Shipyard Imperial Porter (Pugsley's Signature Series) - Shipyard Brewing Co.

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.74/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

Into a nonic glass:

A: dark brown colored body, a two finger foamy tan head appears and lasts about a good two minutes before slowly dieing.

S: coffee notes up front with light chocolate and tobacco ever so slightly in the background, some toffee comes out as the beer warms.

T: sweet and bitter in different aspects going between the chocolate and toffee to the coffee and the tobacco, weird, different to me. There's also a bit of licorice more so as the beer warms.

M: medium, and fairly watery. There's nothing harsh on the tongue and this is extremely drinkable, perhaps a bit too drinkable for a Baltic Porter.

O: I'm wishing this was a bit thicker for this time of year, might be better in the March/April time of the year or perhaps the October/November time of the year. I'll stick with Original No. 19.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 02:09:43 | More by kangarooAdam59

Maillard

California

4/5  rDev +7.5%

04-29-2013 08:34:51 | More by Maillard

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

04-27-2013 20:05:49 | More by Kelp

trotnixon

Maine

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

04-24-2013 10:42:05 | More by trotnixon

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

03-30-2013 02:25:14 | More by DaPan

Rick778

California

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

03-24-2013 02:14:01 | More by Rick778

Rollzroyce21

California

3/5  rDev -19.4%

03-16-2013 08:03:47 | More by Rollzroyce21

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

03-07-2013 19:32:03 | More by orangesol

bcsbeer

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

03-04-2013 18:43:54 | More by bcsbeer

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

02-28-2013 03:18:59 | More by NightINgale

jdougherty

California

3/5  rDev -19.4%

02-18-2013 07:02:16 | More by jdougherty

Kendo

New York

3.66/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Reviewed from notes.

A: Poured from the bomber, which was split two ways, into a pint glass. Body is black with a 1-finger brown head. Some splotches of lace left behind on the glass.

S: Very roasty - roasted coffee beans and a touch of charcoal. Solid porter nose.

T: Some roasted coffee, some burnt charcoal and a sweetness that I attributed to berries or dark fruit.

M: Medium body with modest carbonation; a tad bit thin in heft.

O: I gave it an "OK." I had it after a Yards Tavern Porter, which at 7% ABV is just a notch under this supposedly "Imperial" offering, and I preferred the Yards.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 17:25:37 | More by Kendo

KiMiRaiK

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

01-27-2013 22:59:47 | More by KiMiRaiK

roach4230

New York

4/5  rDev +7.5%

01-27-2013 13:55:53 | More by roach4230

StoneyPeaches

California

2.6/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Pugsley Sig looks fantastic poured - dark and rich with impressive "look at me" head that lingers on forever. But the nose is weak with a faint hint of metallic notes. Mouthfeel is nice and full though. Taste.. not so much. Starts interesting - toasted malts and hard coffee but soon butterscotch flavor overpowers and then pure bitterness. Toasted malts taste more like burnt malts. This Imperial porter is not your everyday drink. It's demanding and unruly.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 05:02:54 | More by StoneyPeaches

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.86/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

The opaque black-brown liquid sits snugly, as if it were a sleeping shelled creature under a giant husk of the off-white foam. Those bubbles seem as though they're in their own, separate biosphere they climb so high and are packed together so densely. What was once shoulder height, however, rubbed away to nearly nothing and left little decorative plaster in its wake.

The aroma gives off a blast of smoky coffee beans from practically across the room. You need only pass the bottle under your nose to catch a strong whiff of the aforementioned coffee, as well as deliciously sweet toffee and nougat notes. If there were a Quality Street chocolate flavoured like this it would no doubt be the first to go (even before the purple wrapped one).

The flavour is tinged by a fruity, slightly vinous note that resembles something like blackberries and/or purple plum. It's quite lovely. There's also a solid dose of coffee grinds and black licorice as well as a tootsie-roll-like penny-chocolate flavour. This is a substantially fulfilling beer so far as the palate is concerned; it leaves little to be desired for a porter.

There's nothing overly drawn-out about this flavour profile, though it does leave an impressionable roastiness in the finish. The alcohol is fairly high in strength (7.1%) but is quite tolerable - you wouldn't know this was an "imperial" porter if not for the label. The beer has an excellent balance and delicious suppleness that allows it to be easily enjoyed.

Barrel-aged or ridiculously over-the-top porters and stouts are the order of the day for edgy American breweries. But for their 'Signature Series' Shipyard has opted to go a more traditional, domesticated route, and they did well at it. This strikes a great balance between, on one end of the scale, familiarity, and, on the other, excessiveness. An easy one to recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 04:04:06 | More by biegaman

dna1964dna

3/5  rDev -19.4%

01-08-2013 00:45:47 | More by dna1964dna

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

01-05-2013 02:50:08 | More by t0rin0

CGAR

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

12-30-2012 13:28:40 | More by CGAR

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

625 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before March 2013. Poured into a mug and served only slightly chilled.

Pours a deep brownish-black colour with red highlights; more-or-less opaque, and topped at first with more than 3 fingers of pillowy, puffy, light tan-coloured head that reminds me of marshmallow fluff. Great retention, with multiple rings of lacing left behind on the sides of the glass as it slowly recedes. Looks great, but the aroma is comparatively meek - roasted malts, herbal hops, anise and ethanol are really the only things I can pick out. It opens up a little as the glass warms, but as a whole the aroma is too weak to be anything memorable.

Fortunately the flavours are considerably more pronounced than the aroma. There is a solid backbone of roasted malts, molasses and semi-sweet chocolate that dominates at first. Some faint dark fruit (plums, cherries) and coffee flavours come through mid-sip, but these are quickly outshone by notes of anise and the herbal, earthy bittering from the hops. The aftertaste leans toward the bitter side, with some lingering roast and black licorice notes. The alcohol is vaguely noticeable if you look for it (a little surprising at only 7.1%), but works nicely with the flavour profile. On the thin side of medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation - too much for my tastes, and it doesn't make the beer seem any thicker/chewier, that's for sure. Drinkable enough, but mostly because it doesn't come across as very heavy.

Final Grade: 3.65, a B grade. Shipyard's Imperial Porter is one of the most bipolar beers I've ever reviewed. It looks amazing and definitely tastes pretty good, but the weak aroma and thin, fizzy mouthfeel do not help this beer's case at all. I still have to give this stuff a thumbs up, but the aforementioned flaws prevent it from being a truly memorable imperial porter. There are local options (Wellington RIS and Grand River's Russian Gun) that are more affordable and equally satisfying, so this is not something I am likely to repurchase. Not an amazing deal at its LCBO price point, but potentially worth a try if you want a changeup.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 18:17:57 | More by thehyperduck

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Impressive looking beer. Black brew under a large, firm, long lasting head. Lots of lace.

Not a big nose. A whiff of dark fruit, some subdued sweetness. Just a hint of alcohol.

First impression is the taste of black licorice, followed by some dark chocolate, charcoal. Malty sweet before giving way to ashes and dryness. Lingering bitterness. Pretty strong flavours all along the way. Alcohol is well-concealed. Thin-bodied.

Too much char for my taste, too one-dimensional.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 00:55:32 | More by TerryW

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

12-13-2012 01:17:15 | More by Molson2000

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

props to andrenaline for including this in our most recent beer trade
A - nearly impenetrable black, big creamy head retained fantastic
S - big roasty amd chocolate malts with mild candied cherry, slight coffee finish
T - big roasty flavor followed by cola and coffee, mild dark fruit syrup
M - creamy and a bit on tje chewy side for a high abv porter
O - tasty and bold, definitely glad my BA in crime decided to include this one

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 21:21:29 | More by joemcgrath27

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle best before March 2013 poured in to tulip.

A - Dark brown with a massive amount of light brown head. Carbonation appears high from the pour.

S - Dark roast, coffee and cocoa with some brown sugar.

T - Big roast profile with some dry bitterness and nutty flavours. Some sweet cocoa and brown sugar flavours are also present.

M - Light to medium body. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 02:05:05 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Chris_Cali_2o9

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

11-20-2012 06:04:10 | More by Chris_Cali_2o9