Fresh Beer The 11 (Eleven) Brown Ale

Brewed by Shipyard Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Pours brown with a thin white head. Smells of shipyard yuck, some fruit, some earthy hints. Tastes fruity with a decent herbal finish.

12 oz bottle

Thanks to daknole for sending this along with several other beers in a recent trade. I’ve been drinking them as the last days of summer fade away in a change of pace from huge beers. This one was solid enough that I’m going to have to go against the grain. At its heart it might only be a brown ale but it is well done enough that it could be a daily drinker.

Aroma / Appearance - The reddish brown body was dark yet still let through a trace amount of light. A little watery it still made its presence known nonetheless. The nose was just what I expected from a simple brown ale - gingerbread and dark iced tea. Light with only a hint of malt it was easy on the nose.

Flavor / Palate - The mouthfeel was more carbonated than I thought it was going to be. After this nice discovery came malt, a trace of bitterness like that found in an iced mocha and then a fast fade. I wouldn’t have thought to seek this out but it was a great find. The hoppy finish gives it enough character to set it apart from the crowd.

Bottle at GOBF ’08...pours brown with a very generous, fluffy beige head. Nose was toasted malts, caramel, some toffee notes. The beer was moderately sweet from the malts with notes of caramel, toffee, maybe a little coffee and nuttiness. It was very well balanced and easy to drink. Smooth on the palate, with a sweet, dry finish.

12oz Bottle - Trade - Daknole
Aroma – Nice dark malt beer with a light nutty aroma.
Appearance – Brown in color, Thick head and hazy.
Flavor – A dark malt beer with a nutty flavor this was a nice easy to drink beer. Was expecting more from this beer. Little flavor of coffee and toffee in the back.
Palate – Good Mouthfeel, nice texture with a dry finish.
Overall – This was a decent brown ale with some small issues. Needed ore time or less of one of the special ingredients. I think they had too much in the beer and it was fighting for the flavor to come out.

Bottle courtesy of Daknole. Pours a clear brown with a lot of floaters and a huge 3 finger rocky beige head that floats around like an iceberg. Nose is slightly sour upfront with mild caramel malts coming through. Taste is malt, some roasted nuts and a mild hop finish. Lighter mouth feel. Thanks Dakine.

Bottled via trade with DAKNOLE. Pours a clear brown but you can still see through it. Medium off-white head that settles quickly. Sweet aroma with roasted malt and chocolate. Rather thin mouthfeel and flavour. Just hints of coffee and bitterness. Easy to drink but not real complex.

12oz bottle acquired in trade with daknole (thanks!). Poured a deep amber to light brown, lightly hazy, and a small sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, chocolate, roast, and lightly nutty. Tastes of roast, chocolate, and nuttly. Thinner tastes and body. Lively body.

Somewhat bready earthy aroma with hints of cocoa and herbal hops. Very faint and vague vegetal note. Reddish orange color, big creamy head, with lots of effervescence. Weird spicy flavors, presumably hops but not familiarly so. Touches of cocoa and coffee. A little corny towards the finish, which perhaps explains the vegetal component in the nose. A bit on the thin side.