Shipyard Barley Wine Style Ale (Pugsley Signature Series)

Brewed by Shipyard Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Portland, Maine USA

i really liked this one. drank fresh so the hops were very previlant which i really liked. it cut the sweetness with a nice bitter bite on the finish. taste lasted for a while after last drink. finishes smooth and sweet with a crisp hop bite. great drink

Bottle: Deep red colour, creamy brown head. Aroma of viny,citrus,malts,and sweet caramelly, and some rasberry. Flavor had a creamy mouth feeling,spicy,caramelly, medium to full body, long spicy and coffee fruity finish. Nice!!

On draft at Oldsmar Tap House. Pours a brownish red, with tan highlights and thin wet lacing. Aroma is big on caramel and woodsy notes, with brown sugar. Flavor has a roasted aspect to it, with caramel, some oak, chocolate, and espresso in the finish. Dry, medium-bodied, smooth and good, alcohol is hidden. Not sure why this is rated so low.

Bottle. Poured a dark red brown with a beige head. Aroma is molasses, chocolate, coffee, and dried fruit. Flavor has some toffee sweetness and a lot of dried fruit flavors, such as raisin, prune, and cherry. Reminded me of an oatmeal raisin cookie without the spices. There’s also a distinct vanilla note and a bit more coffee. Has a subdued alcohol warmth at the finish. Not nearly as hoppy as most barley wines I’ve had, but I enjoyed the malty complexity. The malt profile is not unlike a good scotch ale. I really enjoyed this one, and it’s nice to really enjoy something from a brewer after being a bit let down by another one of their offerings.

22oz bomber from the local Hannaford. Pours a nearly opaque very dark brown with nearly an inch of light tan head that leaves some impressive lacing. Caramel, toffee, chocolate, butterscotch... Chocolate, coffee, caramel, toffee characterize the flavor. Hints of butter here and there, but diacetyl was impressively subdued. On the upper side of medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Not bad, a solid example of an English Barleywine for sure, being more of a malt bomb with hops playing second fiddle as it were. Not sure it was worth the price - maybe it was... However this has to be about the best Shipyard I have ever tried. Way to go Shipyard!

Pours a very dark brown with a tan head. Bourbon notes in the nose. Flavors are of Molasses and Vanilla with hints of sweet raisons. Tastes wood-aged although the bottle does not state this. There is some rye-like notes in the finish. Very smooth mouthfeel. Excellent winter beer.

Bottle is aged close to one year. Pure black color with a nice and thick caramel colored head. Aroma has a roasted barley malt scent with some chocolate and coffee undertones. Taste has a nice chocolate flavor with a little coffee in the back end. Nice and smooth aftertaste with a little bite.

I think this gets a bad rap. So it tastes more like a Guinness than a barley wine, big deal. I think that it is really a good beer once you get used to it. Pours a dark red with a tan, fading head. Aroma of brown sugar, yeast, and dry malt. Flavor, as I say, is something like a Guinness poured into an Old Guardian, with dry, bittering hops and caramel, as well as some booze and yeasty malt. Not really much of a barley wine, but a fine beer.