Shipyard Barley Wine Style Ale (Pugsley Signature Series)

Bottle. Pours very dark brown with a thin tan head. Aroma is sweet and malty, floral hops, and some fresh fruit. Flavor is roasty and hoppy, lots of dark malts, molasses, almost pushing porter or stout range. Palate is sticky and carbonation is medium.

22 fl oz bottle. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is caramelish and fruity. Bitter, acidic and fruity flavoured. Overripe fruity and dark malty flavoured. Light chocolate and acidic flavoured finish.

Bottle. Poured a medium copper body with thin head. Aroma is toasted malt and fruit. Flavor had an off malty taste, low hop profile and dried plums.

Bottle from Total Wine. Pours deep brownish with 1-finger off-khaki head. Nose is malty, oaky, with cherry, feety Simcow hops, fine tobacco, prunes. Tastes dsrk malty, with figgy fruit, dark choc, rauchy cacao notes, heavy hops, nuts, and oaky bourbon. Gets rauchier late, and comes off more imperial stouty than barleywiney as it warms up. A unique barleywine, like mixing half and half chocolate impy stout with a fruity, very hoppy barleywine.

bottle poured a cola color with a thin off white head. aroma has lots of sweetness, dark fruit, rich dark malt, buttery, and coffee. flavor has some burnt coffee, dark fruit, bitterness, and loads of sweetness. the alcohol heat catches up after a while and it is odd for the style.

Bottled. Deep ruby red colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is smoked wood, sweet malts, alcohol, dark dry fruits. Flavour is sweet malts, sugar, plum, raisins as well as some caramel.

(22 oz. bottle from Lou’s Beverage Barn, cellared for 8 mos. after purchase) Pours dark rubyish brown with a thin tan head. Aroma of caramel, toffee, chocolate, fruit, candy-malt and a bit of pine. Mouthfeel is fairly smooth, lightly fizzy, actually has a bit of a milk-shake texture. Thin, syrupy film and light, droopy, broken rings comprise the lacing. Flavor of chocolate and caramel with hints of dark fruit and candy-malt. The chocolate quality sort of predominates and seems a bit out of place for a barleywine but is interesting. Light-medium bitter towards finish. A bit hot. Bitter chocolate aftertaste. Really not bad. Fairly tasty and interesting, maybe a bit confused. Probably wouldn’t recommend it as a barleywine per se but a decent big beer from Shipyard.

Bottle shared with the guys at the Barrios’ 500th Swallow Tasting. Pours a very dark brown with mohogany highlights. Unusual to pick up so much coffee and chocolate from a barleywine. More like a very creamy imperial porter than a barleywine. I am really questioning if this was mislabeled? Could this be the imperial porter?