Fish Tale Poseidons Imperial Stout (Barrel Aged)

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

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

In short: A surprising imperial stout that is both very roasted and very vinous.
How: Bottle 750ml. Forgot to write down the vintage. Old. Sent to me by my man after4ever. Thanks a million Tom
The look: Very dark burgundy body (near black) topped by a medium tan head with medium retention
In long: Nose is very fruity with strong vinous notes. Stupid me I thought that this was another Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Stout and because of the strong sour vinous nose I thought the beer was infected. The nose (and the taste) leaves no doubt about the nature of the beer. One of the most vinous imperial stout I’ve ever had. Taste is very complex. First I was surprised at how roasted the beer still was despite its strong vinous character. Very roasted in fact, and this dries out this otherwise juicy vinous beer. Vey roasted and very vinous are two first things that stroke me about the beer. Other flavors included, raisin bread, various dark fruits, wood barrel, banana cake. As expected with a carbernet barrels aged beer there was a juicy sour grapes flavor in there but it was mostly kept in check by the high roasted level of the beer. Named after the all powerful god of the seas, now on the payroll of British Petroleum.

Batch 4. Black body with a small tan head. The nose is nutty bourbon, vanilla, chocolate and molasses. The taste is very sweet, lightly bitter with citrus, bourbon and chocolate. Full body is rough with moderate carbonation. Doesn’t work for me.

Batch No. 4 / Bottled November 2002

3/17/2010: Fish Tale Poseidon’s Imperial Stout (barrel-aged in oak wine casks)... Aroma: Port-like aroma (tending toward red wine), very dark chocolates. Appearance: Still plenty of carbonation; pours out in a smooth dark brown color; decent tan to brown-colored head that perpetually bubbles. Flavor: Vineous with quite a bit of dark and semi-sweet chocolates; wood-soaked alcohol; interesting red wine/grape sourness that actually works well with the other flavors. Palate: Medium-full; hefty body; smooth and slightly sticky. Overall: Very good and holding up quite well.

750 ml capped bottle (10% alc. by vol.) from bitbucket via trade. Thank you very much Bob. I really appreciate it! Rating #274 for this beer.

bottle at RBWG, pours thick black, medium dark tan head. Aroma is strong oak and vanilla. Very good sweet chocolate malt and creamy coffee with a thin tart cherry in the finish.

Bottle shared by shigadeyo. Poured clear dark brown with a large frothy light brown head that mostly lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate to heavy toasted chocolate, coffee malt, small hop with a small alcohol aroma. Medium to full body with a creamy smooth texture and flat carbonation. Heavy toasted dark chocolate malt flavor with a heavy bittersweet finish of long duration. This is a standout beer.

Sampled via a very generous man at RBWG 2010! The aroma and flavor are very sweet and fruity, but the background in there is dark, malty, ashy, and more.

Posiden 04 RBWG@RLRL-thanks to growler-750ml bottle– pours a light brown ring and brown color that sheets the glass. Aroma is earthy, funky. Taste is earthy, dark malt-roasty, dark fruit, oak. Soft carbonation.

(750ml bottle) Pours a black body with a medium tan head. Aroma of caramel, raisins, chocolate, light roastiness, some oxidation, and wood. Flavor of raisins, soy sauce, caramel, chocolate, and plum.

Thanks to puzzl for sharing this... I really thought that I’d had this before, but I was either wrong or too stupid at the time to have entered the rating. Deep black pour with a thick tan head. The nose is intense. Lots of bright, rich, vineous character. A bit of cocoa and soft fruitiness through the middle. The barrel really shines here... not really vanilla/bourbon laden like so many others. Sweet chewy malt with a bit of dark cocoa and heavily toasted malt. A little bit of cherry and soft fruity hops. The age barely shows on this one, it’s still got loads of time left in it. Lingering herbal finish.

750 ml. green bottle. Batch #2. Bottled November 2000. Different label from that pictured. This one has an old man holding a trident and a red sea horse; a very epic label. Purchased at Bottleworks. Cost me nearly $50, but I figured for New Years 2010, what the hell. Poured rather thin, but has a nice lighter chocolate head. Nice black opaque body. Damn this thing looks pretty good despite the non-viscous pour. Aroma is a wee bit sour at first, but once you get past that you get the chocolate and wood aromas hitting your nose. A very aromatic beer I must say. If I didn’t know any better I would say there is an aroma of chocolate malt coming through as well. This aroma is very nuanced, and I am pleased with it because it just keeps me guessing. Again, flavor is a little sour at first, but then this sucker just develops from there. A touch of wood, smoke, chocolate, coffee, and some roast. Seems a bit carbonated at first, but then this sucker just mellows and provides a relatively rich texture. I wonder what this would be like fresh? I like this brew, but I am going on a 9 year-old bottle. Very good, and very happy to have tried this.