Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale

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

Nice creamy taste, mouthfeel and luciousness. Very nice winter brew. not your typical cranberry and nutmeg beer. Nice hop finish, will buy a few more by season’s end for sure!!

Purchased at the Shipyard Brewery in Portland, Maine. Dark Brown color. Tan Foamy head. Roasted Malt aroma. Dark Roasted nutty taste. Hops flavor comes out in the aftertaste long after you swallow. This is one of the best beers I’ve tasted.

Had this on tap in Kennebunkport, ME at the Federal Jack’s bar. It looks very dark, and while they label it as a cross between a scotch ale and a porter, I lean towards the porter. The scent is of coffee, maybe raisins, and a faint chocolatey undertone. The mouth feel is thick, much like a porter or even a stout. The flavor is almost sweet and fruity in my mouth, almost like a summer fruit flavor. I always feel I can taste a hint of peach. However, the aftertaste is of a nice winter porter. Rich coffee and chocolate maltiness fills the mouth. This beer really seems to feel like several different styles, taking the best qualities from each. Definitely the best Shipyard beer in thats avalliable each year!

Nice sweet aroma with roasted malt. Small, light beige head. Deep and rich garnet color, almost opaque. Roasted coffee/bitter chocolate flavor balanced with a nice sweetness. Creamy mouthfeel. Finishes clean. Very nice winter ale.

New.........Pours a dark dark brown, almost black. Light shines red through it. Thick tan head which diminishes while drinking. Aroma is very roasty, with a fairly agressive hoppiness. Flavor is initially roasty and bittersweet, with a good hop presence, tapering off to a rich estery fruit sweetness as you continue through the glass. Very good beer...............Old.....Very very dark and rich looking, with a rough tan head. Extremely roasty, with a medium body. You can tell there's a lot of hops, but they're dulled out by the vast quantities of roasted malt, and subtle spicing? I can't really tell, but it seems like there's a little something extra to this beer. Maybe orange peel, clove or coriander? A bit rough and unrefined, very much a coastal new england feel. Very very good. Probably Shipyard's best beer.

Excellent gift form Tibeeriou’s fav collection. Warm and smooth, warm or cold, though lacks a bit in body still an tasteful choice. Warming finish.

Thanks to matta for this one. Pours deep ruby/burnt sienna with a uniform, creamy tan head. Aroma of malt, big chocolate and toffee, plus brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, figs, and big butterscotch. One of the densest chocolate and butterscotch aromas I’ve ever experienced. Tastes very malty, with tons of chocoff (more choc than coff), brown sugar, butterscotch, cinnamon, and cognac. Medium, smooth palate. Slightly dry finish, but with a complex mix of fruit, spice, brown sugar, toffee, and butterscotch. A semi rauchy element occured as it warmed. This is magnificent! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would have been proud to drink this one.

Ornate cherry. Frothy, ashen foam blanket. Lovely aroma of grainy malts, toasted wood, and Ringwood yeast. Beautifully understated airy esters dressed with unsweetened chocolate, chalk, smoke, buttered malts, leather, and leafy hops. Light swirl releases the fruity esters. Mellow, creamy, and slightly sandy carbonation. Woody malt flavors dipped in chocolate and luxurious caramel. Light perfume, soft nuttiness, and leather notes coincide with subtle black cherry esters. Creamy chocolate notes leisurely build toward the finish alongside woody malts, dates, chalk, and Ringwood yeast. Delicate note of unsweetened chocolate perfectly matches the brushing earthy bitterness at the back of the throat. Leaf and soil notes linger beneath a flavorsome English yeast backbone. Breathtaking English ale; if I could only say that about the rest of their line. Thanks, matta!!