Shipyard Prelude Ale

Brewed by Shipyard Brewing Company
Style: English Strong Ale
Portland, Maine USA

12 oz, bb Nov. 08. Clear, chestnut color with a four finger head. Nice soapy frosting of lace. Butterscotch, toasted nut, slight cocoa and a hint of alcohol in the aroma. Front flavors of toffee and butterscotch are balanced by bitter, woody herbs. Finish is hard apple cider balanced by bitter and peppery resin flavors, and a touch of chest-warming alcohol. Medium body is smooth, dry, and slightly astringent.

Pint on tap at The White Wolf Café in Orlando. My brother in law and I ducked into this nice little café while the wives were antique shopping. We liked this beer enough to have a couple. They had other Shipyard offerings on tap which we also tried (Pumpkinhead, and Export), but the Prelude was easily the best. This was a very dark amber beer with a small beige head, Nice aroma of sweet, bready malt. Flavor was caramel and malt with a good hop flavor and light bitterness. Some alcoholic warmth came through. Very nice and enjoyable English Strong Ale.

This brown ale poured with a thin tan head, eliciting a spicy aroma. The flavor is heavily spiced roasted malt, with sharp bitter finish. Some vegetable flavors are detectable.

Pours deep amber color with small short-lasting head but really cool lace. Aroma is weakly spiced with some soured notes. Flavors are nuanced, with a lingering hop finish that welcomes the next sip. Spices detectable include mainly cinnamon and nutmeg. Mouthfeel is highly carbonated but soft and creamy. Were it not for the off-notes in the smell I’d really like this. 5-3-7-4-13
(re-rate from Hallandale beer fest, also bottle) Hazy purplish-brown. Smell is middle of the road mild malt. Not bad flavors: clean, malty but dry, a touch of salt, hoppy afterbit and a little alcohol in the finish. A little too fizzy.

Pours a dark orange. Aroma of fresh vegetables? Starts lightly malty and finishes with a spicy hop influence. It’s a nice seasonal offering.

On tap at BJ’s in Pinellas FLA. Decent leathery aroma. Nice lacing on the glass. Perhaps a little darker than the typical pale yellow american lager. Oily soapy mouth coating feel to the palate. Slight whiskey flavors in the background. Taste is somewhat like chewing on leather, it carries over from the aroma. Not bad but a little too much alky in the personality. Terrible bitter linger, good example of the style.

Poured much lighter than i had imagined it would. Had the aroma and taste of white school chalk, very unpleasant. The alcohol is stated at 6.8 but it didn’t taste very alcoholic at all. Didn’t have high expectations and it met them if that makes any sense at all.

12 oz bottle from Hi-Time Cellar. Nice copper pour, aroma is toasty caramel bready malt. A malt forward design, with enough bitter to balance, in fact overall balance is the strong suit here, with mouth feel and finish just about perfect. I like this beer, I’ll have another.