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

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a very large beige head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains roasted malts, coffee, milk chocolate, some dark fruit and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with mildly sweet flavors of chocolate, coffee and dark fruit that are quickly followed by a hearty roasted malt character. There's a little bit of smokiness in the background. The hops presence is mild but exactly where it should be for this type of beer and brings a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is dry and slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, although there are better beers in the style that I would choose first, this is still a solid beer worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2011 04:27:25 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked this up at the Biergarten in Jenks...

Could've swore I reviewed this, but I'm getting old...

Pours an effervescent mahogany with 3+ fingers of fluffy mocha head. Very good lacing & above average head retention

S: Carob & dark fruit, some musty grainyness

T: Carob, dark fruit, slight smokeyness, charred wet grain & a touch of iron up front. Vanilla, mocha & charred grain come through as this warms. finishes with grainy sweetness, a bit of hazelnut & a kiss of astringency

MF: Smooth, creamy, faint grainyness, rich body. Thins out a tad as this warms

Drinks very easy, ABV is well hidden, a respectable take on the style. I don't like a lot of shipyard's stuff, but their bigger stuff is not bad...

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 06:49:29 | More by russpowell

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Ale and Witch

A - It pours a deep brown-black, shiny, and with a medium body at most. There is an inch of tan foam, short-lived.

S - The nose is mostly comprised of various roasted qualities: coffee, cocoa, hazel- and chest-nuts; but it is not too heavy or one-dimensional either. As it airs out, I pick up on various dried dark fruits.

T - The taste is just pleasant. Again, continuing the theme of the nose, there is a lot of roastiness. Coffee (not espresso) and cocoa nuance are subtle but discernible, the booze is not discernible at all. Sweetness is moderate, and well-balanced by a slightly earthy hop.

M - The body is just about right at medium, which works well. The carbonation, however, could've been more enhancing, as it felt a tad prickly.

D - This is easily one of Shipyard's best.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2011 23:16:44 | More by ktrillionaire

Satchboogie

New Hampshire

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle (best by 3/11) poured into a snifter

A: Pours dark brown, opaque, tiny brown head that almost immediately recedes.

S: Dark fruits (plums, raisins), chocolate, alcohol,

T: Main characteristics are prunes and plums, fairly dark roasted malts, little bit of char. There's a good bit of dark chocolate and maybe a bit of espresso bitterness. Some molasses, but there isn't that much sweetness. Slight floral hops that leaves a bit of leafy bitterness in the the dry finish, but is balanced and enough in the background to not be too noticeable. Has a little alcohol warm in the finish.

M: Medium carbonation that lasts to the finish, the body is more in line with a standard porter rather than an imperial/double. It's just borderline viscous.

D: This to me is just a borderline imperial stout, it drinks fairly easily, but not what I expect from something labeled "Imperial".

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 06:06:19 | More by Satchboogie

Halcyondays

California

3.35/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a dark brown with a light off-white head, no lace, a bit pallid.

S: Very chocolatey, pungent, chocolate cake, smells a lot like a good English porter.

T: Chocolate, some roasted malt, bit chalky at times with a hint of coffee. Nothing really Imperial about it.

M: Medium-bodied, brusk crisp carbonation, tad of carbonic acid is unfortunate.

D: Nice enough porter, but with the exorbitant prices the bomber goes for makes it a definite pass at the price.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 21:13:49 | More by Halcyondays

GallowsThief

Florida

4.18/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured out of a bomber into my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours out a big, bad black. Massive creamy brown head.

S - Ahh sweetness. Chocolate smelling comes right through. Coffee and mocha as well. Not strong at all but pleasant.

T - Oh nice aggressive tasting porter but in a good way indeed. Some nice roasted malt flavor with just a hint of sweet. Chocolate taste is great, tastes like a dark. The ABV comes through at the back end with just a bit of warming in the throat.

M - Full bodied and nice and creamy. Coats the mouth just right. Leaves a surprisingly nice tingly feeling on the palate.

D - Yes very drinkable for the ABV. It goes down very smoothly. So smoothly it would get me in trouble quickly.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 01:08:51 | More by GallowsThief

Stoneyrok

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a new Belgium fat tire bottom inscribed globe glass from a 1 pint 6 oz bottle. Huge head became puffy in middle as it receeded around the edges. Smell was slightly weak due to head but smelled of dark roasted malts, caramel, chocolate. Tasted like nose smell, nice chocolate on the front end, low bitterness, extremely heavy carbonation, almost too much. Prickly on tongue, sweet deep malts in the after taste, low on hops aroma and hops taste, but alcohol is well hidden. Could drink this slowly throughout the evening. Honestly an average imperial porter missing something, maybe some depth and complexity. Excellent as a porter style in fact Style is dead on. Nice beer, would be better with age, I got impatient.... Again lol

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 03:56:04 | More by Stoneyrok

airheadmtrcycle

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a Sierra Nevada pint glass. About an inch of tan head over a very dark ale; I'd call it black. Most of the head faded straightaway, leaving a skim over the top and a little lacing. A good looking pour.

Smells of roasted malt and chocolate. It tastes bittersweet with ample carbonation that gives it a little bit of a zesty mouthfeel. I get a slightly burnt coffee taste and perhaps some black licorice. The mouthfeel ends up just shy of medium for the style. Speaking of the style, is this a Baltic or Imperial porter? Tastes more like an English porter to me. But that's splitting hairs, really. The tingly, lighter mouthfeel makes this a very drinkable porter.

I can be hard on porters that don't please me, but I like this one. Whatever small faults it may have, the bittersweet malty flavor I expect in a porter is there in spades.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 02:17:16 | More by airheadmtrcycle

donniecuffs

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a mahogany color into a pint glass, with a beige head that didn't retain or lace very well, but some carbonation was apparent. The nose revealed caramel, roasted malt, and modest chocolate nuances, but wasn't that pronounced overall. The flavor was though was in fact more pronounced, certainly with some chocolate, caramel, and toffee notes, but a big contribution came from the roasted/coffee notes. The finish was semi-dry as a result. Alcohol content was well-hidden. Semi-thick feel, with a little more carbonation than expected. Good beer, but a little too dominated by the roastiness, for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 02:04:50 | More by donniecuffs

Phelps

Arizona

3.85/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Enjoyed from the bottle at the 2010 DRAFT Big Pour.

Pours rather thickly, the color of black coffee that coalesces to deep brown. A short-lived head of fuzzy ginger fades to nothingness rather quickly. No highlights, no nothing.

The smell is sweet, but nice. Cocoa powder, dark rum, vanilla, molasses, ginger.

Tastes like marshmallows in a cup of hot cocoa. Light roast coffee, mild burnt toast, dark chocolate and vanilla all make appearances, and all are nicely balanced. Not overly sweet or bitter on either end.

It feels a bit overcarbed and fizzy, for a porter, though the velvety medium body is nice, and the absolute lack of an alcohol burn is even nicer.

This beer was better than I expected. Good flavor, good balance. I'm not sure I'd call it an imperial, but that's the only complaint.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 22:18:27 | More by Phelps

gueuzeonhigh

Maine

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a bible black liquid that spawns a voracious head that laced the glass but slowly sank back to the surface from whence it came.

The nose produced hints of baker's chocolate, hops, and alcohol.

The flavor left me wanting-- I realize that because of a Porter's heritage there may not be an exact flavor that pin-points a Porter, but I expect to taste toasted malt-- in many instances I expect a "stout- lite". This Porter left me wanting-- its flavor leaned more to the ale side of things beer-- the flavor produced a majority of bitter hops and little else. After seeing the bible black pour-- I thought for sure there would be a malt foundation and other flavors that ride along with toasted malts. But this was entirely lacking from this Porter-- especially with the Imperial part of the name.

Consequently I found the mouthfeel to be thin and lacking. Maybe my expectations were slanting my opinion here but I kept hoping that my taster would "calibrate" and suddenly pickup the malt or the extra complexity that I was hoping for.

Drinkability was cordial-- I devoured the 1pt 6oz contents with out ill effects.

I just wish there as more to this beer in both flavor and mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 00:54:54 | More by gueuzeonhigh

kaseydad

California

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Snifter pour and I am met with a black liquid and a beige foamy head which starts out massive but trickles to a ring around the glass. The smell consists of tobacco, smoke, butterscotch, leather and roasted malts. The taste is on the bitter side with malt leading the way. There is some smokey taste in there as well and a nice bite on the finish. Sort of sweet on the swallow. Mouthfeel is rather average based on the going's on. Very easily drunk even for a 7.10. The taste is nice enough where a bomber left me wanting more. Nice Imperial Porter though make sure to let it warm as the flavors really intensify.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 03:09:50 | More by kaseydad

biglite351

Pennsylvania

2.58/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - a not of red around the edge. Creamy tan head that leaves a good bit of lace.

S - malty with mild chocolate and something that reminds me of wine.

T - roasting bitter malts. Dont like the flavor much. Too much bitterness and not much of anything else.

M - light coating, but not thin, with no real tingle.

D - pass.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 01:41:12 | More by biglite351

FreshHawk

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Deep brown with slight ruby hue and an average sized, creamy, frothy, off-white head. Decent retention with some thin patchy lace left.

S - Wonderful chocolate aroma with some bittersweet chocolate as well as a rich fudge aroma. Roasted dark malt with hints of coffee. Some burnt caramel malt.

T - Slight let down from the nose. Lightly roasted malt with some brown sugar and caramel sweetness. Chocolate is still there but toned down from the aroma and is mostly dark chocolate. Hints of coffee and dark fruit. Lighter tasting than I was expecting.

M - Medium body with average carbonation. Feels a little thin and slick.

D - Easy to drink beer. Some nice porter flavors, although it is a little lighter than expected.

Notes: The flavors were nice, and it was an enjoyable beer, but other than the smell I wouldn't have guessed this was an Imperial Porter. That said, it is an enjoyable porter.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 05:24:09 | More by FreshHawk

claspada

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The aroma has quite a lot of butterscotch. Some fudgy chocolate and a mix of some darker fruits; slight notes of coffee.

The tastes are mostly smooth, darker malts with notes of breadiness and chocolate. The finish is a minimal bitterness with notes of nuttiness and a gentle spicy/earthy hop bite.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied, a little bit too much carbonation for my taste.

Overall this is a good beer, not great. Nothing I will remember for the rest of my life, but still decent. Not a horendoues price point but not worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 00:01:29 | More by claspada

aepb1

Florida

4.4/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Black with a brown foamy head

S- Malty chocolate and coffee

T- Dark coffee and chocolate malts up front moving to a dark molasses and some fruity sweetness. Nice deep flavor

M- Medium bodied, creamy bit the carbonation cuts the creaminess a bit which is dissapointing

D- This was aged for about a year before opening but if I had another I'd definitely look forward to more age!

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2010 15:43:42 | More by aepb1

Gueuzedude

Arizona

2.98/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

~2009 release; Sampled October 2010
Definitely a bit over-carbonated as a reasonable pour into my 25cl glass quickly forms a fat, four-finger thick, nicely browned, dark tan colored head. The beer is a dark brown, almost black color that shows a touch of ruby highlights when held up to the light. The aroma smells of burnt chocolate, espresso, roasted grain and burnt prunes up front and there is a deep toasted grain character that forms a really solid middle to the nose. The aroma seems a touch mild for a beer of this strength and at times there is a weird vegetal note, but this last is fairly fleeting, though now that I have finally recognized it I am finding it annoyingly easier to pick it out.

Fairly light bodied, actually down right thin and there is a strong licorice component to this beer's flavor (this last is likely the yeast influence). A caramelized vegetal note lingers on the tongue after each sip along with some roast grain bitterness and hop bitterness. The roast character is a bit more prominent b/c this beer is so thin, it still manages to have some sweetness though so that it isn't completely out of balance. Dark fruit notes of roasted plum and burnt raisin add some fruitiness and the roast malt adds notes of mocha, dark cocoa and deeply toasted bread.

The body of this beer is what really kills it, if the burnt vegetal note was also gotten rid of this could actually be a really good English-leaning Imperial Porter. As it is though, this is drinkable, but really more interesting to try and pick out its flaws than to try and actually drink. I actually had some high hopes for this beer as I figured the age would give the yeast a chance to settle in.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2010 02:31:08 | More by Gueuzedude

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. II Issue XI:

A moderate level of carbonation forms a thin tan lacing, which leaves several sticky rings on the glass. The charcoal black color is dark enough not to let any light through, and a lovely darkness it is. Complex nose of chocolate cake batter, hint of bubblegum, ripe figs, iced coffee and a bit of brown bread. Creamy, silky, lush, full body flows onto the palate with a rich smoothness. There's a mild burnt flavor throughout, with roasted grain and suggestions of burnt sugar and unsweetened chocolate. Solid malt foundation, not too much sweetness, but certainly more than enough to hold the beer together. Woody herbal hopping shows a modest bitterness--more of a tagalong flavor with the roasted character. There's a mild warmth from the alcohol with a mellow fruitiness that goes from raisins to figs. A clean roasted finish points toward dry.

Very impressive, a really robust Porter here. Very balanced, and with just enough complexity to make it interesting without cutting into its drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 19:03:40 | More by BeerAdvocate

beyah

Maine

2.93/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Dark as a Maine Winter Night. The correct amount of head for this style deep tan head.

Stong malt profile. It smells of coffee and molasses.

The hops are there but not overpowering, a very smooth full bodied porter.
The mouthfeel, is good but this is a sipper not one to drink quickly.

It's a good beer but left me looking for more, as porters go it was middle of the road.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 01:45:17 | More by beyah

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours black with little head- what there is subsides to a thin swirl. Smells malty and a little fruity, followed by some chocolate aromas, but all quite dry. Tastes quite similar, but with some earthy notes at the end that help round out the flavors. Quite dry in the mouth, this seems like it's somewhere between an English porter and a Baltic porter. Not bad at all, but not nearly definitive of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2010 03:14:50 | More by Georgiabeer

Lerxst

Florida

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a very dark brown with a one finger khaki colored head that has average retention and leaves a few wisps of lace.

S-The nose is nice, but tame and subdued. A more prominent nose would enhance the experience. Roasted malt and dark chocolate, hints of coffee, brown sugar and molasses.

T-Somewhat rich and sweet malt, toffee, chocolate, coffee, dark fruit and molasses. Its good.

M-Medium body, somewhat creamy, relatively low carb level.

D-Goes down easy. More than one wouldn't be a problem.

Not the best porter I've ever had, but its no slouch either.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 16:57:29 | More by Lerxst

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

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

Imperial porter brought back from Vermont. Pours dark brown with soapy head. A nice roast,puff of smoke, strong licorice above all,a bit of chocolate, licorice anise mostly.A tad below average mouthfeel.Warrior, English Fuggles, and East Kent Goldings Hops

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2010 01:35:33 | More by northyorksammy

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.13/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Presentation: On tap poured into a pint glass at a local bar.

Appearance: Dark brown to almost black in color. Not much head to speak of at all and it quickly recedes into nothing.

Aroma: Bitter dark chocolate and espresso dominate the nose. Some caramel and toffee balance it out.

Taste: Much like the aroma, espresso notes dominate with some dark chocolate mixed in. The flavor profile tastes like a coffee beer to me more than an Imperial Porter. Coffee bean bitter takes over where usually there would be some fruitiness.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied mouthfeel, especially for a porter. Dry finish as well. Some pretty noticable carbonation here as well, which makes this beer seem crisp.

Drinkability: The ABV is well hidden and the flavors are balanced and complimentary for the most part. I would have no problem finishing a couple glasses of this.

Overall, a nice porter that has more of the flavor profile of a coffee porter than a Baltic porter. Definitely the best offering I've ever had from Shipyard as well. Worth a try, especially on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2010 10:49:29 | More by Gosox8787

grub

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle topped with gold foil. sampled aug 2/2010.

pours black and opaque with a huge fluffy brown head. the head drops fairly fast but leaves plenty of spotty lace as it falls.

aroma is nice. anise. caramel and toffee. alcohol. dark and milk chocolate. toasted whole wheat bread. bit of biscuit and cracker. a touch fruity. earthy.

taste is nice. caramel and anise. bit of toffee. light alcohol. dark and milk chocolate. toasted whole wheat bread. biscuit. earthy. bit of coffee. a bit fruity. medium-low bitterness level, mostly chocolate and coffee.

mouthfeel is nice. medium body. just over medium carbonation level, which feels a touch high.

drinkability is good. pretty well balanced. a fairly nice porter.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 21:03:39 | More by grub

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle, big thanks to grub for sharing.

Pours an opaque dark orange/brown, almost black away from the light, medium sized tan head forms and settles down to a medium ring around the glass and a thin layer, some decent chunks of lace stick.

Smell is alright, very sweet, brown sugar/corn syrup, raisin, very fruity, raisin/dates, a bit of floral hoppiness, caramel, light chocolate, pretty sugary, a bit of oak, some port/currant, quite rich/old ale sweetness.

Taste is similar, pretty sweet and fruity, very malty, caramel/brown sugar, sticky toffee pudding, fruity, raisin/dates, some port, floral, sugary, very light biscuit/wafer toastiness but not a lot of chocolate/roast.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation. A bit of warmth going down. Solid beer but not very porter like. Thanks Russ!

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 20:55:58 | More by Viggo