Review: Shipyard Low Tide, by Carlsberg Marston’s

Review: Shipyard Low Tide, by Carlsberg Marston’s

By Rosie Alderson

The upshot:

A 0.5% low alcohol American Pale Ale, with origins from the historic family brewer, ‘Shipyard’, established in Portland, Maine.
Very refreshing, with distinct notes of juicy citrus and aromatic hops. This ale could be just the ticket on a hot summer’s day.
But the large, short-lived bubbles and lack of any body take this ale dangerously close to ‘fizzy soft drink’ territory in my opinion.
This ale contains lactose—a milk product—which is worth noting if you have special dietary requirements.

There’s something rather romantic about the story of the Shipyard Brewing Company, which, on looking at the label, is incorporated into its design. Before you’ve even taken a sip of the beer, you’re transported to a New England waterfront—the bottle depicts a charming old sailing ship about to set sail.

Turning to read the back of the bottle, we find out a little more.

The label proudly proclaims that the Shipyard brewing company was established in the ‘heart’ of Portland, Maine, USA, and tells the story of ‘Fred’, the founder, who ‘put everything on the line to realise his dream [...]’.

But for UK customers, the reality of the Shipyard brewing company is perhaps a little less whimsical. Shipyard ales are brewed and bottled by the modern megalith that is Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company in Wolverhampton.

But then again, perhaps that’s just a marker of Shipyard’s success, with many other favourites, including Erdinger and Hobgoblin, produced on the same site.

Beer style: Shipyard Low Tide

Shipyard low-alcohol beer has been crafted in the American Pale Ale (APA) style.

You’ve probably heard of APA’s rather infamous cousin, the American IPA (Indian Pale Ale), which is characterised by hops, hops and more, you guessed it … hops.

‘Hops’ is a term that’s thrown around a lot when we talk about beer—especially craft ales. Hops are flowers from the hop plant, ‘Humulus lupulus’ which add a very distinctive, bitter, floral aroma to beer.

Whilst APA is definitely classed as a ‘hoppy’ style of beer, most ales in this category are gentler than those of the incredibly ‘hop-forward’ American IPA class. APAs also bear some resemblance to amber ales—but use a lower percentage of caramel malts—which means APAs lack as much burnt toffee sweetness that’s typical of an amber ale.

Historically, APAs were the most popular beer type in the USA before the IPAs came along. And this was probably for good reason—APAs tend to strike a nice balance between hops and malt.

Lighter than the traditional English ale, APAs make for a well-rounded, easy-to-drink, refreshing beer.

Tasting the beer

I'm going to be honest with you here—I’m not a ‘hop head’ (despite the popularity of IPAs amongst craft ale drinkers). That means I’ll nearly always be found nursing a chocolatey-toned stout than anything remotely ‘hoppy’.

But, then again, I’m determined to expand my palate.

So why not start with a good ol’ APA? I’ve grabbed a bottle of Shipyard’s Low Tide from the fridge.

Let’s dive in.

Appearance

Lovely colour—a bright, golden amber. This ale is also crystal clear.

However, I’m noticing that there’s a real lack of head on pouring—just a mass of large, loosely packed bubbles that dissipate quickly. The lack of a compact head and overly fizzy carbonation is a real disappointment. I hate to say this already, but I’m getting distinct ‘fizzy soda’ vibes.

The experience is not particularly grown up.

Smell and taste

The smell of this ale redeems it somewhat—there’s a definite note of those floral, bitter American hops, but not a lot else. If I really look for it, I can just detect the edge of something citrusy.

On tasting, those hops come through a little bit more, and there’s that slightly astringent fruity note again. I would describe it as resembling lime, or burnt orange, but nothing like a ‘juicy tropical’ as the label describes.

Their website describes Low Tide as having notes of subtle blueberry. Sorry Shipyard, but those notes must be mighty subtle because I'm not detecting any blueberries in my glass.

I mean, overall, it’s not a bad-tasting brew—the hops are there and it’s definitely refreshing. But quite a few of the flavours on the brewer’s description are noticeably absent.

Mouthfeel and aftertaste

The hops hang around on the tongue after drinking. I’m surprised by how much I enjoy their floral bitterness—but then again, this effect might all be a bit too subtle and soft if you’re more of a fan of hops than me.

There’s also that ‘fizzy drink’ vibe again—Low Tide’s rather large bubbles feel sharp on the tongue. There’s also not a lot of body to this ale, and, combined with the disappointing carbonation, it makes for a slightly watery, underwhelming experience.

Shipyard Low Tide: The Verdict

Low Tide is a refreshing, easily drinkable, low-alcohol beer—I can imagine knocking back a couple of chilled bottles at a summer barbeque.

Also, the label looks like your typical ale—its low alcohol contents aren’t obvious on first inspection. So if you’re looking to keep the fact you’re drinking a low-alcohol beer under the radar (for whatever reason) this might be a good shout.

Shipyard Low Tide isn’t particularly offensive in any way. In fact, I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed the rather gentle notes of bitter hops. But if you like your ales really hoppy, you’ll probably find this one a bit underwhelming.