Fish Tale Leviathan Barleywine (Barrel Aged)

[Bottled November 2001, Sampled October 2004] An unclear amber beer with an orange head. The aroma is extremely hoppy, but also contains notes of grass, chocolate, and alcohol. The flavor is sweet with lots of alcohol, that burns, but also hops, grass, and berries. Nice winter beer.

(Bottle 75 cl) Hazy light brown with a handsome, creamy and rather stable, beige head. Fresh, caramelish head. Solid, full body with lots of caramel and some lightly perfumy, fruity notes. Lightly hoppy finish. Tasted at the Oklahoma Beer tasting March 06 hosted by mjames and lilannie. 250306

From bottle, blind #12, vintage 2001, courtesy of thewolf. Pours hazy dark brown with a small tan head. Sweet caramel malt aroma, light yeasty and spiced too. Sweet caramel, liqourice and slight breadish flavoured. Distinct alcohol, phenolic and spiced bite. Warming alcohol finish, slight throat burn. Lasting breadish and dark caramel malt impression into the far finish.

Name: Leviathan
Date: 02/24/2001
Mode: Bottle
Source: Belmont Station, Portland
Vintage: 1999

dark amber, whispy head, heavy malt hop aroma,big body, rich malt flavor with lots of balancing hops, lasting bitterness, no apparent alcohol, typical nw barleywine

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.7/5.0
Score: *4
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Name: Leviathan
Date: 03/14/2002
Mode: Bottle
Source: dogwood tasting
Vintage: 2000

dark amber, whispy head, rich malt flavor, slightly sweet, hint of oak,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Score: *4
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Name: Leviathan
Date: 01/10/2004
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

clear dark amber, lots of tiny bubbles, light malty aroma and flavor, hint of sweetness, touch of alcoholic heat, light fruity character, grows on you as it warms

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Score: *4
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Name: Leviathan
Date: 01/04/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Ale Atlanta
Vintage: 2002

muddy brown, wispy beige head, sweet and tart woody cherry pit aroma, rich malt flavor, lots of brown sugar character without too much sweetness, finishes with a tartness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **+/4

Reddish-brown colour. Hazy. Low carbonation. Sweet, earthy, raisiny, slightly woody, toffeeish aroma. Palate is smooth, sweet, oily with raisins, cherry, raspberry and nougat notes. Great complexity here. Exceptionally well-balanced, too. The fruity, vinous accents of the wine really take the sweet barley wine malts to a delicious place.

(750ml, batch #4, bottled Nov. 2002) Opaque mahogany body topped my minimal off-white head. Aroma is medium sweet, oak-aged vinous, toffee, fig. Taste is medium sweet, oak first and foremost, but also chocolate, toffee, vinous, finishing oaky red wine. Very lightly carbonated full body. With its light carbonation and oak/vinous characteristics, this is much more evocative of red wine than beer. Not that I’m complaining. Despite my appreciation for the beer, however, I recommend sharing a bottle of this size -- the taste gets a bit overwhelming when tackled alone.

Bottle. [thank you, after4ever]
[Bottle #12 in the Kolding Blindtasting, 20th June 2009]
[vintage 2001]
Pours muddy brown with a small, steady, creamy, beige film head. Very nice and very soft aroma. Vinious, raisins, caramel, oak, plums, vanilla, biscuits; all rolled into one elegant package. Low carbonation, super oily mouthfeel. Flavour though, is even better. Lots of oaky presence, toffee, dark chocolate (a lot), raisins, vanilla. Long, lingering aftertaste with fine bitterness and sweet caramel. Warming. Damn, this is one brilliant BW that has been aged perfectly.

2002 bottle, kudos to sham It pours a dirty earthy color, brownish orange dirty river alike with a thin off-white head. The aroma is explosive with oaky tones, mint and oranges. Vinous profile jumps to the face, full of grapes, sherry. Palate is fruity (grapes, cherries, bilberries, apples, pears), yeasty (bready particules) with a mild tartness and a wine-like astringence. I know some people dislike it, but I just admire the balance kept and very original character of this beer after aging in oak barrels. It gave it a totally unique flavor profile and it kept most of the lovely barley wine characteristic, complexity included. Rather full body with low carbonation. I need more of this, somehow, but you just owe respect to original quality recipes executed well.