Day 296 - Old Thumper

"A Beast of a Beer" per the label, with a pic of a mean looking wild boar. Not sure I'd go that far, but it is a classic English ale.

A light brownish yellow pour, with an earthy aroma and dry, malty taste. Another beer for sitting around a fire in a wool sweater, if one were so inclined. A modest ABV means it would take a few before I would get to that point...

Specs:

Full name: Old Thumper
Brewed By: Ringwood Brewery (owned by Shipyard)
From: Portland ME
ABV: 5.6%

Dinner tonight was at Outback, celebrating Liz getting a job at her favorite clothing store, and getting her tonsils out tomorrow. May have to pull out the video camera the next few days, as she can get funny on painkillers... The added bonus tonight was our old friend Carol came by since she was in the area visiting her folks. Luckily, she didn't tell too many stories about our college days in front of Liz, who is almost as bad as posting something on Facebook. I just couldn't bring myself to blog about the Michelob Ultra I had there, that at $1.95, was less expensive that many of my regular blog beers...

cheers!

Day 272 - Pumpkinhead

Day 6 of seasonals, and back to the pumkin flavored. This is the last of these luckily...

A very surprising yellow color, and the taste is more lageresque than ale beneath a light-handed spiciness. Take away the "natural flavor" added, and this would be a beer most beer drinkers would drink, I think.....

Specs:

Full Name: Pumpkin Ale
Brewed By: Shipyard Brewing Co
From: Portland ME
ABV: 5.1%

The good thing about timing it so that the last of the pumkins is on a friday night, is that I can, without much guilt, cleanse the taste away with a decent palie when this one, and the blog, are both finished. That would be now.....

cheers!

Day 141 - Carrabassett

First, Happy Fathers Day to any fathers that read this. Honestly, without my wonderful kids providing inspiration, I might not be writing this... ;>)

Now, I don't know how many private label beers Shipyard brews, but clearly it is as many as they have under their own label. One could speculate why that is, but maybe not whilst I'm in the state....

All in all it is rather boring. Yellow with a tinge of orange, a malty finish, but nothing that is memorable. I think I've said this before, that the "pale ale" designation means that it is a pale imitation of a good ale. The best thing is that when you are thirsty (like I am at the moment), this is a very easy to drink beer, but also easily forgotten.

Specs:

Full Name: Carrabassett Pale Ale
Brewed by: Shipyard Brewing Co
From: Portland ME (again...)
ABV: unknown

Hum, on the web this is brewed by Casco Bay Brewing Co, so I'm figuring that they may have been acquired by Shipyard, since that is what the label says. Ah well, it seems the seal is on to me now, as it is outside slapping the water again. Perhaps the critter that got into the trash the other night is tipping him off... Need to go make my dinner. Alas, I couldn't get the lobsters yesterday at $4.50/lb since I couldn't get them back alive since the place I saw was too far away, and the $5.25 local price is way too much..., so will settle for steak I guess.

Day 137 - Riptide Red Ale

So, my first 3rd beer by the same brewer (though not quite intentional, didn't read the fine print, I could blame on the fact I forgot my glasses and couldn't...). No pic either, as the batteries are gone in the camera it seems.

Off to that auspicious start, this is a very drinkable beer. A dark redish amber color, and a nice unpresumptuous malt base. I must like it as it is almost gone and I've barely started to write about it. Of course, I was a bit thirsty as well...

Specs:

Full Name: Casco Bay Riptide Red Ale
Brewed by: Shipyard Brewing Co
From: Portland ME
ABV: 5.4%


No sunset this evening as the clouds are around, and no sign of my seal begger either. Catching up a bit on the World Cup watching a replay of the Spain/Swiss game.

Day 134 - Shipyard IPA

Another day spent painting (once I had the right colors, mom has like 20 shades of green in the house and the nearest paint store is 1/2 hour away...), but as I needed some groceries as well, I picked this one up as I felt like an IPA and it was there.

The color is a burnished yellow, and the label is cheery, but the taste is just average, as it lacks that true citrusy hops hit that I enjoy. Don't get me wrong though, an average palie is still way better than most other beers, and this one would do well in a mass consumption role, when you want something a bit dry.

Specs:

Full Name: Shipyard IPA
Brewed By: Shipyard Brewing Co
From: Portland ME
ABV: 5.8%

Late in the afternoon I took a break and went kayaking since it was low tide. The water was flat and glassy, making it possible to see the urchins and starfish on the bottom. Now I'm sitting here listening to a seal pounding the water with a fin every few minutes, probably trying to get my attention to see if I'll share one of my beers... ;>)

Day 103 Shipyard

So, I'm up in Castine Maine, helping my dad with some work around their house up here (arrived today/leave tomorrow...) and we went to the house of a friend of his and mom's, first for a bourbon, which turned into a great dinner.

While there, I had this beer. While not a palie, it was a very drinkable ale. Nice color with good malt flavor. I'd definitely have this one again, and it actually would go well after a particularly strong palie, as it is soft on the palate. It is just a good comfort beer.

Of course, I neglected to get a pic of the bottle, but that can be found on the website.


Specs:

Full Name: Shipyard Export Ale
Brewed by: Shipyard Brewing Co
From: Portland ME
ABV: unknown, would guess slightly more than 5


A great time all around, listening to my nephew Bill and Mr Scott discuss Chinese history, and seeing some of the very cool stuff Mrs Scott has found at low tide along the "shore" in Castine (the town has been occupied since the 1600's).