Pugsley's Signature Series: XXXX IPA
Shipyard Brewing Company

 

 

 

The best quality of this heavy duty IPA is the it's nice amber color. But, tohen you are hit by a storm that appears to have hit the Shipyard hard. A sniff of this will warn you of what you are about to embark on as the alcohol is definitely apparent. You are then in the midst of the storm without a life preserver as you fight back the waves of each sip. It goes down hard and really no satisfying taste. Once at the end of the bottle, you have made it to the eye of the storm and the treacherous waters calm, but only for a moment as the 9.25% kicks in and you embark again on dangerous waters. However, a beer with heavy horsepower if you need one.

 

12 Oz bottle poured into glass
No date on bottle, which already lowers the overall score. How can they omit the date?? Would guess based on others beers in the variety pack, around 5 months old.
Look - amber color, somewhat hazy and some sediment. Medium foam head and some glass lacing
Smell - sweet and bready. Not much in the way of hops. Orange rind, slight cinnamon.
Taste - It's almost too sweet. It is probably oxidized because very little hop character. Alcohol is very present. A big malt bomb without much in the way of flavor. It's offputting to some degree because of the lack of IPA taste and high alcohol taste. Carbonation is medium and body is heavy.

Overall, not pleasant and not sure even how old this is which is very disappointing. Even fresh, i don't think it would be very good. Of all the Imperial IPA's i have had, this one masks the alcohol the least. Grade is a C

 

Bomber poured into a mason. Going to space this out over two servings.

Appearance: Amber with a big eggshell head. Fairly clear.

Aroma: Kind of herbal and grassy, along with malt sweetness in the background.

Taste: Lots going on here. Brown sugar, burned toast, booze. Some hops. Raisins. Caramel. Grass.

Mouthfeel: A slow sipper owing to the booziness.

Overall: Decent “big” beer, but a little bit odd. Almost seems like an ESB crossed with an IPA. The booziness overpowers the hops in a way that kind of impedes flavor. A decent offering, but some flaws are noticeable.

 

 

 

 

 

Tasted from a bomber bottle with a twist-off top (I haven't seen that before).

L - Deep copper color with brilliant clarity. Off-white head was 1/2 inch thick on initial pour and sank to a thin sheet of bubbles and thick, sticky lacing. On the dark side for a DIPA, but an attractive beer.

S - Aroma was malty and "old", lacking the fresh Northwest hops I expected from the description on the label. The hops aroma gave an aged impression. I could not find a date on the beer label, but I suspect this was an old example. The strongest aroma was of raisins and brown sugar, with an aged, almost stale impression. Based on the smell I would have guessed this was an English Old Ale or even a Barley Wine. There was nothing bad about the aromas, they were just unexpected for a US DIPA.

T - The flavors were right in line with the aromas: heavily balanced toward the malt, with a sweet, slightly aged impression. There was a strong raisin/prune flavor. The hops had a strong citrus and grapefruit flavor, but they were secondary to the malt. Very clean fermentation with no yeast character.

F - Medium to heavy body with low to moderate carbonation. Along with the sweetness, these contributed to the overly heavy, almost cloying impression. Medium hops bitterness. Light alcohol burn, especially considering the 9.25% ABV.

O - As an American DIPA, this was a disappointment; but purely as a beer experience, it was nice. I would have rated it very highly as an English Old Ale.

 

 

 

 

Decanted from a 12 oz (355 ml) bottle into a Weissbier vase; bottled on 7/10/2017 and refrigerated since.
A: Pours a hazy copper color with a one half inch, off white head, fair retention and some lacing.
S: Fruity Bouquet. Aromas of honey, caramel, molasses, and cocoa predominate.
T: Palate follows the nose. Sweetness as from cane sugar overshadows but does not quite overwhelm bitterness.
M: Medium to full bodied almost like a barley wine. Thick in the mouth with overly sweet aftertaste.
O: Generally enjoyable interpretation of DIPA, if somewhat at edge of style.