Shipyard Double Old Thumper Ale
Double Old Thumper is the big brother of the British Grand Champion beer Old Thumper Extra Special Ale, which was created in 1979 by veteran British brewer, Peter Austin, founder of the Ringwood Brewery in Hampshire, England, and brewed in the United States solely by Shipyard. Shipyard¹s Master Brewer Alan Pugsley trained at the Ringwood Brewery before moving to the United States 25 years ago. Double Old Thumper was created by Pugsley and has 11.2% alcohol by volume. "Despite its strength, this beer is a great example of balance between malt and hops lending to a surprising drinkability," noted Pugsley.
Double Old Thumper has a brilliant deep copper hue and spicy hop aroma with a complex malty finish featuring a dry Simcoe Hop bite. This beer pairs well with short ribs, lamb, hearty stews, and casseroles.
When Pugsley was brewing Old Thumper at Ringwood Brewery in the 1980s it was considered a very strong ale and, by English standards, it still is. "When we started brewing Old Thumper under license at Shipyard in 1994 it was considered strong in the United States too," Pugsley continued. "Double Old Thumper is literally twice the strength, twice the grist, and twice the hops of Old Thumper and, today, is considered strong and Old Thumper is just of average drinking strength. It¹s a funny old world!"
In homage to Old Thumper, the package features an illustration of two of the famous Ringwood boars heads.
More about the beer:
First Brewed:
December 2010
Available:
Year-round
Malt: 2-row British Pale Ale, Crystal, Chocolate
Hops: Challenger, Progress, Goldings, Simcoe
Yeast: Top-Fermenting English
Color: Deep Copper Hue
OG: 1.108
Double Old Thumper has a brilliant deep copper hue and spicy hop aroma with a complex malty finish featuring a dry Simcoe Hop bite. This beer pairs well with short ribs, lamb, hearty stews, and casseroles.
When Pugsley was brewing Old Thumper at Ringwood Brewery in the 1980s it was considered a very strong ale and, by English standards, it still is. "When we started brewing Old Thumper under license at Shipyard in 1994 it was considered strong in the United States too," Pugsley continued. "Double Old Thumper is literally twice the strength, twice the grist, and twice the hops of Old Thumper and, today, is considered strong and Old Thumper is just of average drinking strength. It¹s a funny old world!"
In homage to Old Thumper, the package features an illustration of two of the famous Ringwood boars heads.
More about the beer:
First Brewed:
December 2010
Available:
Year-round
Malt: 2-row British Pale Ale, Crystal, Chocolate
Hops: Challenger, Progress, Goldings, Simcoe
Yeast: Top-Fermenting English
Color: Deep Copper Hue
OG: 1.108
3.2
184 reviews
Portland, United States
Community reviews
22oz. bottle: This one pours a slightly hazy amber color. There was about a finger of a frothy tan head that leaves a bit of lacing. It has a nice nose. It has a subdued sweetness. Some caramel, toffee, a touch of chocolate, perhaps even a bit of smokiness. The taste is good. Just a bit of sweetness. Some caramel, dark fruits, breadiness, faint chocolate, raisin. I get a little something new with each sip. I would definitely buy again!
Reviewed from notes.
This was poured into a pint glass the first time I had it and the second time I had it I opted for a chalice due to some preconceived notions.
Here’s my take from the chalice.
The appearance was a hazy burnt orange to brown color with a half finger white foamy head that dissipated within about a minute leaving some light speckled lacing here and there.
The smell had a decent blend of roasty sweet coffee to caramel to toffee. There’s some light chocolate even going on as it warms.
The taste took all of those previously mentioned flavors and blended them fairly well.
On the palate, this one sat right at a medium on the body with a decent sessionability about it. Uh-oh, sessionable Barleywine, hmmmm....well okay, I guess.
Overall, everything seems to be in place to be a pretty good beer until the palate/mouthfeel gets examined. Honestly, it’s just an okay beer.
Bottle share thanks to beechner224. Hazy amber color with white head. Caramel and light toffee malt notes, light boozy character. Much the same in the flavor,it’s of caramel malt character and some light booziness.
bottleshare thanks to Beechner224. Aroma is a butter funk malt. Taste is tart, harsh, grainy, weirdness. A light alcohol burn. Bad stuff.
Bottle in fridge. Pours a cloudy amber with just a small white head. Aroma if malty boost. Taste is strong malty boost, bitter too.
Cask at the Shipyard Brewhaus on Peak Island. Served in a full shaker. Copper color. Light sweetness and mild hops. Makes me think of a brown ale more than a barleywine. The flavor is ok but I doubt it is 11%. Nice lacing head.
Shared bomber, pint glass. Murky brown. Sweet malty, biscuit nose. A bit of a sweet, sticky malt bomb. Would probably be better with food.
Pours a rusty brown. The aroma mostly consists of caramel, toffee, coffee and alcohol. Overly bitter and unbalanced
Ca två år gammal flaska. Smak och doft av humle, malt, honung, kolaremmar, kryddig och örtig med toner av russin. Välbalanserad och god.
Trevlig beska som avrundar det hela.
Flaska från SB. Ca två år gammal med snart passerat BBD. Bärnstensfärgad med lågt skum. Stor doft av främst kolaremmar och fruktiga malttoner. Rejäl kropp, med söta torkade frukter, honung och kolaremmar men också rejält humlad med en åtminstone för en engelsk BW rejäl kryddig och gräsig beska som skapar en fin balans. Smakbilden med mycket humle och bra maltbas känns igen från den vanliga old Thumper men här är allt uppskruvat flera snäpp. Riktigt trevlig.
From bottle, courtesy of John C. Mild hoppy note, sweet malt and light alcohol, raisins and biscuit. Dark amber hazy with off-white foamy lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Pretty bitter throughout with biscuit and caramel notes. Bitter finish. Not bad but not one I’d seek out on a regular basis.
Pretty nice mild bitter, easy drinking and light bitter, probably the best shipyard beer but that's not saying much
Bottle 65 cl. Pours light brown in color with a small head. Sweetish malty notes, some nuttyness and dark syrup in aroma. Quite smooth mouthfeel. Bit of boozy notes, some ripe fruity vinous notes in taste. Boozy, too boozy I’m afraid.
-- bb/wp
650ml bottle @ Pikkulintu, Helsinki. Thanks BTR!
Pours dark orange with a smooth head. Aroma of sweet malts, caramel, toffee, boozy notes. Taste is sweet, sticky and malty with hints of syrup and alcohol. Finish is stingy, sticky and boozy with hints of caramely malts and syrup. Quite unbalanced and messy.
650ml bottle. Dark amber, hazy. Bready, spicy, very spicy, can’t figure out which spice. Flavor has bread, spices, hops. Long spicy finish.
-- bb/wp 7
Location: Draft at Shipyard Tavern (Mystic), 7/13/13
Aroma: The nose is caramel and toffee, some booze, fruity notes, and bready notes
Appearance: This one pours an orange-amber color with a an off-white head
Flavor: Tastes malty and boozy, the alcohol comes through more here with the light sweetness
Palate: The body is medium-full, it has some stickiness, and some heat too
Overall Impression:
This one was solid, but not spectacular. The alcohol is more noticeable than you would like it to be. Still though, it is a solid beer.
I am not sure why this beer generally has lower ratings. The beer should be served at higher temps 50-55°F in a snifter. Stone fruit aroma, raisins, and fruit taste.
MF moderate. Excellent alcoholic finish. This is a UK- US collaboration between Shipyard and Ringwood- a lot of UK hops in this beer.
Excellent English Barleywine.
On cask at the Pony Bar. Pours a cloudy copper color with a bubbly, strong head. The aroma is spicy, full of caramel and bread dough. There's a nice spicy dry line finish too. I think it's better than these rates. Perhaps it really needs to be done on cask to shine.
(Bottle). Vaguely tangy scent of candy, tutti frutti, butterscotch, strawberries and some diacetyl. The taste is sweet and sour with notes of berries, citrus, grapefruit and spices. In the aftertaste emerges the alcohol clearly but it has a nice spicy note. A very special beer! I like it!
3/15/2011: Shipyard Double Old Thumper Ale... Aroma: Butter-toffee schnapps; floral notes; strong! Appearance: Clear brown butter color, maybe amber; large foamy beige head. Flavor: Sweet pale malt and brown sugar abounds with lots and lots of toffee and an alcohol strength to just about knock you down, but it works really well together and tastes good; moderate floral and slightly herbal/spicy bitterness in the middle at first and then throughout; delicate citrus, pine, and molasses refinements hide here and there; very warming alcohol comes through in the finish. Palate: Average. Overall: Much more pleasing than expected; strong, satisfying brew; I’d drink this beer again...
Sample from 22 fl. oz. bottle at Nikki’s birthday dinner. Thanks Scott! Rating #145 for this beer.
Draft offering..copper red color..good lacing..aroma of dark fruit..plum..sweet malt..bit surprised of how this hides the abv quite well..pleasantly surprised by this..medium body..nice mouthfeel..
Bottle (bomber) from Systembolaget. CLear copper, medium beige head. Caramelly and fudgy malt aroma, slightly fruity and sugare, with some citric hops. Medium to full bodied, medium carbonation. Semi sweet, medium to high bitterness.
Nicely hopped beer with a solid backbone of sweetness that balances the high abv well. On the front, there is a nice hint of sour.
22oz bottle. Clear red - orange color. Thin, bubbly off-white head. A swirly layer retains on the surface. Some loose lace, not a bad-looking barleywine. Bigger body. Dry texture. Light, smooth carbonation. Earthy aroma. Caramel malt. Some dark fruit. Kind of a musty smell. Bigger spicy hop. Some metallic. Kind of dark fruity hops. Pretty aggressive spicy hop profile. Kind of a bitter bite, boozy in the finish, with a little sweet, but that sweetness is kind of cloying. I’m warming up to it as the beer itself warms up, though. It was odd-smelling and harsh at first, but as it warms and sits, it does get a little better. The first couple of sips are a bit shocking, it’s very different than your typical barley wine - very bitter and hoppy.. But I’m accepting that more now. Alright hoppy english-style barleywine to sip on. A little metallic twang to the flavor, big hops, but still makes a decent sipper. Was nice to enjoy with my easter lamb.
Pours deep golden and forms a thick beast of a foamy tan head that stays forever. Lacing is sticky and thick.
Nose is mostly malty sweetness with a hint of boozy raisins.
Taste is malty forward and pronounced astringent bitterness back that lingers long. A bit much for me. Like I'm sipping medicine.
Creamy and thick mouthfeel with residual booze warmth accompanying.
Not one I'd come back to, but not bad for a potent ale.
Bottle 22fl.oz.
Clear medium orange amber colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, burnt caramel, sweet malt, toffee. Flavour is moderate to light light heavy sweet and light bitter with a average to long duration, toffee. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20121109]
650ml bottle. Pours a clear pale orange amber with a one finger off white head. Aroma is a mix of floral/earthy hops and sweet caramel malt. Flavor is primarily sweet with a weak hop background. Aroma and flavor are not as intense as some Barlywines. Medium palate with a warm finish.
650 mL bottle bought for exactly $7.99 in town. To snifter it pours a rusted light brown with a sudsy, off-yellow head about two fingers in length. Aromas of kilned clay, banana peppers, burnt plastic, chives, and leather. Yeast and noble hops, as well. Tastes of American malt, piny and vegetable hops, tin, and aloe vera. Decent.
Scent of caramel and sweet smoke. Beautiful pour, a deep amber color and completely coats the glass in lace. Taste is smokey sweet, a little too sweet for my taste. Interesting for a Barley Wine, not thin and oakey and boozy as most of them are, this one is more beery and malty.
Bottled tasted at Vastarannan Kiiski. Caramel in the nose. Pale head. Dark golden color. Slightly sweet hoppy and bitter taste. Some hints of burnt sugar. Slight hints of apples. Alcohol well hidden. At the end hoppy bitterness. Too hoppy for me.