Shipyard Prelude Ale

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

Tasted 2/26/08. 12oz bottle. 2006-2007 edition. Filtered and a dark bronze hue. Thick ring of taupe head. Citrus and spicy aromas. Mild malt note. Tart flavors with a good malt roast. Burnt sugar. Rough rolling palate. Good hop bitterness. Toasty spicy with a cocoa flavor. Off-putting alcohol note. Sticky with a cola and mint undertone. B- beer.

Strong biscuty and toasty smell, with a little hop aroma. Dark amber color, with a head that isn’t much to speak of, leaving virtually no lace. Taste is strong, nutty, biscuty, dry, some notes of dry fruit and vanilla. This is pretty malty but certainly not too sweet. Palate is sharp with lots of carbonation. A very nice winter ale.

Bottle. Nice amber color, small offwhite head. Vanilla aroma, candy, caramel, quite a lot of toffee, some spices. Malty flavor, a bit artificial, nutty notes, some hops.

Bottle. Pours clear dark copper with a thin straw-colored head. Spice, nut and caramel nose. Medium body and carbonation. Lightly sweet taste, with more toffee, maybe some butterscotch, orange spice and a bit of fruit. Dry, woody, pine finish. Credible I guess, but I’m finding it kinda hard to get exited about this one.

Pours a clear brown with a creme head that falls quickly to leave a thin film on the top of me brew. Nie sweet and woody kind of nose. Flavor is tangy at first. Smooths out nicely as time goes on. Nice mellow sweet tones with a malty edge that is noticed, but not the dominant feature here. Mouthfeel is a bit thicker and slick on the liquid and the carbonation is nice, but low. Overall I found this a really easy to drink winter warmer. If you are looking for a nice example of the style, I highly suggest this one. I kind of forgot about reviewing it for a while as I just enjoyed sip after sip.

Draft at The Celt in downtown Orlando. Pours a translucent, dark reddish brown color. A small, fizzy off-white head dissipates quickly to a wispy film. Minimal lacing. The aroma was of dark caramel malts, a touch of chocolate and coffee, candied walnuts, and some dark spices. The flavor was mellow and fairly enjoyable, with sweet malts dominating and hints of creamy coffee providing depth. There’s a touch of toffee in there, as well as mild dark fruits and spices. Medium bodied and smooth, with a short finish. Overall, one of Shipyard’s better offerings, but certainly nothing to get excited about.

Bottle. Pours dark amber-brown with a moderate beige head. Aroma is sweet butterscotch malt, bread, a bit of nuttiness, and some spices. Flavor is mainly sweet butterscotch malt with some nuttiness, tempered a bit by a little woody spiciness and a bit of alcohol sharpness. Despite the butterscotch sweetness, oddly dry mouthfeel, with a mildly astringent finish. Not quite sure what to make of this, but interesting enough.

very English tasting, very malty and doughy, hints of nuttiness and burnt caramel. Not a bad beer but nothing to go out of your way to acquire.