Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin (Pugsley's Signature Series) - Shipyard Brewing Co.

GRG1313

California

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

The 2010, tasted August 2010 is remarkably like the 2009 (my notes of which are posted below as originally reviewed). However, the 2010 is "toned down" in all respects. Nose still rocks!

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This is a review of the 2009: Strangely a good beer with lots of nice attributes but not really all that drinkable.

Pours a light to medium clear copper with a super thin head that quickly fades then disappears.

Huge aromatic nose; like sweet perfume; nose of cooked maple syrup, brown sugar and sugared orange sauce. Smells a bit like orange syrup. Mouthfeel is medium body with medium carbonation and a creamy character; nice.

Flavors are all rum and whisky and you get the alcohol coming through big time. Assertive alcohol in the nose smells "sweet" and this one has it.

Big, sweet, malty bourbon flavors - nose and taste like pecan pie with whiskey sauce. Tastes like dessert, not beer. Little in the way of actual pumpkin but a sweet bold whiskey/rum beer that might be nice with some big meats and some desserts.

Lots of cooked bananas in the finish. Interesting. Layered, a bit complex but sweet almost to a fault.

Not for everyone but some may actually find it a sipping beer for after dinner.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2009 03:52:33 | More by GRG1313

Jayli

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer pours a clear burnt orange color. A thin off white film coats the top of the glass, but disappears rapidly. No lacing to speak of on this beer. Nose is of pumpkin - not your typical spiced pumpkin, or pumpkin pie that is prevelant in most pumpkin beers. This is straight up pumpkin, some malt, and rather boozy. Taste is sharply sweet up front, can't quite place the sweetness, middle is filled out with pumpkin and the finish is sharp booziness. Actually the alcohol is the most dominant flavor in the entire beer from start to finish. Lighter side of medium bodied, clean on the tongue but a sharp boozy taste to it. This was nice to try, and with a lower alochol content, may have been far more enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2009 17:38:08 | More by Jayli

Brad007

Vermont

4.5/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Heh, I hope Billy Corgan doesn't go after Shipyard for the name of this beer.

Pours a nice orange-copper color with a two-finger head into my fluted glass. Looks very nice and full of ample carbonation.

Taste is chock full of strong nutmeg and pumpkin flavors with a mildly sweet, buttery malt background. Alcohol feels well-hidden.

Mouthfeel is very good as well. Warming. The flavors of nutmeg and pumpkin linger. Carbonation feels just right. Alcohol warmth is minimal.

Very nicely done and kind of like the big brother to Pumpkinhead. It just feels deceptively drinkable and delicious. I'm usually not a fan of half-hearted pumpkin ales but this stands out in a good way. Pick it up!

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2009 23:14:58 | More by Brad007

Mistofminn

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into my Darkness Tulip. Pours a ruby amber color, almost pinkish when held into the light. A smooth and creamy slightly off white head is produced on the pour, only about a half a finger in width. It has surprisingly good retention. Leaves little sheets of lacing around the outside of the glass. Overall a pretty nice look for a beer that I didn't know what to expect going in to.

This being my first pumpkin ale, I didn't really know what to expect. Honestly, I expected to smell pumpkin pie as soon as I opened the bottle, and I didn't get it. Don't get me wrong, I did get subtle hints of pumpkin and holiday pie spices, but nowhere near what I was expecting. Maybe I served it too cold, maybe not. One thing is for certain, as it warmed up, the pumpkin and spice characters came out a little bit more. Other things I can pick up are a significant malt backbone and a light hopping.

The taste, after it warms up, is pretty much what I expected. Strong pumpking pie like flavors and spices gives it a very fall/holiday feeling to it. This is pretty good tasting, and I think it deserves a higher score than some people have given it. I can see drinking this with turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans sitting around the table at Thanksgiving with the family. This tastes like a desert beer, but I think it would go good with a hearty meal.

The mouthfeel is surprisingly light and smooth. It has a lively carbonation, but the size of the bubbles gives a very creamy feel. Little to no carbonation bite. Very easy drinking. This is some good stuff.

Overall, for my first pumpkin ale, I'm pretty impressed. I have nothing to base it on and nothing to compare it to, but I did enjoy this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2009 03:50:59 | More by Mistofminn

thequeen711

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -39.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured light golden, leaving a 3 finger head, slowly evaporating to light lacing.Nose naked of pumpkin/spices, taste boring and without flavour, and a weird describable aftertaste. Probably near the bottom of this years pumpkin/spice brews. Did I say it also tasted flat?

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2009 23:56:27 | More by thequeen711

lordofthewiens

Maine

3.18/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

I had an imperial pumpkin last fall at Cambridge Brewing Company, and really enjoyed it. This beer doesn't come close. In a snifter the beer was a copper color with a tiny off-white head. Mostly spice aroma, maybe a little pumpkin. The taste was all nutmeg, some cinnamon, and no pumpkin. It was a bit on the hot side. The alcohol got in the way of this beer, and it was far too spicy with not enough pumpkin.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2009 00:11:35 | More by lordofthewiens

greg202stewart

Rhode Island

2.65/5  rDev -29%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Comes in a bomber with a fancy gold wrapper around the neck, and pours a dark reddish orange with a head that quickly fades. The smell is spicy and sweet. Rhe taste is way spicey, I think I taste peppermint or cinamon, unfortunaley not so much the pumpkin spice I was hoping for. The sweet spice is so overpowering on this one that I think it could be an X-mas beer rather than a fall pumpkin.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2009 22:39:17 | More by greg202stewart

ToasterChef

Maine

4.45/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got to have one of the first pours of this once The Great Lost Bear tapped their first keg of this new beer. It was served in a tulip glass. It has a orange/ruby hue and almost no head, just a skim of bubbles. As you would expect, there is a pumpkin aroma to the beer; it is like a less intense, higher quality version of Pumpkinhead. It tastes quite good. It begins with some cinnamon up front, then turns to a real pumpkin taste (unlike the Pumpkin that so many hate, this has real pumpkin flavor; detractors rejoice). It tastes like autumn. As you drink it, you can hardly notice that this is a 9% ABV beer. It's only in a lingering aftertaste that you pick up the alcohol. It has a bit of a lighter body that I thought, but I'd still classify it as medium-bodied. As for drinkability, I'd love to drink a number of these, but I think the strength of this brew would do me in. But in terms of enjoying the flavor, you could taste this beer over and over. I can't wait to crack a bottle of this open on a crisp fall day. Once again, Alan Pugsley has outdone himself with his signature series. I've had the Imperial Pumpking, and this holds up as an equal to that fine beer. This is one beer worth seeking out. Get it this season, if you can. Hopefully, the Smashed Pumpkin will become as much of a fall tradition here in southern Maine as it's less-respected cousin, Pumpkinhead.

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2009 22:32:25 | More by ToasterChef

umfskibum

Maine

4.38/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

For what it's worth, everyone I've talked to about the beer refers to it as an "Imperial Pumpkinhead," so comparisons are inevitable.

The beer pours burnt orange in color, with a small white head of foam that lasts for a damn long time. The carbonation looks much lazier than in a lot of Shipyard brews; just a pleasant stream of bubbles floating up to the top of the glass. The nose is like an amped-up Pumpkinhead, with lots of nutmeg, cinnamon, and other fall spices dominating. I can happily report that there's a bit more going on behind the first sniff, with pale malt and real pumpkin smells coming through.

The beer tastes like an amped-up Pumpkinhead, but it's so much more than that. THIS is what I look for in a pumpkin beer. The pumpkin pie spices that were in the nose are all there, big and bold and full of flavor. Along with this is sweet pumpkin (real pumpkin!), bready malts, and a touch of brown sugar. The spicy hops make things just bitter enough, and really come through on the finish. Although the ABV is up around 9%, you definitely can't taste it in the beer at all. The beer feels nicely carbonated, and has a mouth-coating, long-lasting aftertaste.

I wish that this was the Shipyard seasonal on tap around Portland this fall. The beer is big and exciting, and (rather than an unsessionable high alcohol content) it totally surpasses the beer it was inspired by.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2009 00:16:10 | More by umfskibum

Casey10

Maine

3.8/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I know shipyard has about the worst rep with their "Pumpkinhead" beer, since this was a signature series and I really liked their XXXX Ipa I thought I would give this one a try.

I went to the brewery today, the lady there said this was the first day that it was available and should be in stores next week.

Okay on with the review

A- Pours a really clear see through orange small head but small bubbles continued to rise to the top after pouring.

S - slight spice small hint of nutmeg (probably the pumpkin)

T - Tart pumpkin taste really liked it a little bit of alcohol burn from the 9.0 ABV.

M - peppery burn leaves a sting, in a good way reminds you that you are drinking a pumpkin beer.

D - While not a huge fan of pumpkin beers, I could see this one being a good choice for this time of year and it far outdistances itself from it's "Pumpkinhead" cousin.

Give this one a chance I think this one is quite good.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2009 21:56:17 | More by Casey10