Shipyard Prelude Special Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Purchased at the brewery on my Portland trip. Now called "Prelude Winter Warmer". Pours a clean deep amber colour with a frothy warm beige head, decent stay and some creamy lace. Aromas of caramel and dark fruits. Pretty nutty taste with the darker malt and decent hop bitterness. A nice warming feel. Pretty easy to drink with a nice balance of hops, caramel, alcohol, dark fruits and nuttiness.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

I can see where they are going with this, but falling a little short of my expectations. Not one of my favorite styles maybe. Tastes like a stronger brown ale. Could use some more hops to balance out the sweetness....but again...this is the style. I prefer their Chamberlain or Old Thumper as far as English Ales go.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

a nice soft nutty vanilla-based malty aroma is the beers forte. it's got a decent body and a pretty rich flavor. better than the norm for shipyard, too. kind of a one-trick pony flavor-wise, but pretty nice.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This beer was a prelude to a great lobster meal I had recently. A nice reddish-brown ale with a soft white head. The aroma is nutty malt, with a hint of hops and sugar. The taste was balanced with the nutty malt up front and bitter finish.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Poured into a pint glass from a 12 oz. bottle. The pour is a medium to dark brown with a tall tan head. Retention and lacing are decent. The nose contains sweet berries, some toffee, alcohol and some earthy/woodsy notes. The taste is more of the same, with the toffee coming out more and adding a taste of some holiday spices. A slight bitterness arises toward the finish. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with low carbonation. Drinkability is high--the empty bottle leaves me wanting more. This is a very nice ale that reminds one that sometimes the wait is worth it.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle: Poured a clear medium copper color ale with a huge foamy head with some good retention and some good lacing. Aromas of huge caramel malt are totally dominating with a nice light hoppy touch. Taste is also dominated by that huge medium-sweet caramel malt with a light hoppy finish. Full body with great carbonation and no alcohol detectable. I really like the balance between the medium sweet caramel malt light hoppy notes, really refreshing and easily drinkable.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours with a nice reddish-brown body. The head is thick light-brown and has minimal retention. Has a nice spicy aroma with a caramel flavor. The mouthfeel.is warm and full bodied. Everything you’d expect from an English Strong Ale. Not a bad American representation of the style.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

The the first thing I noticed was how smooth this beer was because it is very robust. The aroma had hints of ginger and cinnamon. The appearance is a rich, dark red with a very light brownish head which is thick. The mouthfeel is warm and robust with a full-bodied finish and just a hint of alcohol. The flavor is ginger and spices with almost a chocolate taste that is robust. I liked this beer because it has just enough spices and is very smooth on the way down.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

From a bottle. Pours a clear brown with a small head. Spotty lacing. Aroma is sweet with carmel notes. Flavor is very light, slightly sweet. Nothing impressive. Wouldn't seek this one out.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Typical beer from Shipyard. I have yet to have one that was much above average. 2007 bottling poured a nice dark amber color with a small head. The aroma is a bit off, very surprised it's a 6.8% ABV (hidden very well). There are definetly a lot better winter seasonal beers availaable.