Sunday 6th of January 2013 02:41:38 PM

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I'm confused by any reviews that say the tour was great - it was a sad 10 minute video giving an overview of the brewery, followed by a quick stop inside the bottling facility.

The tastings afterwards were good - generous pours, free, and a good assortment of their beers. Overall the beers were good, which is what I'd expect based on my experience with Shipyard's beers before.

The brewery is located in a mostly residential area, not really close to anything. They do have convenient parking. When you walk into the brewery, you're greeted by a large gift shop. That's usually a turn off to me - breweries should be in the business of making beer, not selling me t-shirts.

Wednesday 28th of September 2011 09:19:53 PM

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Of the many breweries and brew pubs we hit in our New England tour- Shipyard had the best beers. The 4X IPA was incredible- I'm a big IPA fan and this is one of the best I've had. Hoppy, but it doesn't ruin the taste whatsoever. The Chamberlain was solid, as well as the Pumpkin Head. Service was very good- while they're only able to let us sample 4 beers (by law), they were very good in making additional recommendations to us- including tipping us off to some local bars that offer the Pumpkin Head with a shot of Captain (yum!). Don't leave their without grabbing a 6-pack of the Virgin Island Pale Ale- very solid beer with a mango nose. Very good prices on their beers- 4 22oz bombers for $24 while I was there- and the Smashed Pumpkin is awesome in the 22 oz.

Tuesday 2nd of September 2008 08:03:07 PM

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Was there in the late summer when it was not super busy. They had a great gift shop and the tour was very nice. No food in the place but the beer we did drink was awesome. Had a very nice time and it was very easy to find and the people around the area are super friendly. This is a must stop for those in the area. Make the extra trip this is worht it.

Tuesday 3rd of June 2008 01:07:46 PM

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Great tour and great beer!

This tour is one of the better ones in the area, knowledgable staff (but a bit snotty, had to dock them a point for that)and you get up close to all the equipment. Plenty of samples afterwards. Could do without the movie in the beginning of the tour. Big company store.

This brewery has several great staple beers that stand out compared to many of the mediocre beers at other breweries in the area.

The export ale is always a good choice and seems to please many. Has more of a hoppy taste but not real hoppy like their IPA.

Their IPA is one of the best in New England. Very hoppy, but balanced so the hoppy taste doesn't ruin the beer. It rivals Harpoon's IPA.

Their pumkin beer is also very good. I know its just spices/seasoning, but apparently that is too hard for many breweries to accomplish.

FYI: best pumkin beers as judged by Samhell: Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee; Shipyard Brewery, Portland; and Brooklyn Brewery.

The "extra special" ale is also very good but I'd go for any of the three listed above first.