Shipyard Brewers Choice Special Ale Brown Ale (05-06, 09-)

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

Pours dark dark brown with a thick tan head that disappears into a thin top. smells hoppy and slightly sweet. Tastes slightly sweet with a good hoppy bite and a sort of smoky flavor. Kind of thin in the mouth, small carbonation keeps it interesting. Overall, a good brown ale. But nothing too spectacular

Several minor notes balance well and sound off together. Slightly acidic sourness from yeast and lemon complements carmel sweetness. Walnut and tobacco add spice. A bit of pear goes with roasty malts and dry hops. As good as any brown nut ale I’ve had. I didn’t think this was muddled complexity but I saw lots of differing opinion and rankings in the reviews, enough to wonder if they have suffered some sub par batches or tinkered with the recipe.

I can’t say I love it, or anything else I’ve had yet from Shipyard. I’m drinking the 2006. Not much of a nose. Thin in the mouth. Great brown ale with a large tan head and a little lacing; appearance is the best thing about this beer. Taste of smoked malts, a little sweetness, a little chocolate ... with no real intensity. British hopping for floral nose and mild bitterness. Sort of would have been a great surprise to have a beer this interesting in an English pub 15 years ago; now sort of a yawner.

Dark chestnut color with a big foamy light tan head. Applesauce and sweet licorice aromas. Really not much of a sniff. Mild roasted malt with a light sweet malted milk flavor Some dry roasted nut and a touch of dry floral hops as well. What a boring brew night. Linger is lightly acidic and with a dry toasty quality.

I drank this one late (B Buy date: 07/06) Bottle, pours dark brown, almost a porter. Little head and zero lace in a chilled pilsner. Carbonation seems pumped...not sure. Didn’t wow-me for a brown ale. Got a bit of smoke....I like my meats smoked, not my beer. $8/sixer in Boca Raton

Pretty decent session ale. It pours a chestnut body with a creamy, light beige head. The aroma is rich with roasted malt, a somewhat caramel sweetness, cocoa, and a light nuttiness. The flavor echoes the nose, some herbal hop bitterness arriving in time for the finish. Not bad.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Tuck Wines, Sprirts, & Beverages, Springfield, IL<font size=-1>

From a twist cap long neck brown bottle, 2006 vintage, with a notched best before date along the left side of the front label, Aug/06. Made a decent appearance, poured a slightly hazing red hued brown with a foamy head that settled into a thin lacing, minimal amount of sticking, medium carbonation. Had a sweet roasted malty nose, barley, cocoa powdery and sugary with a light fruitiness at the edges. A crisp, semi-slick and smooth light bodied mouthfeel, above average drinkability. Sweet roasted malts with an English hoppiness in taste, softly brisk malts, barley, dry chocolate powdery mixed with sugar, the hops are fruity, pithy and lemony, provides a quick, but very mild bitterness and sweet malty, a bit watery, and lemony finish. I would have given this brown ale a little higher review if it didn’t start to fall apart at the end, not bad overall, but not something I personally would look forward to, or be a regular buyer of

Peaty, yeasty, bitter ale aroma which also comes off as chocolate and cherry. Deep brown beer, good etched label. Metallic, moderately astringent, dry, a bit floral, comes off as a bad ESB. Bleh. The aroma was promising, but the beer was a letdown. A bit overbrewed tasting, as are many of the Shipyard beers. Medium body. FInishes off a bit tart and tangy. Picked this up at Total Wine in Tampa.