De Molen Rook and Vuur: 7 – This was brewed with smoked malts and peppers, and it shows. We actually enjoy the taste, reminds us of a new good meaty beer. The spice is rather nice here and doesn’t kill the beer.
Google Shop Average: De Molen Rook and Vuur $8
Website: http://www.brouwerijdemolen.nl/
Gordon Biersch Schwarzbier: 7/10 – Really nice dark beer, hits you with power, but it’s not only hoppy, it’s heavy like a stout. Really good black beer. Apparently it’s only offered on draft, as it should.
Google Shop Average: Gordon Biersch Schwarzbier $6
Website: http://www.gordonbiersch.com/brewery/
Gordon Biersch Marzen: 5.2/10 – Their flagship beer, it’s rather light but flavorful. It’s fairly obvious that the beer is fairly standard, and is about as comforting as say a Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Personally I much preferred this beer when it was in my gravy, but it’s a standard beer, so a standard score.
Google Shop Average: Gordon Biersch Marzen $6
Website: http://www.gordonbiersch.com/brewery/
Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock: 6/10 – Certainly malty and it’s got a nice overall flavor. It’s just missing something you can’t quite explain. It’s not really a lightness, just a sort of ‘half a beer’ feeling in timing and body. Apologies for vagueness but even among Bock’s this just feels like it should be more.
Google Shop Average: Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock $6
Gordon Biersch Fest Bier: 6.5 – Their Octoberfest beer, and it’s a good Octoberfest beer, certainly better than some others. The aftertaste is rather clean though, and overall my only complaint is how it lacks any real power.
Google Shop Average: Gordon Biersch Fest Bier $6
Website: http://www.gordonbiersch.com/brewery/
Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen: 7.5/10 – This is just what a light Hefeweizen should be. The carbonation and variety of flavors going on here is really well done. The wheat though doesn’t hide and complements the rest of the flavors. Certainly my favorite offering from Gordon Biersch
Google Shop Average: Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen $6
Website: http://www.gordonbiersch.com/brewery/
Sorry this article is a week late, but I tried to login to the site at three separate occasions only to get a server error – which I took as a sign to get really drunk for my birthday and burn a pizza box using my fridge. Either way we come now to the final review of the Nauticon Panel and as you should – we’re finishing with a beer. A beer so rare only a single brand of store sells it, in essentially a single state, in a single part of the country.
We then go across the pond (more on that in the coming months btw), and try their British bitter style beer. Perhaps as it was cold I was more apt to enjoy it, but as I and everyone else found out British bitters are not terribly pleasant. Surely not an awful beer, but the aftertaste and overall feel of the beer doesn’t blend well.
Shipyard Old Thumper ESB: 5.5/10 – Ends weirdly, not a bad tasting brew but it’s not really enjoyable. This isn’t a beer you’d seek out, this is the beer that they have on tap that’s cheap, and while it’s not awful it can pair well with the right food, but it’s not a beer to write home about.
Google Shop Average: (Prices at Brew Haus for Draught) – $5.50
Website: http://www.shipyard.com/
We then were very much surprised by the Sea Dog Blueberry. Now being from WPI we know Wachusett’s Blueberry very well, but it never really struck us. Thankfully Shipyard has shown us the light and that when you make a blueberry beer you must not taste beer with hints of blueberry, but must feel like you’ve bitten into a pie with every sip.
Shipyard Sea Dog/Smashed Blueberry: 7.8/10 – Most blueberry beers are weak with a bit of blueberry taste thrown in, here it feels like they’ve really committed to the blueberry flavor and it really shows. The beer and hops are still prevalent but they’ve taken the back burner and honestly that’s what we want.
Google Shop Average: (Prices at Brew Haus for Draught) – $5.50
Website: http://www.shipyard.com/
Ahh finally onto a stout – now while this stout is in no way better than Guinness or Allagash draft it does beat Guinness bottles (again these are all on Draft and Guinness Draft may be one of the better things in this world.) However their selection is very solid and enjoyable.
Shipyard Blue Fin Stout: 7.4/10 – Its ends like a nice vanilla ice cream float, but overall it’s nicely balanced and flavorful. An all around good stout. We can’t begin to accurately describe the head on this beer, most heads are liquidly and to an extent half and half kinda creamy. It’s almost whipped here though and is nearly as thick as ice cream, which combos quite nicely with the rest of the stout.
Google Shop Average: (Prices at Brew Haus for Draught) – $5.50
Website: http://www.shipyard.com/