Viscous saffron-hued ‘American All-Malt Lager’ pleats raw-honeyed barley-toasted wheat cracker frontage into cardboard-y butterscotch-marzipan-hazelnut sweetness. Alcohol-burned juniper-swayed pepper-spiced hop bittering allows grapefruit rind souring to overtake dry orange, apricot, and apple skin nuances thereafter.
All posts by John Fortunato
(SHMALTZ) CONEY ISLAND LAGER
Crystalline soft-watered copper-hued moderate body not up to snuff in bottled format. Czech pilsner yeast lacks thrust as rye-wheat frontage falters, lemony floral-hopped grapefruit-orange souring evaporates and tangy apple-peach-grape aspect never challenges. Bland peat malts dim honeyed tea dearth. On tap, busier grain-toasted red-orange fruiting engages caramel-vanilla sweetness to twiggy finish more sufficiently.
(SHMALTZ) CONEY ISLAND ALBINO PYTHON WHITE LAGER
Washed-out weakly-designed golden-hazed white-headed Belgian-styled witbier lacks neccesary up-front thrust. Soft lemon-fizzed coriander-spiced abatement and impending lime-agave tingle pick up misty green apple wisp. Lightly herbed white-peppered ginger-sage-rosemary tease loses out to carbolic seltzer spritz.
SHIPYARD WINTER ALE SPECIAL BREW
Bitterly dry-bodied, ruby-glowed, amber-hued seasonal binds holiday-spiced nutmeg-cinnamon-clove serenade, ripe raspberry-strawberry tartness, sharp herbaceous hop resonance, and glancing wood tone to buttery caramel malting. When astringent metallic missive flags, sullen cherry, fig, pear, and red apple nuances sweeten biscuit-y wheat finish, leaving ashy orange rind wake.
(SHIPYARD) VIRGIN ISLANDS PALE ALE
Crafted by Shipyard from Virgin Island’s St. John Brewery recipe. Jolly Rancher watermelon waft follows through to up-front flavoring, countering astringent wheat-husked yellow-fruited bittering. Hard-candied mango-strawberry tartness stays refreshingly summery at midst, but washed-out fuzzy peach, cantaloupe, and kiwi nuances get soapy.
SHIPYARD SUMMER ALE
Horrid summertime wheat ale with diacetyl lemon-drop souring, acrid cabbage-asparagus nastiness, and dank metallic finish further disrupted by tannic white grape and green apple acidity.
SHIPYARD SIRIUS SUMMER WHEAT ALE
Moderate pale-toned white-headed summer ale with fresh-cut wheat afterburner loses refreshing citric zest due to incomplete fruit stimulation, flattened lemony hops, and lack of serious grain punch. Pleasant raspberry-blueberry-apricot tartness doesn’t quite linger enough below.
SHIPYARD PUMPKINHEAD ALE
Subtle autumnal pumpkin pie spiciness adjoins mild brown-sugared cinnamon-nutmeg-clove adjuncts. Watery finish depletes tangy lemon-orange drift, but this is a fine medium-bodied straw-hued crossover for pilsner-lager fans. 2012 re-tasting: Sunny lemon spritz and cinnamon-toasted pumpkin spicing increased volume over cardamom-coriander-ginger spicing as well as vinous green grape and cider nuances.
SHIPYARD PRELUDE SPECIAL ALE
Musty alcohol-fueled winter warmer ripens to sweet-tart red apple simmer with subsiding grain backbone losing out to dark-fruited prune-raisin sharpness. Upon ’08 re-tasting: astringent coffee-burnt walnut-cola nut divergence sidles ashen brown-sugared caramel-butterscotch sweetness, distant cherry-fig wisp, and negligible nutmeg-cinnamon spicing to metallic end.
(SHIPYARD) OLD THUMPER CASK CONDITIONED ALE
Beige-headed amber-bodied cask-conditioned ale offers soft-toned Vienna-styled pale malts, delicate spicy seasoning, and elegant sweet yeast persistence. Soothing finish remains clean, efficient, and mild.
(SHIPYARD) MYSTIC SEAPORT TAVERN BROWN ALE
Dry barley-roasted mocha-malted nuttiness quelled by disturbing acidic sourness. Overhwelming phenolic fizz disrupts caramelized butterscotch sweetness to lazily bitter-hopped finish. Inconsequential dirty-grained bottom laid to rest.
SHIPYARD LIGHT ALE
Dry muted fruitiness (unripe grape, green apple, pear, orange) and subtle nutty dissonance cut through diacetyl lemony hop fizz and slim barleycorn backbone of clear straw low calorie lightweight.