Shipyard Barley Wine Style Ale (Pugsley Signature Series)

Brewed by Shipyard Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Portland, Maine USA

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.

Bottle from BevMo. Very dark ruby brown color with a decent tan head. The principal aroma is chocolate! With some caramel. Full bodied with near creamy carbonation. Heat is clearly present. Flavors are lightly roasted caramel, "milk" chocolate, and a hint of prune. Finishes a bit astringent due to the chocolate malt. Reasonably dry in the end; earthy. Interesting and drinkable. Not your standard barley wine.

Name: Pugsly Barleywine
Date: February 20, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: clear dark brown, wispy beige head
Aroma: sweet caramel malt aroma, touch of buttery sweetness melds well with the rich caramel, light fruityness
Flavor: sweet caramel flavor, touch of rich chocolate, nice fruityness, well balanced earthyness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

22 oz bottle purchased from Tower Package in Atlanta. I didn’t find this as offensive and terrible as some people seem to. It is pretty much on par with Shipyard’s other beers. Poured a dark brown color with a one finger tan head that disappeared pretty quick. The aroma contains a lot of caramel malt and some earthy hop notes. Notes of dark fruit are present as well. This doesn’t have the character of most BWs (brown sugar, molasses, etc.). The flavor is pretty solid. A good malt base gives way to an earthy finish. The body is a bit thin, but the mouthfeel and carbonation are spot on. I found this to be an enjoyable, solid brew.

dark reddish brown pour with light brown head.complex roasted malt aroma with hops and malt taste. full dry body. Pugsley nailed this one! buy two and store one away

Pours to a near black color with a medium sized light head. Quite sweet, on the nose with a hint some serious funk. Not quite sure if this much action is acceptable but I’ll assume this is intended at this point -- it’s borderline sour. It’s a bit grassy and dark fruit on the palate. Serious figs with a Lot of upfront alcohol (which actually oversells the ABV of this one). Seems almost thin. Definitely not one of my favorites, especially since I can’t tell whether the sourness of this one is intended. I will be sure to try another to update but for the moment it’s not anywhere near the top of its game.