Fish Tale Leviathan Barleywine (Barrel Aged)

Batch #4 bottle. Pours out a deep ruby color and clear, at least on the first pour. Rocky off-white head forms composed of bubbles from small to large sized. Head lingers a good while and then fades to a layer over the surface with a nice ring around the glass edge. Great lacing. Rich aroma. Fully malty, nice woody presence, bits of cherries to my beak. Medium bodied and smooth. This is aging nicely. No big hop presence, only well balanced malt and hop. Fruity and slightly sweet. Slight tannic presence and a bit drying to the palate. Becoming a bit thin? Nicely done, will it hold out longer???

Vintages 99’ through ’02 Ruby brown in color with a small off-white head. Aroma and flavor is toasted malt,wood and nuts. Warming alcohol palate with a sweetness that covers your tongue.

Light brown, medium head on top. Leaves rings on glass. Alcohol warming ale, medium hop character, clean brew. Nutty, cherry, malts and basket of fruits. This beer shows that big beers can be refreshing and creative. Good job Brewmasters .

Bottle. Pours a thin white head with no retention. Orange brown, not a real beauty. Sweet aroma of honey and nuts. Taste is really woody - oak and pine. Bitter but balanced by lots of complexity. More wood - sawdust dry. Nice.

2000 Vintage. Hazy dark copper w/ frothy pale tan foam. Aroma is rich & malty (caramel, toffee, chocolate) w/ a juicy fruitiness (cherry) & notes of tobacco & smoke. Smooth, medium feel. Flavour is sweet & malty w/ touch of earthy hops. Finish is a little too alcohol laden & peppery.

hazy copper, beige head. woody, toffee, boozy, red liquorice aroma with cherry and malt. silky mouthfeel. woody and boozy flavour with lots of caramel and some fruity melon notes. earthy hop finish with a hint of smoke.

RBSG ’05 - a 2000 bottle - more lottery tickets, and another prize, imo, a very sweet fruity aroma, hints of hops, tobacco, and chocolate with a tinge of smoke. pours a cloudy carmel color, and features a sweet caramel malt base, highlighted by lite grassy hops, sweet fruits, a hint of wood, some tobacco and chocolate. all of these are rolled together sublimely into a smooth, velvety rich mouthfeel with no hint of the alcohol and just a fantastic taste left on your tounge. one of the great highlights of the tasting for me.

Pours a murky brown mud. Sweet malty aroma carrying traces of tart fruit, oak, and touches of smoke. Mouthfeel was not pleasant. Granular cruddy sugar mess. Although not balanced the beer had a good character of fruit, wood laden caramel. Once past that, it softened again into a bittersweet wine. But some harshness of alcohol came out in the finish. Most likely past it’s prime but you have to respect the craftmanship.