Shipyard Prelude Ale

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

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Another one from Shipyard that delivers like almost all the others. Pours bronze with a dense tan head. The aroma has light cinnamon, bit of butter and some bread. Medium / thin body with semi-sharp carbonation. The flavor starts with sharpness that’s very phenolic, light malt and over spiciness. The finish has sour licorice, mineral water and lots of astringency. Not one to seek out.

2007 bottling, best before Oct 08. This English Strong Ale pours a dark amber brown color from a 12oz bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is caramel malts and some spices. A medium bodied English Strong Ale. The malts are caramel and semi sweet. The hops are earthy and “dirty”. The spices don’t seem to do much more than dirty up this beer. It’s a touch cardboardy and vegetative, and need to be a little sweeter to balance things out. Mellows a little as it warms, but still there is something seriously wrong with this beer. Thinks it’s more of a recipe thing than a bad-brewing thing but still, something ain’t right. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly biter and spicy.

22oz bottle. About 9 months old at consumption. Pours a dark copper color with a white foamy head. Nose is very malty and lots of caramel, light hop hint. Palate is syrupy carbonated. Flavor is that of an awful after dinner mint, the kind that has the chocolate coating, except this didnt have the chocolate coating, just the awful mint center. Hints of caramel and sweet malt were also found, but the mint stood out the most. Finish was a bit heavy on the sugar and syrup.

Bottle. Moderate straw for the malt, light herbs and leather for the hops and yeast, with red wine and solvent in the background. Head is small, white, fizzy with no lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is sparkling clear copper. Flavor starts moderately acidic and lightly bitter then the long finish is lightly acidic, moderately bitter and a little sour. Palate is light to medium, watery with a fizzy carbonation. It finishes lightly astringent and dry. I had some expectations for this beer, but it just may have been a bad bottle.

Clear dark orange amber with good head retention and swaths of lace. The taste is caramel malt with prunes and spices giving the impression of cough medicine. Drinkable, but not much beyond a new rating opportunity.

On draft at the shipyard brewpub. Clean brown color. No head. Tastes like butter. Not much else going on. Although drinkable.

Pours a clear, dark mahogany color. Aroma of molasses, roasted grain and dried fruits. Has some slightly woody characteristics too. Flavor is roasted grain with some molasses. The middle and finish has a slightly bitter and sourness. Up front this beer is okay, but the finish just isn’t complimenting the beer correctly. It is too bitter for an English Strong Ale.

Bottle. Just too rich for my blood. No discernable aroma. Nice ruby-read color. Strong and towards the bitter-end of balanced. Boozy. Possibly a good example of a style that I don’t really like.

Bottle shared with Andrew and Brendan. Pours a clear amber body with no head, light lacing. Aroma is sweet malts and spice. Mouthfeel is thin and sticky with notes of sweet caramel malts, light spice and sugar. Nothing about this beer really stands out, very plain but not offensive.

Special.... Snowy scene on the bottle with horses and shit... Like they still do anything? Prelude to what???? Not that great. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone