Longfellow Winter Ale (Shipyard Brewing Co.)

According to the label, "this hearty, winter warm ale is named in honor of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He was born here back in 1807 on the site where the Shipyard Brewing Company now sits overlooking Portland Harbor. Although as a young man her moved on to a bigger city to the south, he always remembered the beautiful town that is seated by the sea."

Longfellow is the namesake for many things here in the Portland area, its only fitting that he should have a beer named after him. I didn't know that the Shipyard Brewery now sits on the site where he was born, that is sort of remarkable.

Pours a dark ruby hue. Its dark enough to be a porter that is for sure, I wasn't actually sure what to expect until it came out of the bottle. I know I am a little late for this winter beer considering that next week marks the first day of spring, but better late than never. Anyways, the head is thin but stays well. This one has that familiar Ringwood smell along with roasted malt and a little bit of chocolate.

I read that this is beer is sort of a cross between a porter and a Scottish ale so I was definitely intrigued as to what it would taste like. After a couple sips I would have to say that this reminds me most of an English Winter Warmer. It definitely has the strong malt character of a Scottish ale and the roasted malt flavor of a porter. Its got a rather complex taste actually, kind of like one taste melding into another with a bitter finish. I am pretty impressed by this one. I've never had it before and didn't know Shipyard even brewed a beer of this style. A little searching on the internet shows that this beer gets very impressive ratings on the bigger beer sites.

This one is not to be missed. We've got quite a few more cold evenings left before the storm windows can be taken out. Grab a bottle while its still being stocked. Also, if you ever see this on tap let me know.

BEER FACTS

Name: Longfellow Winter Ale

Style: Porter

Brewery: Shipyard Brewing Company

Location: Portland, Maine, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 5.8%

IBUs: ?

Brewed in Maine