Shipyard Barley Wine Style Ale (Pugsley Signature Series)

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.

22oz bottle, shared with Katie. This guy was a bit disappointing, considering the price tag. English-style Barley Wine appearance, near black center color with burgundy edges. Some short-lived tan head. Aroma leans smoky, with peat, chocolates, light coffee and charcoal. Dry smokiness persists in the flavor, with nuances of dark fruit, stale hops and a slight vegetative end. Thin and lightly fizzy. Not interesting at all. Eh.

bottle thanks to kp. Shared at February Houston tasting. Pours a dark brown with no head. Nose is of caramel and earthy. Taste is of fruit and caramel. Mouthfeel is medium with a bitter finish. Not that good.

Pours out dark like a robust coffee with a tall lingering head. Aromas of molasses and roasted coffee persist. Full nectar with mellow carbonation. This brew is heavily roasted and laden with molasses. Not much else but some green vegetation rind. The finish bitters up a bit.