard, OR) Okay, so this one caught me by surprise. Not remotely close to what I was expecting from a winter seasonal, this is basically just an IPA with a bit more malt backbone. Lightly smoky, toasty maltiness forms the base and a moderately bitter, citrusy hoppiness provides nice balance from start to finish. Not a very complex beer, the flavor stays pretty much the same throughout. Medium bodied with a clean, crisp palate. Your basic amber color is clear, with a fair amount of tiny particles suspended in the beer. Off-white head pours an average size and fades to a rim, leaving fine, delicate lace along the top of the glass. Yeah, it’s a good malty IPA, but just not what I’d expect from a winter seasonal.

Not bad. Amber/orange body with a decent off-white head. The aroma was characteristically hops/grapefruit but not too intense. Medium bodied, nice carbonation, smooth texture. The flavor was hops and more intense than the nose. Very refreshing bitterness. Good stuff.

Orange colour. Off-white lasting head with tendency to clump. Aroma is not as strong as expected from the description, although it is still pleasant and hoppy. Definite hoppy flavour. Malt body but hops are dominate the flavour with citrus and pine mixing together. Long hop finish.