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

Sampled in early 2005: I’ve never really been a big fan of Shipyard beers but this is one of their better one’s. $5 a six pack is a very affordable price, although I wouldn’t want to pay much more for their offerings. They also have a tendency of using the word "Special" in many of their beers. Maybe because they are a rather average brewer they have to use it to try and pump up their selections. Either way... This pours a dark brown, almost amber tinted beer. Topped with a nice amount of foamy head. Malty aroma with a malty, slightly sweet, roasted flavor. Some chocolate hints in there as well. I guess this is a brand new beer that is going to be released on a limited basis in the northeast that started February, 2005.

From the cask at Rossi’s it poured a chocolate brown color with a thin off white head that left minimal lacing around the glass. The aroma was of sweet and bitter chocolates, nuts, and roasted caramel malt. The flavor shows much the same with milk chocolate, nuts, caramel, and some bittering from hops on the back end. This is more full bodied and roasted than their regular brown ale. This had a nice smooth finish of caramel and chocolate with a touch of hops. This is drinking really well right now and was very solid coming off the beer engine. I am glad I got to try this.

2006 bottling, BB 07/06. Poured clear, darker copper with an explosive cap of beige head (1" liquid, 6" head). The aroma picked up dusty sweeter chocolates and cocoa with a bit of English floral notes.. definitely some sourness creeping in due to age. The flavor was quite tasty.. sweeter chocolate, light molasses, brown sugar, and vanilla with rising vinegary tartness toward the back (managed to compliment the maltage rather well).. sweeter finish with a mild herbal bitterness. Lighter-bodied and smooth across the middle of the palate.. light bitterness and some sour notes toward the back. Held up better than it probably should have, but doesn’t have much (if any) life left.

Pours a clear dark copper mahogany with a spotty-lacing, small frothy tan head. Has a sweet toasty, bready caramel malt aroma with some nuttiness. Body starts slightly fizzy revealing some more sweet toasty darker malts and earthy English hops before a drier, sticky bitter finish. Could be smoother and better balanced.

This bottled brew marked best enjoyed before july of ’06 from a bottle shop poured a head of all foam finely sized light brown colored bubbles that was mostly diminishing and left behind a transparent typically carbonated red brown colored body. The aroma was sweet and caramel malt. The mouth feel was thin and weakly tingly at the start and strongly tingly at the finish with a strong caramel note. The flavor contained notes of sweet caramel wheat and softly acidic.