Don’t you hate it when you see details of a new beer that looks really wonderful, but you just can’t get it? I know I do. That happened to me with Shipyard GingerBreadHead back in the fall of 2014. I heard news of this new beer and really wanted to try it, but despite the fact that we get Shipyard beers here in Georgia, I never saw it on store shelves.

Fate could not deny me this beer forever, however, and in middle January of 2016 I found it in Spring Hill, Tennessee. I quickly scoffed it up and now I’m here to tell you that Shipyard GingerBreadHead (modeled after their Pumpkinhead line in name at least) was worth the wait. If you’re wondering about the beer itself, I can tell you that Shipyard GingerBreadHead is not a heavy stout like say, Samuel Adams Merry Maker or Hardywood Gingerbread Stout. Instead, it’s based on a brown ale ala the heavenly Twain’s Gingerbread Brown Ale.

From the brewery website:

"A cookie in every bottle.”

Shipyard GingerBreadHead Ale is like a spicy, rich, gingerbread cookie you can drink.  The warm flavors of molasses and brown sugar are accented with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. 

Ingredients, also from the website:

Malt Style: Pale, CaraMunich II, Carafoam, and Chocolate

Yeast: Top-Fermenting English

Hops: Willamette, EK Goldings

Shipyard GingerBreadHead has an alcohol content of 4.6% by volume and I paid $8.99 for a six-pack, quite reasonable indeed. My bottles are notched best before June of 2016.

Shipyard GingerBreadHead pours to a beautiful deep brown color with a medium head of creamy foam and a luscious candied fruit and gingerbread nose. Taking a sip, the beer has soft brown sugar and butter notes up front followed by a firm maltiness, hints of sweet molasses, soft clove and spicy ginger notes. Add them all together and they really deliver the experience of a fresh baked gingerbread man. The beer finishes spicy dry with peppery ginger notes like a ginger ale, as well.

Shipyard GingerBreadHead is delightful in its soft cookie maltiness and spicy dry flavors. I’ll be looking for it again next winter. Even if I have to drive back to Tennessee for more…..

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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