Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale

Brewed by Shipyard Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Portland, Maine USA

(22 oz. bottle from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/maine/portland/ target=blank>Downeast Beverage Co.) Body is cola-colored, head is thick, khaki. Nose is chocolate, coffee, vanilla. Some sloppy lacing. Mouthfeel slightly watery. Taste is great and well-rounded - mellow roasted coffee and chocolate finished by mellow bitterness. Real nice, stout-like. Wateriness takes it down a notch.

Powdered chocolate, sweet cherries and caramel with notes of butterscotch in the aroma. Clear, darkest mahogany brown body is topped by a low, off white head that recedes to partial cover. Chocolatey flavour with caramel and butterscotch apparent. Diacetyl is less apparent in the flavour than the aroma but still notable. Medium body is somewhat slick and oily in texture with rather low carbonation. Bottle sampled with MartinT, Rastacouere and Siroy.

Penetrable filtered deep brown pour looks good with this nice looking beige film that is regular and foamy. Fake-ish floury and maraschino cherries juice, powdered fruit sweetness and strong ringwood butterscotch diacetyl blend together to make a rather chaotic and artificial feeling aroma that keeps on in mouth. I can say I was actually scared by that nose upon first sniff. The malts show mild roastiness and powdered cocoa notes that are overshadowed by watery liquid fruits - pear namely. Thankfully acidity remains limited, but the milkiness of the chocolate flavors betray an out of place lactic component. Thin bodied, unusually filtered for a winter offering, powdered light feel. I thought the ABV was higher which somewhat excuses some of its thickness lackings, but there are several improvements I can think of as far as my personnal likings go : Different yeast strain, lesser filtration, less fruitiness. It does feel wintery still, so I guess that’s what they were aiming for and I’m impressed by the spice absence in that regard.

Any first impressions?
-Frail head over a rich velvety brown gown.
-A bold chocolate and fruity butterscotch perfume might bother some diacetyl-fearing noses.
-Mouthfeel is thin and filled with prickly, fat bubbles.
-Roasted malts and cocoa powder dominate the flavor profile.

What if you dig deeper?
-Green hop bitterness and ashy roasted malts lie underneath.
-Smoky hints reside within the chocolate powder.
-Cherries proliferate in the malty sweetness.
-Not able to create its own identity, this diacetyl-laced hybrid misses its target with me.

Bottle; no date.

on tap at Federal Jacks dark brown color sweet smell and a nice toffee taste with the right amount of hoppiness at the finish real nice and smooth had to take some home

bottle, pours dark brown. aroma is a nice balance of roasted malts, some hops and other sweets such as toffee. taste is similar, some nuttyness; roasted malts and toffee linger, with a nice bitter hoppy finnish. nice mouth feel, this goes down nice and smooth. This is shipyards best brew.

Poors a deep amber with a brownish head. Smells of roasted caramel, malts, and some spices. Flavor is sweet and just a little bit fruity. Smooth on the palate, nice dry finish. A tasty brew for a cold new england night

Black, with notes of brown and red. Toasty, chocolatey aroma, with notes of prune. Surprisingly earthy taste, with notes of pine, chocolate and some weird moldy flavor I can’t quite identify. Dry finish.