Shipyard Chamberlain Pale Ale

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

Enjoyed from a 12oz bottle in a pub glass. The beer pours a medium to medium-light amber color, too light for a traditional English pale ale. The nose is hard to get a handle on, in large part because it is covered by a beautifully creamy white head. Some malt comes through, of the medium crystal variety. In terms of taste, either Shipyard’s hopping regimen is very light, or my sample had been extensively aged, as there was, at best, a balancing bitterness, without any decernable varietal hop character. However, malt character was pronounced and pleasing, showing a nice combination of slightly cooked caramel and toffee, with perhaps just the slightest hint of raison. The finish had a decent amount of residual sweetness that seemed to help round out the beer. Overall, a nice session beer, but lacking in overall malt/hop balance.

Bottle 12fl.oz.
Clear medium yellow orange color with a average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, toffee, light to moderate hoppy. Flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average duration. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20090805]

From the Bottle at Chris O’s 05/08/2009 Diacetyl and some hop aroma. Golden coloured and pale with a crisp and slightly bitter malt finish.

Golden with a small white head. Aroma of diacetyl, with some toffee maltiness behind it. Dry and malty flavour

Bottle, Beer Ritz, Leeds. This was disappointing. Darkish amber with a small white head. Caramel malt was the overriding characteristic in both the aroma and flavour and not a whole lot else. Some bitterness in the finish. A bit on the average side.

Amber color with foamy white head. Very light malt and yeast aroma. Caramel malt flavor with hoppy finish. Not especially outstanding.

Hmmm, pretty boring beer but not bad for the style. Copper pour. Aromas of crackers, caramel malt and hops. Flavor is pretty light. Some light caramel malt and hops.

Bottle (GBBF 2009) - Amber/copper coloured. Spicy malt aroma with hints of aniseed and biscuits. Nicely balanced taste with spicy malt, biscuits and hops leading to a crisp, fruity and hoppy finish.