Shipyard Applehead - Shipyard Brewing Co.

Dodo2step

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

P- AOH

A-clear crisplight amber/goldenrod color. Minimal head and no lacing.

S- hints of apple, wood and strong in the malt area.

T- Strong in the front with apple spice. mixed with malts it doesnt complement each other too good. Its like biting into an apple air freshner.

M- sour and light bodied. Feel leaves more to be desired and less of the apple dominance.

O-After a few gulps it actually gets better but the dominance of the apple spice overrides the beer flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 18:18:40 | More by Dodo2step

GeneralZod

California

2.55/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

APPEARANCE
It has a light yellow color that is transparent.
The head retains quite well.

SMELL
It smells sweet, light malt and heavy on the cinnamon. Kinda reminds me of the cereal Apple Jacks. Except Apple Jacks smells better.

TASTE
It is sweet and malty. Not very good, but not terrible either.

MOUTHFEEL
For a wheat ale, it is very watered down, but does have good carbonation and is slightly coarsed.

OVERALL
I do not like it. It was a great effort, but it simply does not taste good. Their Pumpkinhead is much better.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 05:57:58 | More by GeneralZod

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.38/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a one finger white head that vanishes quickly to a ring leaving no lace. Chrystal clear light amber color. Light carbonation and light-medium bodied. Strong spicy apple cider nose, flavor is similar - cinnamon apple cider and sweet. Checked the label to make sure I bought beer - says its an ale. Would make a good lawn mower beverage and not much else. $1.75 for a 12oz bottle from Bert’s Better Beers Hooksett, NH.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 22:16:09 | More by jdhilt

kojevergas

California

2.73/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a conical Guinness pint in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are very low; it sounds disgusting. Acquired at a local Trader Joe's.

Served refrigerator cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a three finger head of fair cream, decent thickness, and good retention - though the ABV is low. Colour is a transparent bright copper-gold. No yeast particles are visible.

Sm: Cinnamon and apple. Spicy. A bit like apple pie. Clove. A pleasant, unique aroma - but one that warns of artificial syrup. A strong aroma. No yeast.

T: Overly cinnamony, with some apple. Some spice - clove. Not the artifical syrup I feared. Sugary. The cinnamon is way overdone. Tastes like a cheap apple pie. No real layering. Not as bad as I feared. Neither complex nor subtle, but unique. Clean malts. I like it for what it is, but it ventures towards cider territory. How is this in any way a wheat ale?

Mf: Crisp. Smooth and wet. Tingly and coarse to a degree from the sugar cinnamon overload. Adequately carbonated. Too smooth on the finish.

Dr: Drinkable but the cinnamon appeal quickly fades, leaving a somewhat obnoxiously spicy beer. I wouldn't get this again, nor would I recommend it to friends. A decent beer for the price, but largely forgettable elsewise. It's unique, which makes it worth trying.

Trader Joe's offers better beers (Trader Joe's Vintage comes to mind).

A poor candidate for aging.

High C-

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 07:07:04 | More by kojevergas

brstls4drmrs

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +29.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks maniacal82 for this one.

A - Pours a transparent blonde, straw-like color with a half inch white head. Good lacing occurrs and forms a perfect ring.

S - Scents of sweet spice like nutmeg and just a splash of clove. Apples and cinnamon in there too mixed with pear. Just a very pleasing scent that I could smell for hours.

T - Crisp, a little yeast with some spice mixed with a granny smith apple. Just without the tart aspect.

M - Feels crisp with medium carbonation and a slightly creamy finish.

O - A very nice brew. Would love a few more of these.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 03:50:53 | More by brstls4drmrs

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.33/5  rDev +5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Look – light golden color, clear, with good carbonation and about half a finger’s worth of foam that dissipates quickly.

Smell – due to the apples, it smells a lot like a cider, and perhaps it’s considered one? It smells like a spice ale otherwise.

Taste – much like the smell, it smells like a blend between an apple cider and a spiced apple ale. The spices are stronger than anything else.

Mouthfeel – pretty well balanced, but it does lean on the watery side.

Overall – not a bad-tasting brew…interesting, but not terribly appealing on a long term scale.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 03:49:33 | More by Nerudamann

MrHurmateeowish

New Hampshire

3.43/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle purchased at Market Basket in Somersworth. Pours a hazy golden with less than a half inch of off-white head. Apple dominates the aroma. Sweet and sour apple dominate the flavor too, as expected, with spice notes as well. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Sweet and pleasant, thus rather drinkable. A bit of a one note beer (which the name would suggest), but not bad overall.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 00:22:42 | More by MrHurmateeowish

CuteZombieDoll

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Golden orange, same color as a hard cider

S- A strong cinnamon and hop aroma, not much of an apple smell

T- Initially a very strong cinnamon flavor followed by the (very) light taste of apple. I didn't taste any hops and hardly any malt. It's like a spiced, weak hard cider.

M- Kinda watery and highly carbonated.

O- Disappointing. Honestly, I got this since the liquor store was closing and I was curious. I was kinda hoping that this beer would have a light apple and cinnamon flavor with that lovely wheat element. The beer and apple aspect gets completely lost among the spices. It didn't taste offensive, but not one I will be buying again.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 02:41:35 | More by CuteZombieDoll

thekevlarkid

Maryland

3.35/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Out of a bottle this beer was a perfectly clear, golden color with one finger of slightly lemon-tinted head. The retention was good and it left lacing in spots of the sliding collar. The aroma was of apples, crystal malt, cookie dough and a hint of cinnamon. The flavors were indeed full of apples and cinnamon up front followed by a sweet malt center, some graininess from the wheat and then a finish where the cinnamon came back and seemed to linger. The whole experience was strangely like a cross between Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and beer. Curious. The mouthfeel was creamy, the body medium and the carbonation appropriate. An interesting fall beer but really more like a cider. Or a bowl of cereal.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 22:55:28 | More by thekevlarkid

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.18/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From the 12 oz. bottle dated Oct 12. Sampled on March 22, 2012. It pours golden yellow about the color of apple juice. The fizzy head erupts quickly and then diminishes. The aroma is really overwhelmed by apple crisp and cinnamon but at the same time there is a clean hoppiness in the rear. The body is about medium yet creamy and smooth. The taste is quite appled up with a semi-tart ending that rescues it a little. Too much apple for my liking but well-crafted nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 22:31:36 | More by puboflyons

lordofthewiens

Maine

2.65/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

My ex-wife knows I'm not that much of a Shipyard fan, but she said she thought I would like this. I think this was another one of her cruel jokes.

Things started out OK. Gold color with a small white head.

Definite aroma of apple, as well as some spice. Fairly sweet.

It tasted like I was drinking an apple pie. I would rather eat one than drink one.

Sweet and cloying mouthfeel.

One and done.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 10:46:41 | More by lordofthewiens

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Got a single as part of a six-mix - glad to do so because a full set of six would be a lot to drink of this.

Pours light copper with fizzy white foam. Little lacing, and very little remains. Apple pie smell - apples, maple, brown sugar. Smooth taste - some tart open and then a sweet apple close. Cinammon in a big way. The spices really dominate the apples. Over time, the mouth gets weary.

The finish is in the spices and the apple pie. Its interesting - as if they took the pumpkinhead recipe and replaced the pumpkins with apples.

The less one drinks of this, the more they will like it. 12 oz was too much.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 20:05:46 | More by KTCamm

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Not a huge fan of the Pumpkinhead, but this was in the fridge and free so.. I'll give it a try. Pours a cloudy yellow color, smells like apples and cinnamon. Taste is light to medium bodied.. first thought is liquid apple pie. Surprisingly, it still remains drinkable and I can see this being a polarizing beer with many haters. Interesting to say the least, seems like more of a gimmicky beer but it was a unique one to try. Different, not necessarily a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 04:12:32 | More by marlinsfan4

deltatauhobbit

Maine

2.73/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear light golden color, not much of a head, no lacing

Smell has a good amount of various spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, even a bit of allspice, any apple aromas are certainly lost behind the parade of spice.

Taste comes and goes quickly, the spicing slaps your tongue only to run away immediately, thin body, carbonation is crisp and refreshing.

Instantly forgettable, surprisingly Pumpkinhead blows this once out of the water, which is saying something.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 01:54:09 | More by deltatauhobbit

zeff80

Missouri

3.48/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a cloudy golden orange with a small, thin head. It left little to no lacing.

S - It smelled of apple and apple pie spices. Nice cinnamon notes.

T - Tastes like a really nice spiced apple cider. Good blend of spices and sweet, crisp appple.

M - It was sharp and smooth. A light bodied ale with a clean, dry finish.

O - Seems out of place labeled as a wheat beer. But it is tasty for what it is. A nice apple beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 01:42:04 | More by zeff80

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - clear golden yellow pour with a nice amount of head

S - sweet apples, cinnamon, yeast.. smells like apple cinnamon oatmeal

T - mostly cinnamon straight up with a nice wheat after taste.. makes it taste like the apple jacks cereal. this is great! apple flavor isn't overwhelming.. realy well balanced

M - crisp yet sweet, dry finish, light bodied, nice and fizzy.

O - this was a great idea for a beer. glad they went through with it. very refreshing and crisp, sweet but not TOO sweet, fruity but not TOO fruity.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 14:40:41 | More by facundoCNB

LiquidSanity

Florida

2.03/5  rDev -36%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Ap: Very pretty. Bright orange gold copper color with a foamy appearance. Tiny bit of head and lacing.

Ar: Apples of course with a nice spicy cinnamon. Gingerbread smell. Nothing unexpected. And not very pronounced. Faint.

Ta: It should be called cinnamonhead and not applehead. The cinnamon over powers the apple taste. It remains throughout and the apples are more of an aftertaste. Not very appealing and almost disgusting. Like a mediocre cider/champagne.

Mf: Thin, watery and faint. It's like cheap club soda that was left opened and becomes flat.

Ov: Bland, boring and not worth trying a second time. I let everyone else drink the rest. No thanks.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 01:13:26 | More by LiquidSanity

Beejay

Virginia

3.18/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: A golden amber color, much like the color of apple juice. Crystal clear with a nice, slightly not white head on top.

S: Cinnamon is the first thing that comes out. Cinnamon and nutmeg are really powerful in the smell. Behind the spices there is an apple cider smell, as well as a touch of toasty flavors. It smells a lot like one of those Christmas stores that stays open year round, and you are left to constantly wonder why the fuck anyone wants to buy cinnamon candles, nativity scenes, and snowy covered miniature towns in the middle of August.

T: Apple, bread, and cinnamon hit first. It tastes like a cold version of baked cinnamon apples. The middle has some bready notes, and the finish has a slight tart apple juice finish.

M: Light on the palate, crisp, and lots of carbonation.

O: Overall I don't think this is a bad beer, sure it may be a bit gimmicky, and over the top with spice, but I don't particularly mind it. It would be interesting as a theme beer, or perhaps to cook with. Unfortunately I don't see buying this beer regularly, more of an 'entertainment value' type of beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 22:43:12 | More by Beejay

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a yellowed gold color with an inch or so of white foam. The head has now receded and there's no stick to evidence that it was ever there. Just a soapy ring.

Nose full of heavily spiced apple pie filling. Apple flesh, clove, nutmeg, caramel, cinnamon, more clove, some allspice. I can sense the wheat malt acting as the base. Not much tang, more whispiness.

Tastes appley, cinnamon-y, and grainy. Pretty exceptional as a replication of an apple-dumpling-turned-beer. Pastry-like malt with all of the flakiness. Impressive, actually. Some wheaty grain, which is thin and clean. More spice overload. Tons of cinnamon and baking spices. Not super-crazy-sweet, but with sugars. Still beer-y. A little tin and canned veggie. The fruit is slightly tart versus juicy. One-sided, sure, but on-target (I believe) for what they were going for. I can imagine this being very marketable. Not my 'slice of pie' (see what I did there?), but on-point for a fruit-themed pale wheat. Above-average.

Thin and attenuated. A bit bubbly, too. Clean upfront, but with a little stank in the finish. Very drinkable, however.

I'm not going to diss. I'm not going to rate super high, either. Not my style, plain and simple. But, this would be an enjoyable spring or fall offering. Sessionable and crisp. If you really want to mull it over, there are nice little nuances amidst the imperfections. It's just a beer that drinks decent and tastes pretty good. Nothing more to it than that.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 03:47:43 | More by thecheapies

dasenebler

Maine

1.7/5  rDev -46.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

12oz, best by July 2012.

Clear gold with a thin bubbly head.

Aroma is cloyingly spicy, with notes of cinnamon and allspice. Slightly cider-like, but in the end it just smells like a scented candle. After a while, it almost gives me a headache.

Flavor is thin and light. Effervescent and grainy, with subtle notes of apple. Not too sweet or spicy like the aroma, but there's definitely hints of cake spices in there.

Overall this is as bad as Pumpkinhead. What an abomination. Still, Shipyard will probably make a killing off this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 22:23:38 | More by dasenebler

Dope

Massachusetts

3.03/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A: Pours like your typical crystal-clear apple juice, as long as you ignore the big fizzy white head atop it. Retention is decent, with a just a smattering of lacing.

S: Apples with strong cinnamon smell to go with it. Just a hint of wheat. Smells a lot like apple pie to be honest. Simple but honestly pleasant.

T: Artificial apple (like a jolly rancher) and some cinnamon. Some wheat that is really out of place, I almost gagged at the aftertaste. I can't even describe it. It just has an overly artificial flavor and doesn't really resemble actual beer. It's like apple pie soda basically.

M: Thin.

O: I will give Shipyard credit for trying something new, but it just doesn't work. The taste is just a combination of flavors that don't work together and I ended up drain pouring this one pretty quickly.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 04:57:36 | More by Dope

notchucknorris

California

3.6/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear pale golden color with a thin bubbly head. Looks a whole lot like apple cider.

S: Apple pie, spiced apples, cinnamon and pie crust. Not a whole lot of beer here but it's actually pretty nice.

T: Pretty much follows the smell. Tastes like an apple pie. Lots of sweet apple pie filling, spiced apple and cinnamon with some bready yeast and buttery pie crust on the finish. The yeast comes out a bit too much as this warms, but this was actually a pleasant surprise overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 03:12:50 | More by notchucknorris

jlindros

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at the Sea Dog pub in Northborough, MA.

Clear pale golden delicious apple colored, very small fizzy head as the beer is filled to the brim.

Nose has apple fruit, like apple pie, sweet apple filling and cinnamon, light bready crusty malt, bit sweet sugary, not much actual beer aroma underneath.

Taste starts with cinnamon galore but that could be because they put sugar and cinnamon on the rim even though I specifically asked not to. Then fruity apple, like apple juice and pie filling, other pie or potpourri spices, candy, sugar, sweet flavors, hint of bready malt is the only thing that lets you know this is actually a beer. A slight yeast flavor comes through. The finish gets a slight bitter hop flavor, hard to tell what hop as the sweetness and apple flavors really linger as well as the cinnamon, with a sticky mouth.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied, decent carb, sticky.

Overall pretty much a ladies beer (no offense to the real beer drinking women), barely any actual beer in there just apple juice, cinnamon, and sugar, giving a bit of an apple pie

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2012 19:08:21 | More by jlindros

Zorro

California

3.45/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear amber colored ale with a small white colored head.

Smell is sweet and a dead ringer for apple pie. No hops detected, just apple, cinnamon, and pie crust.

Starts out mildly sweet. The taste is exactly apple pie. Not as sweet as apple pie other than that it's apple pie in a glass.

Mouthfeel is light.

Overall this is an interesting novelty beer. This would of course be the perfect beer for apple pie.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 01:07:41 | More by Zorro

mactrail

California

3.85/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Iif you like drinking your apple pie, this is the way to do it. Warm flavors, a faint hint of malt, and a pleasant tart apple taste. Golden amber in the tulip with some suds on top and along the glass. A slight bitter aftertaste so there must be some hops. Tastes more like the bitterness of cider apples along with the touch of acidity. Nice fruit aroma with a little too much spice.

It does have a nice pie crusty flavor. You can just taste the part of the crust where the juice gets baked on. What you can do with cinnamon! But at least it's not the overkill of a lot of holiday spiced ales. The apple flavor is quite decent as well.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 03:36:10 | More by mactrail