Fish Tale Oaked Saison Ale
Fish Brewing Company / Fishbowl Brewpub

 

Bargain bin 22oz from Total Wine. Bottled Jun 2016?? Served in a tulip. Muddy orange in color, with a substantial head. Spicy aroma of Belgian yeast. Caramel or candi sugar flavor in the body reminds me of a Belgian tripel, though at 7% it's just slightly too light. Oak barrel flavor is very restrained and doesn't overpower the business end at all.

As a Belgian Tripel or even just a Belgian Blonde, I'm finding this beer solid and enjoyable. As a Saison, it lacks the spice and wheat characteristics that define the style. I rate it highly for what it is, not what the cephalopod on the label promises.

A: This poured a hazy gold with rocky white head.
S: It smelled like grassy hops and spicy Belgian yeast, with some lemon zest and clove.
T: It tasted like grassy hops and spicy Belgian yeast, with some lemon zest and clove and fresh wheat. It had a clean and earthy aftertaste.
M: It was watery with lots of carbonation. Nice bubbly body.
D: This was a nice saison, with scent and taste that were simple but clean and crisp. Unfortunately, I didn't notice any oak character. The body was solid and the finish was smooth, so it was easy to drink. Probably not for aging. Nice to try, but ultimately forgettable.

 

Fish Brewing Co. "Fish Tale Reel Ales Oaked Saison Ale"
22 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, label notched to indicate that it was bottled in May of 2016
$6.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Appearance: Lightly hazy deep gold body beneath a two-finger thick head of rocky off-white that very slowly drops down upon itself to become a creamy 3/4" cap.

Aroma: Mineralish yeast. Yeasty spiciness and mild clove. Yeasty fruitiness: tart apple, sweet apple, some peach/apricot. A hint of vanilla. Sweetish malt. Some minor Band-Aid-like phenols appear once it's warmed a bit.

Flavor: As the aroma suggests with less mineralish (chalky) yeast and more fruit (more apple and some additional fig and plum) and vanilla, and with a more rock-candy-like sugariness to the malt. Floral and leafy hops hang in the background. There's a sweet component to it but it's not "sweet", and then the fruit comes in cutting what is there - there's a little bit of a tartness in the nose, and that carries over here, but it's very mild, like a baking apple or a fruit that's just started to rot. The vanilla note steps in, however, suggesting sweetness, but then it's back again to dryness with a bit of woodiness. It's not particularly bitter, just what's needed, and in the end despite the teeter-totter of the sweet components versus the dryness (which keeps it really interesting) it's actually remarkably well balanced. It finishes with lingering fruit, malt, and oaky dryness. As this is an oaked saison, I wonder how it might have been prior. My guess is that the oak aging is the thing that's brought an otherwise rambunctious and more youthful saison into a more focused and relaxed state.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light leaning upward in body with a carbonation that gently bristles on the tongue.

Overall: As noted, I feel that the oak aging has taken a rather mediocre or 'unfocused' saison and turned it into something rather special. Having said that, I feel that the oak was also not overdone - they seem to have hit the sweet spot. The alcohol never really shows (although it is only 7% ABV...?), and its charm and energy continually entice you towards another sip! Given the price I paid, I'd gladly buy a case of this to use as cellar stock (not for aging, just to have on-hand when desired).