10² Highly-Hopped Barley Wine Ale by Fish Brewing

Rating: 4/5

10² Highly-Hopped Barley Wine Ale by Fish Brewing Company is their 10th anniversary 10ABV% Barley wine. It is made with 10 types of hops and brewed at 100IBU’s.

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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.

Major hop and malty beer. Bitter but not too bitter. The mix of hops and malts are well balanced where you can tell that there is some other flavors like earthy grass with strong pine, grapefruit, caramel, lemon, maple oak, brown sugar notes, and orange peels. Reminds me of being in the woods camping :). Barley wine people will enjoy this. Those that enjoy super bitter and malty beers like arrogant bastard will like this, although Arrogant bastard is king.