Shipyard Redux

So I have more to say about Shipyard but it really didn’t fit into the brewery blog. Recently it has come to my attention that it’s possible to make a Pumpkinhead Ale even more delicious (not that there is anything wrong with the recipe & they can be enjoyed straight out of the bottle) and dangerous. My contribution to my in-laws Thanksgiving this year was beer (go figure lol) and after much contemplation I decide that even though I am a great fan of our local beers (Vermont what!) I was going to pick up a Shipyard Variety pack and share the joy of Pumpkinhead Ale with the in-laws. Yes I still had some of my case left I picked up at the brewery but that was being saved for the Kehoe Thanksgiving, and in my experience you can never have too much of a good thing. Upon arriving at the Benenati house, Shipyard Variety pack in hand we were greeted by Jaclyn’s younger sister Rachel who unbeknownst to either of us was about to rock my world. Rachel was familiar with Pumpkinhead Ale having drank it in the bars in Boston but they way she enjoys it was completely new to me. First she mixes sugar & cinnamon and rims the glass with it, pours the Pumpkinhead Ale into said glass, and then drops a shot of vanilla vodka into the beer for good measure. Personally I’m a fan of rituals, I do enjoy a lemon or lime with my Corona, an orange slice with a Blue Moon, an actual blackberries in my Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat. But I often wonder what my Bud Light drinking coworkers would say if they saw me drinking such beverages, already knowing the slack I get for enjoying “fruity beers.” Either way I wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass me by, and from my first sip I knew I had made the right decision. If you’ve never enjoyed a Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale first let me say, I’m sorry. It’s a spiced seasonal ale that smells like a blend of cinnamon and nutmeg and has a light pumpkin taste that reminds me of pumpkin pie. Now with Rachael’s add ins (vanilla vodka and cinnamon & sugar rim) if I close my eyes it tastes almost just like liquid pumpkin pie. Many of these were enjoyed with my Thanksgiving meal and I look forward to enjoying many more in the future. If you can still find it I’d recommend that you put down your computer and run out and try some for yourself, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…