Shipyard Barley Wine Style Ale (Pugsley Signature Series)

Chocolately brown with a thick pillowy tan head, the result of an aggressive pour, and very nice lacing. Strong aromas of dark fruit, toffee, brwon sugar, and alcohol. Robust, complex malt flavors featuring figs, raisins, mollasses, and an oak woodiness. Warming alcohol sensation throughout. Medium body, lively carbonation, and a slightly dry finish.

Bottle from kp at February Houston Tasting. Thanks, dude! Pours a deep black with a retarded plumb odor. Flavor is floral raisin, dry chocolate cherry with dust on it from years of neglect. Average mouthfeel. Sink this bastard.

February Houston tasting. Thanks to KP for bringing this. Pours a dark burnt caramel with a thin mocha head. Nose of cocoa and mocha. Flavor of grapefruit and hops. Medium bodied. Seems more like a dark IPA.

Pours a deep caramel brown, with a small off white head. Smells of some bready yeast, caramel malt, and some dark fruits. The flavor seemed overly fruity bitter to me. Unbalanced throughout, just not a good flavor mix here. the bready yeast flavors were minimal. Almost seemed like a forced barleywine. i wasnt really expecting much here, and this didnt disappoint.

This dark brown ale poured with a decent beige head and a chocolate aroma. There is a chocolate and coffee flavor with a soapy bitterness at the finish.

Poured dark brown, nearly black, with mahogany edges and a thick tan head. Creamy looking. Thick, sticky lacing. Never seen a barleywine look like this; more like a cream stout or imperial porter. Earthy, wooden malt with a chunk of cocoa powder and hops in the nose. Equally creamy mouthfeel; very unexpected. Roasty malt, again earthy and wooden. The chocolate really comes through as it warms. There is a resiny bite, but it comes off more like part of a barrel-aged character. It was very nice, but the density and heft of the beer made it a bit unwieldly in terms of drinkability. I had wished someone was there to help me finish the bomber.

Bomber. Pours an opaque chocolate with a small spit of a head. Aroma is caramel, slightly funky cocoa, berry and oats. Flavor is raisins, tartish berry mix, light chocolate, dry oats, caramel and some nice char on the finish. Medium body is a little sticky, but the char on the end makes for a roast-dry finish. Really does taste like a higher abv porter/stout. Interesting and underrated, probably due to its British hop/yeast characteristics.

This is a strange barley wine. Pours a dark brown with small light tan head. Lots of caramel malt in this one, as well as chocolate, roastiness, and hints of fruit. Rather earthy. Very malty and chocolate for a barley wine... it’s stoutish.