Fish Tale 10² Anniversary Ale
10 Types of Hops - 100 IBU’s - 10% alc by vol. - Oak Barrel Aged - October, 2003
The Mighty Fish Brewers first produced 10² Barley Wine Ale to celebrate Fish Brewing Company’s tenth anniversary. The ale was so good and the response to it so overwhelmingly positive that it has become the crown jewel of our new RELEASES line. Ten different hops - Horizon, Chinook, Columbus, Willamette, Tradition, Northern Brewer, Santiam, Tettmanger, Cascade and Golding, in the order of their use - give Ten Squared a unique hop character which has to be tasted to be believed. Even with 100 IBUs, this brew sports a strong malt backbone. Two-row Pale, Caramel 40, Caramel 75, Special B and Aromatic malts impart remarkable balance for such a hop monster. This is smooth ale with surprising similarities to ten year old malt whiskey. Produced for the Holidays 10² Highly-Hopped Barley Wine Ale is usually available into late spring.
The Mighty Fish Brewers first produced 10² Barley Wine Ale to celebrate Fish Brewing Company’s tenth anniversary. The ale was so good and the response to it so overwhelmingly positive that it has become the crown jewel of our new RELEASES line. Ten different hops - Horizon, Chinook, Columbus, Willamette, Tradition, Northern Brewer, Santiam, Tettmanger, Cascade and Golding, in the order of their use - give Ten Squared a unique hop character which has to be tasted to be believed. Even with 100 IBUs, this brew sports a strong malt backbone. Two-row Pale, Caramel 40, Caramel 75, Special B and Aromatic malts impart remarkable balance for such a hop monster. This is smooth ale with surprising similarities to ten year old malt whiskey. Produced for the Holidays 10² Highly-Hopped Barley Wine Ale is usually available into late spring.
3.8
409 reviews
Olympia, United States
Community reviews
This is a really good barleywine. A nice molasses flavor with a strong hop strength. Great hoppy finish too. Fantastic all around.
22 oz bottle into a pint glass.
A: Pours a murky dark brown color. Ridiculously murky, actually. The head is a one finger yellow shade. Retention is superb for 10% - a couple of minutes have passed by and it’s still standing. Good lacing, too.
S: This one smells really hoppy - actually not so much hoppy as it is just bitter smelling. It’s about 6 months old and has still retained a nice hop bite to it. Beneath the piny hops lie a decent malt backbone consisting of caramel and brown sugar. Maybe there’s even a touch of chocolate. While the aroma is really good, I kind of worry it will be too bitter.
T: And yes, bitterness hits from the start, except it’s a troubling vegetal bitterness. It’s overly reminiscent of green pepper, which I never like in my beer. After a while all that pepper goes away, and it turns into a strongly grassy yet herbal note near the back end. Even with all the vegetal notes, sweetness is fairly high, with a ton of caramel and brown sugar on the finish. Once I get used to the peppery hops, it becomes okay.
M: It’s actually pretty crisp and clean for such a big, boozy monster, with just enough of a sweet finish to conceal the alcohol. With a slightly better flavor, this could have been REALLY easy to down. Carbonation kind of stays in the background.
O: I didn’t like this at first...but it improves after a few sips. And it deteriorates after several more. The hops here are way too green pepper-esque for my tastes, luckily every other aspect is pretty solid. I can’t really say that I like it that much. There are definitely some out there who will, though.
Bomber. Saw this at Binny’s and figured for the price, why not? Pours a murky deep rust colored brown. Smallish head with little retention. Nose is malty and dried fruit, some happiness and brown sugar. Mouth is big and bittersweet, lots of hops and malts mingling but not necessarily complimenting one another. More dried fruits, some tanniny attributes, long bitter finish. Drinkable, but an average barleywine.
22oz bottle. Pours a dark amber with a thin white head. Caramel, toffee, pine, very bitter. I'm not a fan of Barleywine as I find them to be too sweet but this one had a nice bitterness to balance it out.
Poured from 22 oz. bottle.
Densely murky with an enormous volume of assorted sizes of pale sediment, a small yellow-khaki head and very good lacing.
Aroma of aged leather, caramel, apples, tobacco, pears, leaf mould, earthy hops, pine and brown sugar.
Taste of apple cider, caramel, earthy hops, old leather, tobacco, leaf mould, pine, apples, plums and toffee.
Medium/full body and medium/high carbonation with only an occasional piece of sediment noticeable on the palate.
Except for the excessive sediment, this is a nice, complex barleywine.
Bomber. Dark amber colored with a small layer of tan head. Aroma is a potent blend of earthy hops resin, caramel, dark fruits and citrus. The flavor follows through with a hefty dose of caramel malt, grapefruit rind and resiny hops bitterness as well as some pine, oak and honey. Moderately thick and creamy body with soft carbonation and more caramel sweetness and herbal bitterness in the finish. Definitely one of the more aggressively hoppy and bitter Barley Wines around. Not that I’m complaining.
Cloudy amber, thin head.
Aroma is leather, buttery, fruity.
Flavour is med malt, leather, tobacco, bitter herbal hop finish.
Pours a deep amber brown with no head. Aroma of malt, bitter hops and booze. Taste is bitter yet malty, pine and citrus with a lot of caramel. Medium mouthfeel, more going on than your average American barleywine
Bomber. Pours a hazy orange with some white head. Aroma is sweet, nice caramel and hops. Good boozy finish.
Slightly hazy bet pour with an off white head. Hoppy and malty nose. Soft and mellow but still sweet and hoppy. Very good.
Bomber. Slightly hazy orange pour with a small white head. Caramel and whiskey aroma. Taste is semi-sweet. Slightly dry. Not bad.
Brown pour with a light brownish/yellowed head. Lots if hops mixed with brown sugar, dates, figs and honey. Warm alcohol notes on the finish.
Bottle. Pours a hazy reddish brown color with a moderate off-white head on it. Nose is hoppy and a little funky and very characteristic of the style.
Taste is a little sour and definitely bitter from the hops, though it tastes like the hops are a little old. Not a great barley wine.
Pours a hazy dark brown with thin head and minor lacing. Aroma is strong caramel malts, bourbon, and spice. Taste is massive malts, vinous and thick with bourbon, with the dry earthy hops coming in quite bitter in the end. Not bad.
Pours cloudy and brown with a minimal light tan head. Aroma is grainy with baked brown sugar reminiscent of banana nut bread. Taste is interesting for an American style barley wine. I would have thought that the hops would have ruled this one, but they seem almost equally matched with the malts - really complimentary. That is followed by some reluctant alcohol and a steady long bitter finish. This one would be interesting in a vertical tasting. Have to get some more.
22 ounce bottle from Total Wine. Brewed February 2013. The aroma is musty and vinous. Malts dominate. The beer smells sweet. Moderately hazy amber body with a medium creamy head. Herbal hop flavors to begin with, before caramel and toffee malts follow. Finishes quite bitter with an earthy and herbal hop flavoring. A big, bold beer.
Bottle. Hazy dark brown pour, thin and sticky head with an aroma of tons of spicey caramel. Flavor is also incredibly malty, caramelly, with very dry woody hops throughout, copper and slightly warming. Very nice for 10%.
Beautiful burnt tangerine pour with crimson highlights and a dense khaki head that left a spot or two of lacing. Although the nose is fainter and more subtle than the flavor, both show rich caramel, toffee, molasses and candied citrus accompanied by ripe dark fruit, spice, and even a hint of evergreen. Bright and hoppy, particularly for the style. Would pick this up again.
22oz bottle from mikem409
Pours cloudy dark amber with a medium sized foamy beige head and good lacing. Aroma is ripe dark fruit, woody and pine. Smooth mouthfeel, toasted malts, caramel, woody and pine resin
Very nice sipper.
2013 bomber from trade with michaelinwa. Pours a cloudy dark amber color with a small bubbly head that quickly fades. Aroma is nicely balanced between hops and malt. Different aromas I get are cherries, pine, flowers, citrus, toffee, caramel, and herbs. Taste is very nice too. Light sweetness up front and very fruity, cherries, grapefruit and flowers. Moderate bitterness hits right after, lots of caramel and toffee. Hoppy and spicy finish but the toffee lingers too. Smooth in the finish too and no alcohol present. Thick and somewhat oily mouthfeel. Overall, this is one of those barley wines that is not boozy and is more like a DIPA. Really like this.
22 mar 2013, bottle. Light ruby, clear, no bubbles. Nose is cherries and wet raisins. Thin/med body and mildly fizzy. Sweet raisin malt, slightly bitter perhaps rye malt. Decent.
22 oz. bottle served in a Pumking goblet. Bottled October 2011. Thanks to mfavoino for the bottle.
A: Pours a deep amber color with some ruby and brown hues in the body. A light khaki head forms on the pour and recedes to a thick, bubbly ring. Sheets of soapy lace are left down the glass.
S: Piney and earthy hops upfront with a malty backbone. Some slightly sweetness on the backend, but this a hop forward and earthy barleywine. Mild raisin pops up as it warms. A little brown sugar as well.
T: very malty upfront. Oaty and sweet there are underlying pine and grass notes. Some dark fruits with a little alcohol notes. Not hot though. Some caramel sweetness on the back end. The hops creep back up on the finish with a bitterness that cuts the sweetness.
M: Medium bodied with a medium carbonation level and a drying finish.
O: Pretty solid overall. I can’t imagine how hoppy this was a year ago, but I like the level where it’s at now. Earthy and piney bitterness meet a sweet and oaty malt base.
Serving type: bottle
22oz bottle in a snifter. Pours deep brown/ruby with a lacy, light beige head. Aroma of caramel, toffee, and pale malts plus a good amount of floral and citrusy hops. Flavor about the same. Average to smooth texture. A good beer but not the best barley wine.
Bottle from Central City Liquors, Surrey
Dark amber color, almost brown, with medium sized nitro creamy head. Strong aroma of malt, caramel, some fudge; and hops; later, there are tones of cream, sweet nuts, phenol. It’s full bodied, with a very good malt flavor, compounded by a characteristic dark caramel, roasted nuts, and very strong bitterness; the final presents some nice hop resins, and more nuttiness.
Very good, nutty American Barley Wine.
22 oz. bottle. Pours dark red amber and its hazy with a soft sudsy off white head that leaves a spotty film and soapy collar. Aroma has a strong hoppy scent with solid caramel malt as well. Taste is bitter earthy hops and solid sugary caramel malt and subtle fruitiness. Palate is full sticky and dry with a warming finish. Solid!
On tap. Solid barleywine. Citrus hoppiness with a hefty caramel malt balance. Smooth texture. Lots of similarities to Old Ruffian. Alcohol content was stealth.
Bomber from Valley Farm. Dark hazy amber in color. Nose is pretty potent. Sweetness, hops and a hint of alcohol dominate aroma. Hops up front and pretty much throughout. A little sweetness and dark fruit behind the ample hop flavor. Surprised the hops play such a dominant role considering this was brewed over a year ago. Good stuff.
Deep reddish copper in color with a tan head. Strong, malty, sweet. Dried fruit flavors (fig, raisin, cherry) and a hoppy finish. Dark alcohol taste reminds me of oak aged ales.
This one doesn’t mention anything about being oak or barrel aged. Tasted from a capped 220z bomber bottle. Pours darker than the average barley wine with an average white head that slowly recedes to average lace. The nose is quite hoppy with a lot of caramel and maple malt as well. The flavor is the same, this is a very hopped up American style Barley Wine with tons of caramel and maple malt, but the alcohol held nicely in check. The body is full with average carbonation and a very long bitter hoppy and caramel malt finish.
22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in October 2011(1 year). Pours very hazy brick red color with a nice 1-2 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing on the glass, with some alcohol legs. Aromas of big grapefruit, pine, caramel, earth, molasses, toast, herbal, raisin, biscuit, light chocolate, wood, and herbal spiciness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity. Taste of big caramel, pine, toast, grapefruit, biscuit, grass, earth, molasses, light chocolate, wood, herbal, raisin, and piney spiciness. Good amount of pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, pine, herbal, grass, molasses, dark fruit, biscuit, light chocolate, toast, wood, earth, and piney spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Great flavor balance and complexity; nearly zero cloying flavors on the finish. Medium carbonation and full bodied; with a creamy, slick, and sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barleywine. Very nice complexity, depth, and balance of flavors; quite smooth to sip on. Very enjoyable offering.