Shipyard Brewers
Choice Special Ale 2005 Edition
Review Date 4/10/2005
Try?
Re-buy?
When I first
moved from Rhode Island to Georgia some three and a half years ago, I
thought one of the hardest things to give up, at least as far as the world
of beer goes, would be those wonderful strong brews the likes of barleywines,
imperial stouts, and strong Belgian ales. At the time, you couldn’t buy beer
in Georgia with an alcohol content over 6% by volume. At least not legally.
That problem, I’m happy to say, has been solved, since Georgia amended its archaic laws and raised the alcohol content permissible in beer to 14%. But as it turns out, what I missed most wasn’t the higher alcohol brews after all: it was the wonderfully unique Ringwood ales that are a hallmark of New England brewing.
Those beers are scarcer here in Georgia than hen’s teeth. So you can imagine my glee when, on a recent trip to Florida, I spotted a twelve pack assortment of Shipyard ales from Maine. Shipyard has had a presence in Florida since 1996, when they opened a “brewport” in the Orlando Airport; it unfortunately closed last year.
I pounced on those babies for all I was worth, much to the chagrin of neighboring shoppers. Among the other beers in the sampler were three bottles of Shipyard Brewer’s Choice 2005 Brown Ale. Of course, Shipyard already makes a brown ale, which is a little lighter in both body and alcohol content than this one. Here’s what Shipyard says about the beer:
Brewer's Choice 2005 Brown Ale is a full-bodied, dark brown ale made with 5 different malts and 3 varieties of hops. Pale Ale, Crystal, Chocolate, Roasted Barley and Wheat malts combine to give this beer a nice smoky taste up front and a smooth, full body, finishing with a crisp hop bite at the back. Hops used in this limited edition brew are English Challenger, Styrian Goldings, and East Kent Goldings at the finish. Available February March. 5.4% alcohol by volume.
I have gone on about Ringwood yeast, and it’s important to note that this is a special strain of yeast indeed. It’s famous (or infamous depending on your point of view) for throwing off buttery notes. Some like this, some don’t. I most certainly do, as you can no doubt tell by now.
Shipyard Brewer’s Choice 2005 Brown Ale pours to a rather dark brown color with a light creamy tan head formation and delightfully buttery nose. The palate is packed with rich notes of butterscotch, toffee, raisin, candied fruit, chocolate, and mushroomy Ringwood yeast flavors.
In some ways, the beer is reminiscent of Shipyard Old Thumper in its dark malt character, though this is a far sweeter beer. To be sure, there are hops in the finish, though they gently kiss the drinker with their grassy aroma and only keep the beer from being overly sweet, not from actually being sweet.
This is a truly magnificent ale indeed. The above described notes of chocolate, toffee, and raisin are so deeply embedded into this beer and so wonderfully flavorful that you just can’t stop sipping at the stuff. Or at least I can’t. And the unique Ringwood yeast notes truly mark this beer in the English style.
Not to be missed.
That problem, I’m happy to say, has been solved, since Georgia amended its archaic laws and raised the alcohol content permissible in beer to 14%. But as it turns out, what I missed most wasn’t the higher alcohol brews after all: it was the wonderfully unique Ringwood ales that are a hallmark of New England brewing.
Those beers are scarcer here in Georgia than hen’s teeth. So you can imagine my glee when, on a recent trip to Florida, I spotted a twelve pack assortment of Shipyard ales from Maine. Shipyard has had a presence in Florida since 1996, when they opened a “brewport” in the Orlando Airport; it unfortunately closed last year.
I pounced on those babies for all I was worth, much to the chagrin of neighboring shoppers. Among the other beers in the sampler were three bottles of Shipyard Brewer’s Choice 2005 Brown Ale. Of course, Shipyard already makes a brown ale, which is a little lighter in both body and alcohol content than this one. Here’s what Shipyard says about the beer:
Brewer's Choice 2005 Brown Ale is a full-bodied, dark brown ale made with 5 different malts and 3 varieties of hops. Pale Ale, Crystal, Chocolate, Roasted Barley and Wheat malts combine to give this beer a nice smoky taste up front and a smooth, full body, finishing with a crisp hop bite at the back. Hops used in this limited edition brew are English Challenger, Styrian Goldings, and East Kent Goldings at the finish. Available February March. 5.4% alcohol by volume.
I have gone on about Ringwood yeast, and it’s important to note that this is a special strain of yeast indeed. It’s famous (or infamous depending on your point of view) for throwing off buttery notes. Some like this, some don’t. I most certainly do, as you can no doubt tell by now.
Shipyard Brewer’s Choice 2005 Brown Ale pours to a rather dark brown color with a light creamy tan head formation and delightfully buttery nose. The palate is packed with rich notes of butterscotch, toffee, raisin, candied fruit, chocolate, and mushroomy Ringwood yeast flavors.
In some ways, the beer is reminiscent of Shipyard Old Thumper in its dark malt character, though this is a far sweeter beer. To be sure, there are hops in the finish, though they gently kiss the drinker with their grassy aroma and only keep the beer from being overly sweet, not from actually being sweet.
This is a truly magnificent ale indeed. The above described notes of chocolate, toffee, and raisin are so deeply embedded into this beer and so wonderfully flavorful that you just can’t stop sipping at the stuff. Or at least I can’t. And the unique Ringwood yeast notes truly mark this beer in the English style.
Not to be missed.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
