Shipyard Double Old Thumper Ale - Shipyard Brewing Co.

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Looks pretty inviting as it sits in my Thistle glass.

A - Pours a deep, clear, transparent dark copper color with a thick white, creamy head. There's also a very nice amount of carbonation.

S - The nose is dominated by pungent butter toffee, butterscotch, and mild spices. There's a small amount of sharpness from the hops.

T - Tastes much different than what the nose first tells you. The buttery, toffee-like flavor zings the tongue upfront but then gets knocked down by a generous amount of hops (namely Challenger, Progress, Goldings, and Simcoe). The booze effervesence is very noticeable, and surprisingly, the balance is very, very good. The inside of your mouth after the sip feels like it was smeared with a coating of butterscotch, and then a layer of hops were immediately painted over the top. The long, lingering bitterness leaves a somewhat metallic bitter red grapefruit coating and man, does it stick around for a LONG time! The buttery malt characteristic is something I've experienced quite often with the beers from Shipyard, nothing negative, just a unique personality of their beers.

M - Very full bodied, slick, viscous-like, mildly gentle on the tongue, and a generous amount of warming in the throat as it travels south.

D - Very good, but because of the high octane, I'd be pressed to attempt another bomber. I think the biggest downfall is the big, boozy nature of this beer. The alcohol is NOT well hidden, by any means. It definitely lets you know it's a beer to be treated with respect.

All this being said, I think Shipyard slugged a homerun with this one. My wife loves the Smashed Pumpkin and hated this one. Me, I really loved this one and while I still enjoy the Smashed Pumpkin, I'd much rather be sipping this mac daddy. I picked up a bottle this past week (at Shipyard) while on business in Maine because I really wanted to try this one. I'm back up there in a few weeks and I'll be stopping by again to get more bottles and cellar a few to see where they go. Big beers like this often get better with age and this one is already good when it's young. A very interesting observation is the bottled version seems to be far hoppier than the tap version. Definitely prefer the bottle which I can't say about very many beers.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 03:50:17 | More by jzeilinger

Chaz

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a near-brilliant chestnut-amber in color, topped with a pale tan head which exhibits average duration and better-than-average lacing.

On the nose, Holy Ringwood, Batman! Butterscotch and loads of booze, spice, and phenols. Impressive in its own right, but I imagine it might not appeal to very many people. Nose is also fruity in general, with strawberry notes and vague pineapple-ish notes swimming in the booze-y heat.

Taste is much better than I'd expected for this strength. But an ESB? Nah, more like an Strong/Old Ale, but that's splitting hairs with the style purists at any rate. Banana and clove (!) notes here are playing with my mind a bit: is there a portion of wheat malt in the grain bill? No matter, it's almost tropical when weighed with the strawberry and pineapple notes -- a beer Daiquiri? I can only imagine what devilry might ensue were this one to see a Whiskey barrel . . .

Full-bodied, even viscous across the tongue and palate, but it works here and even adds to the drinkability Id think: too many strong beers these days are merely thin-bodied booze-y messes, but this one holds its own.

I can imagine that this one will age well, and even at $9.99 retail I'd consider this worth a second (or third) visit, especially a bottle with some age -- at 11.2% it's not gonna lose any oomph any time soon!

Note: Bonus points in that this is highly reminiscent of the original Old Thumper, which is an old favorite of mine from when I lived in Beantown : )

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 03:34:51 | More by Chaz

Damiengagnon

New Hampshire

4.15/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

i found it very strong starting in my mouth but finished smooth in down the throat.at first i was a little nervous thiking that it might be to powering but was surprised how is it ws to drink. its something i would drink slow to savory the taste.i would drink it again

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2011 13:21:49 | More by Damiengagnon

beancounter

New Hampshire

3.7/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-Medium amber rapid carbonation, and a thick head. Good lacing around the glass as I drink it.

S-Sweet and malty

T-Strong malt backbone with a medium hoppy finish. I also taste candy/toffee flavors. There is an alcohol presence, but it's not distracting.

M-Medium mouthfeel

D-This beer has good drinkability but the hop bitterness starts to accumulate in the back of the mouth. This is fine because at 11-2% ABV, you wouldn't be drinking more than one (bomber) of this anyway.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 17:39:50 | More by beancounter

beer4colin

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Make no mistake about it, this is a HUGE beer that Alan Pugsley has delivered. As a longtime fan of Old Thumper, I like it but maybe it should come with a warning label.

A - This is a beautiful pint of beer poured from a bomber bottle. Crystal clear burnt orange with a generous head that clings lacy and lasts well down the glass.

S - Nicely toasted malt and a clean hoppy background.

T - Very well balance with plenty of toast in front trailing off to a slightly hoppy and sweet finish. This is 11+% but doesn't have a boozy afterburn at all.

MF - Surprisingly lighter than I expected.

D - I am thinking about stocking up on this. I think that this would work quite nicely with a lot of my spring meals like lamb.

I need to put this side-by-side with Old Thumper IMO, this, with the exception that it is 11% ABV, is maybe more accessible than the original.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 22:30:06 | More by beer4colin

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Something different for #200.

A-A rich amber color with a head that dies off rather quickly. Not too much in the way of lacing.

S-A big dose of malt and booze. Getting some hoppy bitterness in there as well. Predominantly sweet and alcoholic.

T-Like the nose, heavy on the malt and alcohol. Mild hop bitterness here too. As this one warms the alcohol becomes more pronounced.

M-Medium bodied. Sugary.

D-Not high in the drinkability category. Too boozy. Would like some more balance perhaps with a stronger hop profile. Took me forever to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 23:04:41 | More by VelvetExtract

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From the 22 fl. oz. bottle. It pours a nice handsome copper-amber with a nice inch or so head. Good clarity. The aroma is malty with noticeable Ringwood yeasts. The body comes in at about medium. Unlike the original Old Thumper the Ringwood yeasts are not quite as obvious but they do touch the nose. The taste has a nice malty characteristic with a muted hoppy ending. The double-digit ABV is barely noticeable.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 03:59:12 | More by puboflyons

stmartinpale

Maine

3.48/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-The most impressive part of this beer. A beautiful mahogany color. Very little head that fades quickly.
S-Sweet and boozy
T-Very sweet, some booze, very mild hop
M- Soft, sticky sweet, stays a little too long
D- At 11.2% it maybe too drinkable. I would buy it again but I would split it with a friend. Not a bad English barley wine.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 04:09:29 | More by stmartinpale

chrisgn

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Brilliant amber color with a thin head the reduces almost nothing. Not much lacing left on the glass.

S- The aroma is coming from a great deal of malt sweetness. Some alcohol is also present.

T- For such a huge beer this is really well balanced. Sweet and hoppy with some residual alcohol burn. Not overly sticky sweet IMO. It is pretty dry on the back end.

M- Full bodied and rich. Very little carbonation.

D- Scary drinkable at 11.2%. Wish I was trying it with food. The label says it pairs well with ribs, lamb, hearty stews and casseroles. Would probably be great to cook with as well.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 02:09:58 | More by chrisgn