Shipyard Double Old Thumper Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours an attractive clear coppery red-brown with a fairly thick and somewhat persistent pale coppery-tan head that leaves a bit of lacing. Strong aroma is malty and a little yeasty with a firm overtone of apple brandy. Sharp, malty flavor has a strong brandy tang and hints of hoppy bitterness and caramel, with just a whisper of fruity sweetness. Ragged texture is fairly fizzy and leaves behind a mild but persistent tingle.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Purchased on my trip to Maine. Pours a clean copper-amber colour with a frothy-creamy warm cap, good retention and dirty lacing. Aromas of caramel malts with some butter notes and some grassy roots giving even hints of mint. The caramel base is there in the taste, but a nice bitterness from the hops get stronger, right into the finish. Gives this one a dry mouthfeel in the end. Gets better with time, got to let it breath. At that point, a decent strong ale - barley wine.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

1/2 off on clearance....well worth the try for that price. Split a few ways with some friends at a beer tasting party. Lots of regular craft singles there...not too much premium, so this was something in between. Strong Ale but pretty much a barleywine. A little too sweet for me, although this is supposed to be a double-bitter. Either way, if you drink this alone...you will be doubly thumped!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

dark ruby/amber, smells of spicy hops, sweet malt/fruit and a bit too much alcohol in the mix. flavor similar. not bad, but it's not a smooth beer. a little too aggressive, though better than old thumper and better than their average brew.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

From Whole Foods (San Francisco) in a bomber. Pours a clear copper body under a scant white head. There was minimal aroma - how come? Taste featured malt and LOTS of alcohol. Pretty good, smooth mouthfeel and a sweet influence at the finish. One of Shipyard's better offerings.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours a darkish amber, with a medium long lasting head, nice fully malty flavor, no strange bitter after tones, but did work very well with a meal of refried beans and fretos!

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

Oops, forgot to add this rating back in Feb. I think you can see why. Tasted on tap at the Celebrator Anniversary Party on 2/20/2011. This barleywine/old ale pours a muddy brown color from a 22oz bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is caramel, fruity sweet, toffee, buttery and fusel. A medium to light bodied ale. The malts are caramel, toffee and sweet. The hops are earthy. Decent carbonation, which is about the only good thing I can say about this beer. I usually will give brewers the benefit of the doubt when I have sampled a bad bottle or beer on tap. I can no longer do that with these guys, every single beer I have tasted in the last year or three is buttery and fusel, overly sweet and a total mess. Sorry guys but your beers are awful. I only tried this cause it was free. Drain poured it at the next booth. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is smooth. Aftertaste is sweet and cloying.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

22oz bottle -

This was quite an experience and definitely different from most Shipyard products. Not only was this full of spicy hops, but full of malts that really, really reminded me of a classic American barleywine that was much in the same mold as Bigfoot. Aroma has buckets full of caramel malts, with a punch of piney hop followed up by some spicy notes. Flavor has enough chewy malts to help keep the hops from becoming the main focus (which may not be too horrible of an idea). Nice balance between the sweet and bitter, but the alcohol does rage a bit out of control. Mouthfeel is a bit water-like. Wet dirt/woody hops come out about mid-pint. Didn't notice any of the butterscotch-like notes Shipyard is known for, so that's good. Overall, a damn good beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A bright amber colored beer. A big frothy textured, white head rises above. And, it stays around a fair amount of time, settling eventually into a thick ringlet. A really nice bouquet of sweet malt and gentle pine hops. A full boied smoothness on first sip. The tasting is a sharp, bold bitterness from the hops and a gentle sweet malt. Very, very nice.