Shipyard Prelude Ale

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

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Found single bottles on sale at ABC. Now I know why, this beer is weird. It’s like an herbal, watery brown ale with a strange caramel funk. I won’t go as far as saying it’s a spoiled beer, because it’s not bad - just too many flavors that just don’t go together so well.

Bottle. Toffee brown color, clear, light head very nutty taste, a bit overpowering and sour taste. Not a real enjoyable choice.

Had this at a friend’s house, who thought he was pawning it off on me because he deemed it to be terrible. I thought it was an okay offering with nice maltiness to it.

bottle into pint glass, dark red clear pour , white thin head..malty aroma, taste has a wang to it, not in a bad way, tough to explai the flavor,

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

Bottle. Smells nutty, malty, and delicious. Tastes toasty, malty, and smooth. Low carbonation. Not much hops.

There’s no way it’s just 6.7% ABV. I won’t believe it.

Here’s a simple rule, for Winter Warmers, Doubles, Imperials and other Strong Ales: Beer shouldn’t sear your nostrils or your mouth. What’s really at fault here are my expectations and the thought that here’s supposed to be a warming booziness. Instead for some reason it’s cold. Real cold that shoots straight from the glass up the nose and doesn’t improve with the first or second sip.

Toffee, pomegranate juice and rubbing alcohol mix awkwardly in a fine mahogany glaze.

It’s Chimay Première without the distribution or the flavor.

Beeradvocate Rating: 85

ratebeer Rating: 73

Hayward Abbey Rating: 72

Room temp out of bottle. Bread, hay, caramel, esp the latter. Drinkable? Yes. Memorable? Meh.

UPDATED: FEB 20, 2013 Letting it warm to somewhere in the 50 degree range really improved the scent and taste, where a half hour ago I had nothing positive to say. Still, it’s on the mild side across the board -- caramel on the nose and the palate with a mildly spicy finish. Not bad but unremarkable.

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.