Fish Tale Leviathan Barleywine - Barrel Aged
With its assertive hop bitterness, delicious malt flavor and long, dry, hoppy finish, Leviathan Barleywine is a brew of mythic proportions. Dark amber, rich, and malty with a most very hearty alcohol strength, it is capable of soothing the savage beast in us all.
Leviathan rises out of Pale, Carastan, and Chocolate malts with monstrous additions of Chinook hops for bitterness and Cascade hops for flavor and aroma. This vintage ale finishes quite dry after a long maturation period. As it comes of age in the keg, subtle flavors of sherry, pear, and roasted nuts will develop.
Leviathan rises out of Pale, Carastan, and Chocolate malts with monstrous additions of Chinook hops for bitterness and Cascade hops for flavor and aroma. This vintage ale finishes quite dry after a long maturation period. As it comes of age in the keg, subtle flavors of sherry, pear, and roasted nuts will develop.
4
320 reviews
Olympia, United States
Community reviews
RBWG Winter Gathering, Asheville, courtesy of someone. Pours a hazy brown color with white head. Caramel, bourbon, oak, slight vanilla flavors.
Bottle at RBWG Asheville Grand Tasting. Huge thanks to Jay! Pours mostly clear amber with a bubbly head. The aroma holds lightly tangy, semi-dark malts, figs, brown sugar. Medium sweet flavor with soft tang, ripe berries, dates, raisins. Full bodied, oily, with fine carbonation. Warming finish with wet wood, mild dryness, tangy fruits, brown sugar, hints of orange, bread. Interesting nuances here. Great to try.
Bottle @ RBWG. Pours a Murky orange appearance with a little head. Wine, grape, oak, heavily oxidized aroma. Dark fruity, a touch of vinegar, thick caramel, grape flavor. Well past its prime but fun to rake.
Taster at RBWG 2014 grand tasting - thanks to the person who shared this! November 2002, hollly shit! Shared by springslicker. Amber color, kind of reddish orange. Minimal white head. Sherry, dark fruit, raisin in the nose. Some tannins. Lightly spicy. Good smooth very light carbonation, more dry finish. Bigger body. Moderate sweet taste, lots of tannins. Alcohol pretty well hidden, as good as I’d expect a 12 year old ba barleywine could possibly taste. Some notes of oxidization, but it works well in this application. Just a light hint of tartness. Fantastic, longer aftertaste. Very tasty stuff to sip on! Pretty impressive! Can’t believe how old this is
Brown red pour with no head. Aroma is bourbon, dried fruit, and sweet malt. Flavor is dried fruit, bourbon, and sweetness. Nice warmth. A bit past its prime I think but still good. thanks springslicker
Bottle pour hazy copper. 2002 vintage. Nose still boozy, caramel malt. Taste sour up front, aged malt, still some bourbon. Long finish. 12 year old beer, still some heat
Aged, climate controlled, cellared bottle from a trade drank on my 46th birthday. Pours turbid ruddy brownish ruby with tan head. Nose was caramel malt, oaky spirits, hops, cacao.. Tastes oaky,, bourbony, with cacao, nuts, prunes. Complex and hot yet rich and hefty palate, with cacao, rich earthy malt, dark fruit, and yeasty caramel. This one is exemplary, and the age has served it well. I wish I could get more of this one.
2001 vintage
Pours ruby, off white head
Smell huge juicy red fruit and spice, fig and bread
Taste sweet rum and raisin, booze, red fruit, sweet, strong
Full bodied, thick
Pretty good, held up well
Batch #1, bottle from Bottleworks, worked out as rating #1600. Dirty mahogany with a beige head around the rim. Plums, raisin, some oxidization, sherry notes with oak presence, warming booziness, somewhat bready. Mild carbonation, moderate+ body, bit dry, slightly sweet but pleasing, long complex finish that keeps on giving. What a special treat to try this.
Batch 4 bottled November 2002. What a treat to drink this alongside of a Poseidon from 2001. This barleywine was a mix of caramel and wine with a slight bitterness. Enjoyed this one a lot.
Big thanks to Brad for this one. Batch 2 (2000; merlot barrel aged) and Batch 3 (2001; cab franc barrel aged) served together.
Merlot barrel aged. Nose is quite smooth with a bit of wine in the background. Flavor is surprisingly hoppy. Super smooth.
Cab Franc. Nose is hoppie than the batch 1 and the nose isn’t as wine heavy. Flavor has a bit more booze. Great caramel and fruit
750mL thanks to ygtbsm94. Had both the Merlot and Bourbon BA versions. For the batch 1 2001 Merlot version: Pours a clear deep red with decent yellow foam. Nose is excellent tawny maltiness, toffee, caramel, barrel, strawberry. Taste is still quite bitter, minty, hoppy, tangy strawberry candy. Palate is nutty, spicy, some sweet maple and balancing lemon dark chocolate. Very impressive palate.
Bottle, batch 2, courtesy of ygtbsm94, thank you! Hazy golden color. Aroma of vanilla, tannins. Taste is boozy ruby port and caramel. A big beer.
Merlot barrel, batch 2, 2000. Thank you Brad!
The beer is ruby chestnut with over an inch of tan head. Surprising carbonation. The aroma offers wine, oak, malt, booze, fruit. The flavor brings sweet, boozy barleywine. Well done. Medium to light in body with moderate carbonation. Fun!
Bourbon barrel, batch 3, 2001.
Similar flavor and appearance. Well water and booze with a silky feel. Aged gracefully. Delightful.
2000 Merlot Barrel Aged Batch #2 thanks to alen. Pours with a clear amber-orange hued body with a small off-white head that lasts. Aromas are floral, hardly any oxidation, rich malt, bready, caramel, honey, light wine. Flavors are huge, baked bread, blackberry, black currant, malty, bready, honey, sweet, medium wine barrel. Very well aged, hardly any oxidation. Still great carbonation, wine, medium tannin. A touch thin, but otherwise great!
Bottle of batch 2 sampled at Muckfest III. Clear reddish copper pour with a medium beige head. Malty and grainy nose with notes of wine, whiskey and caramel. Grainy malt flavor with some bourbon before a sweet red wine finish.
Bottle at Muckfest III - Pours murky brown with a tan head. Nose is sweet bready malt, dark fruit, toffee, but not too sweet. Taste has creme brulee, brown sugar, sweet honey bread, toffee, and a light yeastiness. Smooth and full-bodied. Feels past it’s prime, as some papery cardboard creeps in but that’s fine--it’s still a solid beer.
Bottle. Pours cloudy orange/red/dark brown. Aroma of caramel malts, toffees, dark fruits, red wine barrels. Flavour the same with red fruits. Gorgeous, smooth, light carbonation and well balanced.
8/20/11 batch #3 via dak.
rich dark amber with a small creamy pale khaki head.
the aroma and flavor show loads of vanilla, bs, green barrel notes, maple syrup, soft bourbon, oak and vinous qualities. it is over the top oxidized and very oniony as well... despite those two things, it has held up quite well. 8/4/7/3/16+
Tasting @ Home with J&C, October 2011. Bottle from a trade with tytoanderso. Many thanks Tyler ! Dark red/brown with a huge lasting off-white/reddish head. Very sweet malty aroma and flavour, lots of wood, vanilla, ripe fruit, caramel, alcohol has mellowed down a lot. Despite being of considerate age there still is some hoppy bitterness. Very balanced, complex and enjoyable. Also it paired great with some Fourme d’Ambert
750mL bottle, bottled in Nov. 2000, cellar’d by Bottleworks since then, split with manuchampions, Matts_Property and uhlan, Pours a murky dark amber / brown with a small beige head. As with Poseidon’s, nothing is off about this despite its 11 years of age. Aroma of caramel malt, dark fruits, toffee, red wine notes, subtle sweetness in perfect moderation and somehow some indication of its age without any oxidation or dulling. Flavour is rich and complex - no hint of anything gone off here either - caramel malts, dark fruits, apples, subtle red wine barrels and the perfect amount of sweetness. Amazingly well-balanced - aged superbly. Glad I got the opportunity to try this one. Too bad Fish Tale doesn’t brew this one anymore either. Delectable.
Sample from Dedollewaitor, thanks Mads. Hazy maghoni body with no head (probably because its a sample). Aroma is lots of dark fruits, alcohol, caramel, oak, vanilla. Flavor is alcohol, dark fruits, oak, burnt caramel, light hops. Almost no carbonation (again maybe because its a sample that is a couple of days old) But still a nice beer though. Would love to taste it again.
Bottle at Fin & Loz’s tasting with Jan, Charlotte, Craig, Stella & kids consumed Sat 22.10.11 Jan brought this along, cheers Jan. Hazy brown with no head, there is plenty of big fruitiness in the mouth and some fruitiness on the nose, along with alcohol. Thick in the mouth, but just really fruity and warming. A6 A3 T7 P3 Ov14 3.3
Bottle at fins ... deep red brown ... sweet roast big vanilla toffee nose ... soft toffee roast .. big sweet malts ...figs and blackcurrant ...
Bottle 750ml.
[ As Fish Tale Leviathan Barleywine (Barrel Aged) ].
[ Courtesy of Nightfall ]. Clear dark red amber color with a large to huge, frothy, good lacing, fully lasting, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, toasted, caramel, fruity, wood, oak, vanilla, oxidide notes. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, woody, dry, warm and lovely ;O). Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20111008]
7-4-8-5-17
Bottle 750ml.
[ As Fish Tale Leviathan Barleywine (Barrel Aged) ].
[ Batch #2 - Vintage 2000 ]. Unclear matt medium brown amber color with a small to average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, toasted, oxidide malt, dried fruit, wood. Flavour is moderate to light heavy sweet and light bitter with a long duration, fruity, wood, oxidide, dried fruit. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20140926]
7-2-8-3-15
Bottle. Absolutely fantastic, I drank the whole bottle by myself over a sick spread of cheeses, salami, bread, and fruit put together by my girl. Big cabernet grape & caramel malt aromas. The pour was reddish brown with a fleeting white head. Huge cabernet wine flavors up front give way to outstanding aged barley wine notes of sweet caramel malt, plum, other dark fruits, and vanilla. There’s just a hint of booziness in the finish. Wow......
Unlabeled bottle thanks big time to a special friend. The bottle came from the brewer himself. 2001 vintage probably. Opens with carbonation. Dark brown cloudy with lots of sediment. Sweet bourbon and light oakyness in the aroma. You get lots of sweet spices vanilla and oak flavors. The alcohol was smooth and there is hints of molasses. Very tasty brew still 10 years later.
Unlabeled bottle thanks big time to Brewdad for sharing! The bottle came from the brewer himself. 2001 vintage probably. Opens with a hiss and pours out lots of carbonation. Pours a mostly cloudy brown color with a nice beige head. The aroma is awesome; super sweet vanilla, toffee, sugary fruit, molasses and some oak. The flavor is a great mix of sweets and even a hint of red wine barrel; robust sugary sweet malts, figs, vanilla, perhaps most surprisingly a tart red wine element. Some dark sediment. Light dustiness, but overall it has held up quite well. Awesome. Thanks Mike for sharing this gem!
Thanks to cpferris for this rare -bal tick. Hazy amber in color with a small off-white head that leaves a good thick film. The aroma is undoubtedly old, with sherry notes from oxidation, but a good caramel malt presence and even a hint of aged hops behind that. Caramel malt flavor with sherry notes and faded resinous hops. On the sweeter side. Medium-plus bodied, and it has even retained some carbonation over the years. Solid stuff.
The beer pours amber in color with an off-white head. Big time oak aroma with a bit of red wine to it. Brown sugar and toffee with a surprisingly mild oxidation. Not too much going on in terms of the the aroma. Typical barleywine flavors going on here. Toffee, brown sugar, and toasted bread. Oak, vanilla, and red wine (maybe some red fruits) round out the flavor. Medium in body and a decent amount of carbonation.