Shipyard Blue Fin Stout

Brewed by Shipyard Brewing Company
Style: Dry Stout
Portland, Maine USA

This pours deep brown and has the typical Irish Stout aromas of roasted and toasted malts. It drinks dry enhancing the notes of the grains.

Expiration date of May ’07, so it was a few months past its date when I sampled it. Kind of ironic being in New Hampshire. Poured incredibly dark with a humongous amount of light brown creamy head. Medium mouth feel and a definite chocolate aroma. Bottom line: I want to try one that’s fresher another time.

Pours a five finger brown head that fades quickly to a ring leaving traces of lace. Totally black color. Light-medium carbonation and heavy bodied. Roasted chocolate nose. Flavor is roasted chocolate, bakers chocolate finish; not a really dry stout like Guinness. $1.50 for a 12oz bottle from Capitol Convenience Concord, NH.

Dark brown, small tan head. Taste of dark malt, coffee, and chocolate. Very little intensity or complexity. Minimal hopping. Bonus points for low alcohol

Bottle, thanks Muenster! This is an old one, over year past the freshness date, but I didn’t detect any problems and it was pretty enjoyable so I felt okay with rating this one. The pour is black with some ruby color and an erupting tan head that fades fairly quick to a small layer, especially considering its initial height. The nose smells very burned. Notes of burned twigs and nuts with hints of coffee are present. Flavor is pretty similar, same smoky stuff going on. The finish is dry with loads of nutshell flavor. There’s a bit of cola and graham crackers too. Not bad.
[March 25, 2009]
Bottle best before April 2009 from Vintage Cellar. This is a fresher sample than the first one I had. Pours a dark brown, near black with another explosive head. It took me a while to pour this one. The aroma is metallic, dry, with hints at nutshells. yes, very metallic. The flavor has a praline sweetness which fades to nuts and wood with some weak, though very dry, baking chocolate. The flavor mimics the aroma, though is much more enjoyable. It seems to lack that copper quality and focuses more on the really dry flavors of earth and cacao. Decent if you can just get past the aroma.

Pretty thin beer, and not much flavor other than roast malt. Totally mediocre.

Nice dark black color with a thick tan head. Roasted malt aroma. A touch of sweetness comes through the roast flavor and bitterness on a medium to thin mouth feel. Not a great stout by any means but drinkable.

Pours a dark black with a huge pillowy-brown head. Smells of chocolate and coffee. The taste is very flat for a stout and is almost cardboard-chocolate in taste. An easy drinking stout but the lack of complexity prevents it from competing with other variations.