Shipyard Brewing Company
DRINK-August 2011
By Tyler Boucher
Illustration by Eric Hou
Alan Pugsley, Shipyard Brewing Company
“We make traditional English-style beers as well as some more innovative beers, which are brewed with the same system. My philosophy is to produce consistent, world-class beers with a sense of drinkability about them. It’s a balanced approach. We started making beer at Federal Jacks in Kennebunkport in 1992 and opened in Portland in 1994.”
NEW THIS SUMMER:
“We recently released a new beer from the Pugsley Signature Series called the Smashed Blueberry Ale. It’s 9 percent alcohol, and it’s different than what you might think. It’s based on a porter—it’s like a chocolaty dessert with just a hint of blueberry.”
WHAT’S ON TAP:
“Pumpkinhead and its big brother, Smashed Pumpkin, are our big fall seasonal ales. Pumpkinhead gets shipped all over the country, and we start production in early July to meet demand. It gets released to the local area on August 15.”
HIS FAVORITE SHIPYARD BEER:
“My stock answer to the ‘favorite beer’ question is the beer that’s in my hand at the time. The beauty of craft beers is that there are so many different types. You can say, ‘I feel like something hoppy today,’ and you can have it. I would guess, because of availability throughout the year, the beer I drink the most consistently is probably our Export Ale. It’s the original beer we made—our flagship beer.”
THREE LOCAL FAVORITES:
Gritty McDuff’s Original Pub Style and Geary’s Pale Ale are both good English-style pale ales with nice hoppy characters. Another favorite is Belfast Bay Brewing’s Lobster Ale, a red ale with a very nice flavor profile.