Swordfish - Fish Brewing Company / Fishbowl Brewpub

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very good beer! Poured at a good temperature with a nice, fluffy, foamy, tan head that slowly settled down and some lace. Color is a clear garnet. Aroma is hop, malt, roast, fruit. Flavor's like nose; fairly dry, bitter and carbonic tang up front, with the bit of malt/fruity sweet in back. Body and carbonation good, although there's a little astringency in the finish. Also the finish is quite long, boozy, and resinous.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 04:40:51 | More by drpimento

hackmann

Michigan

4.4/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: black body with a two finger tan and creamy looking head that leave some massive lacing on the glass.

Aroma: nice hoppy presence that reminds me of soft pine; roasted grains in the mix, a touch of semi-sweet chocolate

Flavors: the hoppy notes come through with a tasty mix of pine and citrus rind; the toasted malts are present with roasted grains, bitter chocolate bite, toasted … slightly burnt caramel, I think you can even throw in coffee … medium roast coffee

Mouthfeel: low carbonation, nice bitter style (it does have a 65 IBU), the malts are doing their job for some balance, lingering roasted notes on the aftertaste, a touch of 99% dark chocolate bitterness, not heavy like a stout – closer to a porter in mouthfeel

To the Point: to me it is a tasty dark ale and perfect on this cold fall day here in Michigan.

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2012 19:20:57 | More by hackmann

beerloserLI

New York

3.4/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours out black and smells of slight roasted malt.

The taste is nice and clean with a sharp malt taste up front. A little bitter at the end but not much of a hop punch that you may find in a black ipa. A much more mellow finish.

If you enjoy dark ales it's worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 05:22:12 | More by beerloserLI

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled in March 2012. Pours a fairly pitch black color with a nice 2 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some good spotty lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, pine, roasted malt, biscuit, nuttiness, cocoa, orange, herbal, and floral. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity. Taste of grapefruit, roasted malt, pine, orange zest, herbal, floral, biscuit, char, grass, nuttiness, and cocoa. Good amount of piney bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, roasted malt, pine, biscuit, char, herbal, and grass on the finish for a good bit. Great balance and complexity of all flavors; with very balanced roasted/hop flavors which I really like. No cloying flavors at all after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a creamy, slick, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with almost zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an very excellent Black IPA. Great balance and complexity of flavors; very good malt balance and very smooth to sip on. Highly enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 04:15:59 | More by superspak

ccrida

Oregon

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is almost black with a big tan head leaving heavy lace.

Smell is softly hoppy, pine and citrus.

Taste is pretty good, for a porter. I'm not getting as much hops as I like in this style. Sweet, soft malt, a coconut note here reminiscent of barrel aging. Bought from a cooler at Freddie's, it could certainly be not fresh. The hops are there in the pine resin category, but well integrated, not dominating or pungent.

Mouthfeel is soft, medium-heavy bodied, slicked by the oils, like graphite powder.

Drinkability is pretty good. A tasty beer. Would like to try it fresh to see if it's got more hop punch or as intended. I order CDAs when I want a lot of hops. If I had been in the mood for an American style porter, this would be a fine choice as is.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 01:29:03 | More by ccrida

scratch69

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured a bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance- Dark brown with a fingers worth of tan head. Nice amount of clinging lace.

Smell- Citrusy hop aroma with notes of chocolate and roasted malt.

Taste- Chocolate with a bit of roasted malt at first that is quickly overtaken by a bitter hop flavor. The hops blend in nicely and do not overpower the other flavors.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied and crisp. Slightly creamy mouthfeel.

Overall- A nice example of the black IPA style. One of the better ones that I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 22:11:21 | More by scratch69

arizcards

Arizona

4.03/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber from Total Wine at Arrowhead in mid May for $6.99. Bottled in March 2012.

Beer poured cola brown with a nice tan head that is leaving lacing behind.

Nose is true to CDA style, nice citrusy hops with some chocolate and slight roastiness.

Taste holds true to the nose, chocolate malts form a nice backbone, roastiness is slight. Citrus and resiny hops finish strong and become the dominant theme but not overwhelming and unbalanced.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and pretty smooth.

Overall i like this brew. CDA's tend to present a lot of flavor and in some cases not blend well. But this brew is well crafted and something i would try again.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 01:29:33 | More by arizcards

shand

Florida

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint.

This beer pours out black with some ruby highlights. It's crested by two fingers of off-white head. The aroma is roasty and malty, with some grassy and floral hops on top. It really doesn't smell all that cohesive. The taste works better with a full amount of roastiness and coffee flavor working well with a balanced amount of floral and slightly citrusy hops. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and slick, and the drinakbility is good. Overall, it's a slightly above average black ale. It could use a little more aggressiveness in hop flavors and a more cohesive nose, but it's a good beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 04:31:26 | More by shand

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes.

Dark stout-like appearance, two fingers of sand-colored large-bubbled frothy foam for a head. Medium levels of retention, no real lacing left behind on the glass surface. Smells of intense floral hopping most of all, with lesser amounts of herbals, citrus peel, and a roasted malt backbone with garnish levels of burnt brown sugar aroma... Amazing nose for a Black Ale, the only thing missing IMHO would be a slight boost to the pine-resin to ablate the small amount of booziness that is present.

The flavor starts out with that charred blackened malt character and pulls back gradually from bittered char into semi-roasted semi-sweetness accompanied by more floral tones and grapefruit pith. Sadly, the complexity of the nose does not quite exist in the flavor. There is a medium-light boozey heat on the finish of this brew. The texture is rather nicely creamy and smooth on the medium body.

This beer stands out in my memory for the amazing nose. If only the other parts of it were just as well-done....

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 22:18:28 | More by WastingFreetime

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber pours an almost opaque black, with reddish amber hues only when held up to light. An impressive coffee coloured head with reasonable lacing. Mouthfeel is oily yet crisp, while the lingering bitterness in the finish is thoroughly enjoyable but overwhelms other impressions.

A rather simplistic aroma of roasted dark malts does not do the fantastic hop bomb in the flavour the justice it deserves. Sweet tropical fruits meld with coffee and dark tones. Complex yet well balanced, with a delightful bitterness at the end.

Perhaps not typical for a "Cascadian Dark Ale", but definitely one I'll seek out to purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 23:57:39 | More by hopsolutely

Chaney

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've never heard of this beer or this brewery, but I was at the store and thought I'd take the plunge.

Served in a Duck Rabbit snifter.

A: First of all, the webby lacing was ridiculous! Additionally, the brew was black, although it didn't look that way as it poured out of the glass, and the mocha, sawdust-looking head settled after a while. Nice!

S: Dark malt, with a fairly bright and hoppy citrus component poking through. This was somewhat understated, yet still present.

T: This was tasty. It was sort of a West Coast IPA/Porter Black & Tan. Lots of dark malt, but with an equal amount of citrus. There was nothing musty or syrupy here... just a nice example of the style.

M: Creamy, fresh, and not a sweet bone in this one's body (pun not intended). Like I stated before, the lacing was ridiculous.

O: I love surprised like this. I'm generally not a huge fan of this style, but I like to branch out every so often. I'm glad I did!

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 21:10:59 | More by Chaney

coldriver

Texas

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bomber pours a dark cola with nice head and lacing. Citrus and pine hops aroma with dark fruit and a hint of roasted pork. The flavors don't really "pop" with this one - pine, citrus, raisins, and chocolate are present, but are as someone else mentioned, "murkey". Mouthfeel is creamy smooth to the extreme - in fact I'll describe it as a bit flat. Overall a bit dissapointing, not offensive but pretty blah.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 18:08:26 | More by coldriver

Rizalini

Nevada

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into my Deschutes tulip. Bottled in Feb 2012, opened in May 2012.

A - Pours alost black, but more of an extremely burnt cyan. A nice 1 finger of creamy mocha colored head that leaves some nice lacing as it slowly fades.

S - Piney citrus aroma. Very excited about the freshness this one is portraying. Some faint notes of nuttiness and chocolate. Maybe a slight peanut butter aroma?

T/M - The taste is not as aggressive as I would've imagined, but still good. Once again there's the peanut butter flavor I was smelling, with a dry/bitter finish. Smooth and creamy, medium mouthfeel.

O - Overall, this is not a bad cascadian dark ale. I've had better, but I've definately had worse. The taste just falls a little flat for me, but thats it.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 07:13:07 | More by Rizalini

mactrail

California

3.03/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sweet and murky. Dark brown in the glass with a slight foamy cap. Dark fruit, brown sugar, a little molasses. Quite bitter in the aftertaste. Not particularly fragrant, and the hops are more earthy than flowery. A touch of pear cider and burnt caramel.

Overall, it's kind of flat and muddy. Tastes like a double red with raisins. Nothing really wrong with it, but the murky flavors are not very drinkable. Too bitter to be a pleasant fruity ale, and too insipid to be a hoppy quaff.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 23:59:01 | More by mactrail

100floods

California

4.13/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled in March of 2011. Opened in October of 2011.

Pours a very deep, ruby-mahogany red leaning on a mostly brown hue, with bit of a creamy off-white head. With the sun on its back it appears pretty thick in it's color.

Pine and grapefruit aromas with a noticeable resin aroma. Very fresh, very clean. Definitely hoppy.

Big hop bite. Earthy. Big tangy/grapefruit flavors. Hoppier than most Black IPAs I've had thus far. There is also a nice thick toasted malt flavor in there as well that balances the beer nicely, and it has faint characteristics of bigger brown ales, without loosing the Black IPA character. The malt character seems to really encourage the hoppier notes to shine. Notes of resin as well. Although this does not have the alcohol percentage of a double IPA it definitely does a good job of bringing out big flavors. This seems like a style that I would like without the high ABV. Each sip ends with a sharp hop bite (and a hint of toast) that is amplified by the carbonation.

Of all the Black IPAs I've had thus far, this definitely is true to form AND is true to its Northwestern roots. I definitely think 22oz might be a little more than I can handle. A pint would have been suffice, but I'm more than happy to see this bomber through.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 18:21:23 | More by 100floods

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Doesn't seem like a double... but it's only 7.5% and it was bottled in March (6 months on it).

A: Deep chestnut, light tan head, thin ring of retention, light lace.

S: Pine, grapefruit, toffee, roasted nuts... interesting.

T: Cola and pine is a bit of an odd mix, but there's some nice underlying depth: roasted nut, cocoa, biscuit, grapefruit rind, toffee, blackberry, pleasant bitterness.

M: Moderate body has a slight residual sweetness, modest carbonation, light hop acidity.

D/O: I like it, but it is a bit of an odd mix of flavours.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 00:56:17 | More by Derek

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by Pino, bottled March 2011. 22oz into some tulips.

Poured a dark brown/black with some burgundy highlights. Tan head of some bubbles and light lacing. Nose has some big citrus hop notes, loads of orange and some pine. Notes of chocolate and caramel are fairly prominent as well. Taste has more chocolate, roast and some subdued (perhaps faded) hop notes reflecting that of the nose. Although faded, they still manage to impart a good juiciness to the flavour. Good weight to the mouthfeel, medium full body and lingering roastiness. Quite nice and hoppy, freshness surely plays a role in bumping this down a notch or two. Could imagine this being significantly more satisfying when fresh.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 16:50:52 | More by liamt07

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - pitch black with a thin covering of tan head that quickly dissipated to ransom islands
S - grapefruit juice, pine, licorice and light molasses
T - molasses and brown sugar malts with hops of grapefruit, perfume, and pine
M - lowish carbonation with a slightly syrupy start, bitterness builds through finish
O - a very tasty balanced treat with the ABV very well hidden, this was a little flat which was reflected in the appearance and feel, but that may be a one off, well worth a purchase

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 03:37:41 | More by joemcgrath27

womencantsail

California

3.48/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks for sharing this, Gil.

A: The beer pours a very dark brown color with a tan head and some moderate lacing.

S: Herbal hops and pine up front, a little bit of grapefruit and orange peel, too. Finally, at least a respectable amount of hop character. But, the victory is short lived. The roast really takes over and dominates the rest of the nose.

T: The flavor offers up some of the same attributes. Herbal, piney, and lightly citrusy hops. Grapefruit and orange peel with a ligh malt sweetness and bread note. Still pretty roasty with some malt bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with medium to high carbonation.

O: Nowhere near as awful as some of the other Northwest IPAs I had, but not something I'd care to come back to.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 21:47:19 | More by womencantsail

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Boney.

Deep brown, light white head, some spots of lace on the glass. Smell is thick with cascades, lots of hop, pine and citrusy notes, roasted malt, some chocolate, biscuity with coffee grinds. Taste is roasted with coffee, bittersweet notes, hoppy, some pine, at points lightly astringent as well. Light-med carb, medium feel, mid weight. Not bad stuff overall, was bottled in March and i'm sure that when this is really fresh would make a difference, still drinkable though.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 18:31:11 | More by peensteen

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A decent Black IPA. Lots of roast and the smell draws you in. slightly less than average mouthfeel, 60 IBU though bitterness seems less than that perhaps four months has made a difference. Lacey, dark appearance. More roasted malt than anything. Not as good as the smell would lead you to believe.
Liam's bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 17:03:03 | More by northyorksammy

scootpolute

Washington

2.8/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

22 oz bottle, poured into a tulip glass.

A: Jet-black body with a nice carmel, tan head...OK lacing.

Smell: Immediate hop-hit! Also coffee + chocolate, grapefuit, orange, and pine notes present.

Taste: Hops and alcohol are the stand outs...strong...Some hints of mocha, but kind of over-killed by the alcohol...Not much going on other than some strong hop-hits, with a burning aftertaste from the alcohol.

M: Medium-bodied, a little thinner than I expected by the apprearance. Not bad with carbonation...The strong alcohol makes this more of a sipping beern not a very refreshing beer.

Overall: I was expecting more for paying 7.99 for a bomber granted the beer has 7.5%, I think the beer is 'trying' to do more than it 'does.' (combining a IPA with a porter-like beer), but just kind of 'misses-the-mark' for me...This beer is worth $4.99, not $7.99...
not impressed :~(

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 20:18:08 | More by scootpolute

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a deep brown-red, almost black. Less than half a finger of creamy light tan head.

Smell. Roasty dark malts and nice grapefruity hops. Smells good.

Taste. Roasty, toasty dark malts, Bitter citrus hops and a lasting, bitter herby-citrus finish.

Mouthfeel. Medium-full body with lower carbonation. A little alcohol warmth.

Overall. Pretty decent Black IPA. Not the best of the style, but I did enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 02:31:38 | More by Rutager

Sky2625

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle dated March 2011 to a standard pint glass (notes from 7/15/11).

A - Pours dark brown/black, but with medium body that isn't so thick that it appears syrupy. 1-finger creamy beige head with medium to large bubbles, good retention and good lace. Shines ruby/mahogany when held up to the light.

S - Medium heavy pine/citrus hop with a hint of chocolate malt. Scents stays steady and uniform.

T - Medium intensity pine hop flavor throughout, finishes with a mild spicy burn (not quite boozy, but similar). Not much bitterness for what the pine flavor seemed to indicate. A bit of semi-sweet chocloate and dark roast malt at the finish. The pine hop dominates, and the remainder of the flavors are subtle but well-balanced.

M - Smooth medium body with a pleasant level of carbonation biting at the edge of the tongue.

D - This particular bottle tastes like a dark brown hoppy IPA. It tastes great, with its good intensity of hop, but its missing the chocolate stout flavors that are prevalent when I've had this on tap. Still a GREAT beer and VERY easy to drink.

If you can try this on tap, do so. If all you can get is a bottle, it's still a must-try, but just know the bottled version isn't Swordfish in its fullest glory.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 02:24:32 | More by Sky2625

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours almost pitch black with a ruby red tint on the edges, a finger of beige soapy head, with solid retention and some nice sheeting lacing.

S - Sweet citrus hops, a bit earthy with cedar and pine, and a touch of dark cocoa and espresso.

T - A nice hop bomb off the top, with the earthy cedar and pine coming through nicely. The dark roasted malts are more subtle, but do linger on the palette with some nice cocoa and a touch of espresso coming through. Certainly more hops than roasted malts, but tasty nonetheless.

M - Comes across a tad thin, but goes down smooth and finishes with a touch of dryness.

O - A solid sample of the style and easily drinkable. The higher ABV is incredibly well hidden and a nice hoppy ale that would please most hop heads.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 05:23:49 | More by andrenaline