Shipyard Fuggles IPA

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

12 oz bottle, date code notched on side of label.

Hazy amber with a thick tan head. Sticky lacing.

aroma is lightly floral, lightly fruity.

Flavor is fruity apple, and a touch of peppery spice.

Clean dry finish.

Not spectacular, but a decent beer. I certainly wouldn’t turn down another.

I have always enjoyed Shipyard’s IPA for several reasons. FIrst, is for me it has the right amount of hops. There is enough of that sharp hoppy flavor where I enjoy its bitterness, but it doesnt overwhelm it, which I find several IPA’s do. Amusingly, I always said that it seemed to have a subtle apple sweetness flavor, but few besides me seemed to agree. However, I read the description here and it mentions "apple plum palate". Maybe my palette is just very refined for my age. This is not a beer worth rushing out for, but whenever I get Shipyard samplers I always try to make sure this is one of the 4.

Amber brew with expanding foamy off-white head. Very floral aroma, pears, all-spice. Heavy but smooth, kind of a cider/ale flavor. A bit spicy, with a hot sauce type warming burn. Foamy finish. Not very much hops aroma, flavor or bittering.

12oz bottle. Clear copper hue. Finger of white head. Strw, hey and a spicy hop nose. Medium and grainy. Dry English type. Fenil flavor. Slightly oily. Nothing special.

Bottle (6’er)...Fuggles, huh? Well, whatever they’re called, they help this beer. A profound IPA that is slightly soapy at the end (I am eating goat cheese, though, maybe that’s a factor). Good aroma, nice crispy finish and some sweet - and sour - floral hints.

12oz bottle poured a clear light copper color with a small off white head. The aroma was kind of weak with mostly caramel malts noticeable. The taste was clean with a small amount of bitterness and a crisp dry finish. It had a somewhat of a tart apple aftertaste. Overall an ok beer for English style IPA, but not close to the best.

Dark gold, fizzy off white head. Nose held notes of buttery florals, toffee, and dried tropical fruit. Nice English hop bitterness up front with soft floral fruitiness tones and light caramel touches throughout. Medium bodied, medium carbonation, dry bitter finish. Not nearly as bad as the scores here would indicate.....

Best By date January 2007, Sampled September 2006
Pours with a brilliantly clear amber color and is topped by an initially two finger thick, reasonably tightly beaded, light tan colored head. The beer is fairly well carbonated with a persistent stream of bubbles cascading up from the bottom. Ooh, Ringwood gone amuck, that is a funky aroma; it seems to be a mix of diacetyl, rancid butter, and ripe cheese. Underneath this are some toasty malt aromatics and a touch of herbaceous hops.

Up front this beer is a nicely hoppy brew; herbal hops and a persistent bitterness certainly fit the profile. As it passes through my mouth though the diacetyl becomes increasingly noticeable. Thankfully the flavor is not nearly as distinct as the aroma. Earthy hops, the bitterness, and some caramelized malt help to tame the diacetyl to a level that, dare I say it, almost makes this drinkable. The diacetyl adds a butterscotch note to this beer, as well as just a hint of rancid butter. It lingers on in the finish and combines with the bitterness to make this beer slightly astringent. This beer has a certain fruitiness to it as well, it reminds me a bit of berries. In fact after my palate gets used to the diacetyl a bit, I would guess that this beer used Fuggle hops (that sort of earth herbal combined with berry notes makes me think of this hop at least). An interesting beer, the aroma is over the top, mishandled Ringwood yeast, but the flavor is a bit more integrated.

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