Get Be-Fuggled

Beer O’ The Week: Shipyard IPA

Shipyard IPA packs great taste, aroma

Wamp’s Wisdom

STAFF PHOTO:
J.T. WAMPLER

Shipyard IPA is a 5.8 percent alcohol India Pale Ale brewed with Fuggles hops, an English variety known for its earthy aromas and mild bittering character.

It pours light copper with a nice, thick head that settles to a ring of bubbles, leaving lacing with each drink. Aroma is floral, earthy and complements the taste that starts with a wallop of hoppy goodness and finishes with a nice lingering bitterness that welcomes the next sip.

This is a mild example of an American IPA. Shipyard Brewery in Portland, Maine, really hit a home run with this highly drinkable ale. I tend to favor the milder English IPAs over the hoppier American IPAs and this one does not disappoint. This ale probably won’t satisfy a true hop-head but it might ease a person into the wonderful world of IPAs without scaring them off with an in-your-face hoppy beer.

Pair with chocolate chip cookies. Really.

Rating: 5 caps

Rico’s Reaction

This Shipyard brew smells so good you could wear it as cologne — if you don’t mind people thinking you’re an absolute lush.

I’ll take Wamp’s word for it that the fresh bouquet given off by the IPA is due to the Fuggles hops. Fuggles. Fuggley fuggles. Fun to say. Anyway, the beer gives off the scent of a fresh cut field full of flowers — without the side effects of hay fever.

Normally, I like hops flavor to crack me over the head with a bitter stick, but this lighter, more refreshing style Shipyard brings to the table is an absolute delight of complex, rich flavors. Shipyard’s example is a big leap for me over other recent, similar beers we’ve reviewed such as Mendocino’s Blue Heron Pale Ale and Diamond Bear’s Presidential IPA. Well done, Shipyard.

Rating: 4.7 caps

Rating System

One Cap: Put it back in the horse!
Two Caps: Consume only if the other choice is Tijuana tap water or Coors Light.
Three Caps: Acceptable without standing out. The Tito Jackson of beer, if you will.
Four Caps: Nice beer that rises above most but may not deliver enough to be considered great.
Five Caps: Truly great beer that delivers on all counts. A credit to its style. Could only be better if served by scantily clad concubines.
Six Caps: Any five-cap beer served by scantily clad concubines.