Shipyard Prelude Ale

Pours a dark mahogany with little head. Aroma is mostly malt with some sweet caramel and grain. Flavor is slightly more bitter, but malt still comes through. Decent palate, decent brew.

Bottle to mug. Pours dark amber with little head & lacing. Decent aroma & good taste. Malty, with a bitter ale finish. I think i am rating the correct beer, as the specific one I have is called prelude special ale. The label is different than the picture (has a second empire house christmas-y scene)

Deep strong amber body with brown highlights and a thinnish tan head - nice! Aroma of roasted malt, a bit of spice, strong pit fruits and a bit of hops tucked in. Medium to Full-bodied; Super strong pungent and bitter maltiness coupled with metal and bitter malt - not too pleasant. Aftertaste shows some more malt, cardboard, metal, nuts and a tiny amount of pit fruits. Overall, this one is a bit too strong and astringent, showing some metallic flavours and off-tastes much more than another of this style. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Olivers Beverage in Albany, New York on 22-December-2008, sampled a day later.

Pours dark amber with nice head and decent lacing. Aroma is on the sweeter side of molasses, with some grainy roast. Flavor is a tad astringent, but balanced nicely with a roast character, and a bit of caramel. Palate is smooth and pretty full.

Had this at a Bevmo tasting which also featured Yulesmith and 06, 07 and 08 Vintages of Double Bastard & Stone RIS. Well, Prelude came in last in my book. It tasted like a nice amber ale. Nothing special, but nothing bad.

Shipyard for me is extremely frustrating. their beers are either magnificent or dismal. obviously its a matter of taste, but Prelude falls into the latter category. i think what it comes down to is im just not a fan of english ales. its too bitter and sour for my tastes. drinking this, i could think that some people would like this, just like the Sierra Nevada Celebration. Im just not one of them. it starts nice, but just finishes too harsh.

Pours mahogany into a trappist glass. Head quickly recedes to form large bubbles on the surface. Dark caramel and pit fruit aromas. Sweet upfront with dark pit fruits, turning fizzy and resiny, dry hop in the finish.

Bottle thanks to John. Clear chestnut-colored pour with big off-white head. Slightly buttery, malty caramel nose; slightly roasty. Sour metallic notes on the palate. More caramel, some light spice. Confusing to my palate. Odd.