Shipyard Brewers Choice Special Ale Royal IPA (2008)

Brewed by Shipyard Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Portland, Maine USA

Bottled. An amber beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet with notes of malt and metal. The flavor is sweet with notes of metal, fruit, and alcohol.

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Courtesy of joergen. Clear amber golden with an off-white head. Fresh, hoppy aroma with notes of apricots. Medium body, some caramel and fruit. Dry and fairly bitter finish. 130608

12 fl oz bottle. Pours clear and orange with a lacing white head. Mild spiced and hoppy aroma. Flavour is hoppy with an initial spice note and followed by a mild fruity note. Goes into a distinct spice hops finish. Dry and spiced.

12 fl oz bottle, speed re-rate at Papsoes tasting - same score and similar notes. Pours clear and golden orange with a lacing white head. Mild spiced and dry malt aroma, light cardboardish. Flavour is bitter and dry, holds a vague malt base clearly outconquored by the dry and bitter hops flavours. Ends quite dry.

Bottled. Clear amber with firm, creamy head. Sweaty grapefruity hop aroma with some hay. medium bodied with clean mouthfeel. Crystal malt plays a very significant part. It’s a bit sugary and edgy. A fair amount of hops - but in too reasonable amounts to make it one of those hp knockouts. The clean nd hard malt character is a solid foundation, but nothing that makes it standout. Finishes with long grapefruity bitterness. A solid beer where all bits and pieces are there, but has nothing to make me want to pick this particular IPA in a big crowd.

Bottle 355ml.
Clear medium orange color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, moderate hoppy, grapefruit, toffee, buttery notes. Flavor is moderate sweet with a average duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. (130608)

Bottled (thanks omhper!). Amber colour, small head. Aroma is fruity and flowery hops along with some hints of honey and grass. Also a bit malty. Flavour is fruits, some flowery and some berries. Also some earthyness. Pleasantly balanced and very drinkable, then again at the same time quite boring.

Bottle. Clear orange coloured with a medium sized off white ehad. Sweet and spicy aroma of hops and grape fruits. Flavour of fruits, hops and grape fruits with notes of grass. Dry hoppy finish.

Bright amber colour. Thin head. The aroma is a strange mix of phenols and earth. Earthy, woody taste with moderate bitterness and a hint of diacetyl. OK, but doesn’t go that far in terms of pleasing me, on account of the diacetyl and phenols.