Shipyard Barley Wine Style Ale (Pugsley Signature Series)

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

Mild wood malt aroma with a slight amount of nuttiness. Dark brown color with a small tan head. Light sweet beginning with a light alcohol bitter finish. Moderate palate.

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.

Pours clear dark brown with mahogany highlights and a 1 finger fuzzy beige head that has decent retention and leaves a few specs of lacing. Suprisingly this stuff coats the glass nicely when swirled. Aroma is dark fruit, caramel, a little roast, light earthy notes, and overripe apples. Flavor is caramel, roast, dark fruits, licorice, black tea and overripe apples Light bitterness and metallic tastes toward the finish with herbs and tea aftertaste. Palate is light to medium bodied, thinner than I would like, with a slightly slick feel and light, but fairly sharp carbonation. Not bad overall, but the off flavors are a little strong and it could use a little more body. Still, it seems to be drinking a little better than it was when I first tried it, maybe 10 months ago, so it might improve taste-wise with a little more time on it.

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.

Pours dark reddish brown color with tan head. Aromas of dark fruits and caramel. Flavor of burnt malts and caramel, but not in a good way. Some off flavors. Medium to full body with mild carbonation. Rather disappointing.

Not a huge aroma: notes of caramel and toffee with just a bit of a twinge of oddness I can’t quite describe. Flavor is flat, like stale cheerios with a drizzle of un-sweet caramel. Palate seems a bit thin even though it’s 8.5%...how did they manage that?! Not great.

Bottle. Pours a dark amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty caramel aroma withsome hints of dark fruit. Sweetish fruity malty caramel flavor with some hints of chocolate and dark fruit. Has a fruity malty caramel finish.

Bottle 650ml.
Clear medium red brown color with a large, frothy to creamy, good lacing, fully lasting, light beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, caramel, light chocolate, light oxidide malt, alcohol, dryed fruit notes. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20090802]