Shipyard IPA
Beer No: 20/1001
Page No: 259
Category: Amber
Today I visited both BevMo and Total Wine in search of a specific vintage of scotch. I knew Total Wine had it, but thought I might get lucky at BevMo and not have to make the trip to Total Wine (though Total Wine really isn't that far away). Anyways, BevMo didn't have it, Total Wine did, and they also got me to buy 6 more beers in their mixed 6-pack from the list of 1001. The Shipyard IPA was one I bought today. I quickly chilled it, and enjoyed with a few more pages from Tasting Beer.
This is my second beer from Shipyard - a mid-size brewery in Portland, Maine. Previously, I had sampled their XXXX IPA - a much hoppier IPA than their Fuggles IPA. The XXXX contains Cascade, Warrior, Summit, and Glacier Hops and is dry hopped with Cascade at the end as well. While the XXXX IPA is hop-overload, the Fuggles is the exact opposite. A nice blend of the Fuggles hop and malts, the Fuggles IPA is more a pale in my book than an imperial, but either way, it's a tasty beer that has a nice finish and a well-balanced flavor.
1001 Beers notes that most single-hop beers (using only one variety of hops) are usually "experimental beers, so that brewers and beer lovers can enjoy how individual qualities can be realized by a specific hop variety." For this beer, the Fuggle hop stands well on its own and is an interesting example of a commercially available single-hop beer.
My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:
Shipyard Fuggles IPA from Shipyard Brewing Company
Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1 / 5.0
Had from bottle, best by May, 2010, so right on time. Pours a golden yellow with good head that sticks around nicely through the drink. Carbonation is good. Using only Fuggles (hence the name), the aroma has a nice hoppy smell with a good amount of malts and sweetness. The aroma is not overly hoppy as you expect from most IPAs. Similarly, the flavors are not overly hoppy, but well-balanced with some malts at the start and a nice bitter, piney, hoppy finish. If you’re used to an IPA that is heavily hopped and bursting with IBUs, this is not the IPA for you (try the Shipyard XXXX). However, if you like a mellow, nicely balanced IPA (that could be almost a bit more like a pale ale), the Shipyard IPA doesn’t disappoint.
