Fish Tale Poseidons Imperial Stout (Barrel Aged)

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

2002 vintage. 0.75L bottle shared with Degarth and crizay. Courtesy of Degarth. This is one of several beers I’ve always wanted to try and figured I’d never get a chance. That’s has happened a couple of times this month.

Poured black with beautiful multi hued brown spectrum head. The aroma is intense with sweet molasses and chocolate malts. As time passes and the beer warms the tart and sour red wine like aroma begins to dominate. The first flavor I get is the tart red wine grape and sourness from the barrel. More tart than sour. At the same time there’s some malty sweetness as an undercurrent just below and on top there’s a subtle fruitiness. As the taste progresses the malty sweetness of molasses and maybe toffee begin to arrest the flavor away from the tart and sour wine regime. Just past midway a chocolate note surfaces. The beer finishes smooth. In the after taste I get sweet toffee and then later it is sort of a red wine sweet grape note. Delicious beer. Thanks Degarth.

Tried at the Great Canadian Beer Festival, a batch that had aged 6 months. Sweet and smooth.

Bottle (2001) pours black as space, large light brown foamy head, with sticky lacing.   Absolutely stunning aroma, vinous, woody (of Oak variety) and of heavily roasted malts.   I can’t think of any Imperial Stout that has as such a wonderful aroma as this one.   Picking up raisins, black cherries, and subtle chocolate notes, as well as the oaken casks they were stored in.   This is simply orgasmic!!!   Flavor is utterly phenomenal, woody with a vinous quality.   Roasted malts, yet not overly hopped, quite malty... finishing extremely smooth.   Body and mouthfeel are utterly fantastic.   So smooth... the ABV is completely undetectable.   I’d say this is as good as

<h3> LIQUID CRACK</h3>

  I am completely blown away by this.   Words cannot describe how fantastic this is.   Finishes smooth, woody, chocolate notes, roasted malts, with a lovely vinous quality.   For those that are put off by anything remotely related to wine may not like it, but the blending of this brew in Cabernet Wine casks is utterly phenomenal.   I cannot say enough good things about this brew.   WOW

Sampled at the Richmond Beer Industry Gathering 2006. Dark black body with a small light brown head. Strong rum soaked fruit and dark malt aroma. Very sweet carbonated rum soaked fruit flavor with some gentle coffee and a touch of chocolate.

Color was pure black, very potent beer, oak flavor came through nicely with the strong flavor. Hops added a nice touch.

Black, with big - no, huge - brown head. Strong aroma of raisin toast with apple butter on it. Flavor is like a taste of cherry pie. The is some chocolate and and a mix of other traditional Imperial Stout flavors, but this wonderful tart (not sour or astringent) cherry pie flavor dominates. A little bit of wineyness at the end. The 10% alcohol is well hidden and the body is assertive but imminently quaffable. Batch #4, ordered from the good folks at Liquid Solutions.

Huh? (Nov. '02 bottling): Very dark and mysterious with a huge, lofty tan head. Fruity and extremely yeasty nose. The beer felt a little lighter on the tongue than I expected, especially for 10 percent ABV, but it got better as it warmed. Malts were cakey, sweet, a little coffee-like, and woodsy. Lactic notes, with aromas of raisins, yeast and sweet vanilla. Rather sour and yeasty (musty, damp cloth) throughout. Hops built slow, and added an element of electricity (grapefruit zing), with bitterness intensifying over time. Interesting IS.

Bottle from acertain; nose of dark fruit and a wine barrel odor; smelled more of a barlewine than an Imperial Stout; Opaque ebony with a medium tan head; a lot more head than is commom for a barrel-aged stout. Flavor was only some friutiness; it had none of the coffee, chocolate, or complexity i expect from an Imp stout.