Shipyard Barley Wine Style Ale (Pugsley Signature Series)

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

clear amber, small light brown head. aroma of stale hops, and malty sweetness, old beer notes. flavor is caramel, malt, sweetness, bitterness, his barley have a nice flavor indeed, not hoppy as such, but gracefully aged beer of great quality. sweet and bitter blends well

Bottle. High creamy and lasting off-white head. Very dark ruby body. Lovely and complex aroma of cocoa caramel dried fruit. Heavily hopped roasted malt cocoa caramel flavor with a hint of alcohol although it has been well hidden by the hops bitterness. Low carbonation. Long bitter aftertaste.

Bottle. Clear red brown coloured with a small beige head. Sweet and fruity aroma of caramel with notes of dried fruits. Sweet flavour of fruits, dried fruits, hops and grape fruits. Dry hoppy finish.

It poured a dark black liquid with a small foam. It had a strong smell, spicey, sweet, burned, smoey and some alcohol. The taste was similar with some burned and smokey, toasty and spicey yet smooth with a warm alcoholic finish.

Dark brown with red glimts and a medium beige head. Aroma had roasted malt,c aramel and plums. Flavour wass sweet and full bodied, caramel, plums and mild chocolate and breadish notes. Finished sweet and full. Found hints of hops in it.

Bottled. A deep red beer with a brown head. The aroma has Notes of nuts, fruit, metal, and berries. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, bread, berries, and bread, leading to a bitter bready and fruity finish.

The beer sat deep red in the wine glass, and if the light struck it the right way, looked almost black. The head atop was quite large for the style, looming at nearly three finger thick. The smell was roasty with coffee and dark fruit, which was very nice, had this been a Stout. It was quite odd to smell these aromas in a Barleywine. The taste was a mix of astringent and roasty flavors, followed by a caramel finish which was again way out of place for the style. The beer also lacked much sweetness, which is what I thought English Barleywines were all about. I feel a little bad rating it this low on the taste,, as I liked the flavors. The mouthfeel was thin and displayed none of the velvety characteristics and syrupy viscosity I was expecting. And at only 8.5%, no warmth to speak of either. What were you smoking when you wrote the recipe Mr. Pugsley?

This beer pours a dark brown with lots of red highlights. A small tan head soon becomes blotchy islands. An aroma of well ripened fruit, alcohol, and unmalted barley. Flavor begins with a big chocolate rye bite. Hops soon enter the fray adding spice and zing. This is followed by alcohol and dark fruit. Finish is smooth chocolate and dark fruit. This is not a great barleywine and it disappoints in that category. However, this beer could be thrown into at least a few styles. In my opinion, it is a better beer than the scores here suggest.