Prelude Special Ale Returns for the Season

Since 1993, Shipyard Brewing Company’s award-winning Prelude Special Ale has been a seasonal customer favorite.

Last winter, Shipyard extended the availability of Prelude by turning it into the brewery’s official winter beer. Prelude Special Ale is available nationwide from November through January.

Prelude Special Ale was originally introduced in 1993 at Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub to celebrate the holiday season in Kennebunkport, Maine. Prelude is the name of the town’s annual holiday celebration.

Prelude is a rich, nutty, full-bodied English Ale with an inviting amber hue and hoppy finish. Prelude has 6.7% alcohol by volume, making this seasonal specialty the perfect winter warmer.

In 2006, this beer was named one of the World’s 50 Best Beers in the UK International Beer Challenge.

In 2009, 2006, 2003, and 2002 the judges of the The United States Beer Tasting Championship awarded Prelude "Best in the Northeast" in the Strong/Old Ale category.

Pugsleys' Signature Series Imperial Porter--"A wonderful Imperial Porter"

There have been some great reviews coming in about the beers in the Pugsley's Signature Series. The latest review about the Imperial Porter comes to us from mustlovebeer.com.

"The Pugsley's Signature Series Imperial Porter from Shipyard Brewing Company in Portland, Maine pours out jet black in color with no light getting through and a one finger, tan head that sticks around. On the nose aromas of chocolate, coffee, deeply roast grain, nuts and earthiness. In the mouth flavors of creamy bittersweet chocolate, coffee, molasses, smoke and a slight herbal hoppiness. Full side of medium bodied. Nice carbonation. Good lacing. Smooth mouthfeel. Slightly sweet on a long finish that ends with a bitter twang. A wonderful Imperial Porter."

Imperial Porter is a full bodied, very dark, malty beer with a good roasted character. The beer has an OG of 1.070, rounding out after fermentation with just a slight residual sweetness and cutting dry at the finish. This year, Imperial Porter took home a 2nd place Porter award at the West Coast Brewers Festival. This beer pairs well with meat dishes, shepherd's pie, and stews.

Pugsley's Signature Series is named after Shipyard's master brewer, Alan Pugsley. Pugsley's career began in England where he worked under the tutelage of renowned brewer Peter Austin at the world-famous Ringwood Brewery in Hampshire. Pugsley moved to the United States in 1986 to consult on the construction of dozens of North American breweries before partnering with Fred Forsley at the Shipyard Brewing Company in 1992.

Shipyard Brewing Company is located on the historic waterfront in Portland, Maine and produces more than 15 varieties of award-winning English style and seasonal beers. It products are distributed in over 35 states.

New Hampshire Brewers' Festival November 14

Join Shipyard Brewing Company this Saturday, November 14 for the first annual New Hampshire Brewers' Festival. The festival is taking place at The Armory at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, NH. Like the Maine Brewers' Festival, there will be two sessions: Happy Hour Session (1:00-5:00 pm) and an Evening Session (6:00-10:00 pm). Hope to see you all there!

Prelude Release Party 2009

Join the Shipyard Brewing Company Crew on Thursday November, 19 for the 2009 Prelude Release Party!

The party is going to be taking place simultaneously from 6:00-8:00 PM at all 3 Portland Pie locations (Portland, Westbrook, and Scarborough)!

As always there will be awesome prizes and giveaways, and $1.00 from every Shipyard sold will be donated to the Root Cellar Charity.

Come on out for great beer, great pizza, and a great time!

Prelude Special Ale is full-bodied in the true English style. It is a rich and nutty ale with a hoppy finish and an inviting deep amber hue.

Maine Brewers Festival Wrap Up

The 2009 Maine Brewers Festival has come and gone, and what a great day it was.

Both sessions were packed and everyone enjoyed all the different Shipyard Brews on tap (10 in total), especially the four Pugsley's Signature Series beers that were being poured!

The Maine Sunday Telegram ran a great recap of the event that can be read HERE.

In the article, they quote Shipyard Brewing's Brew Master Alan Pugsley: "'It's a lot of work, but it's an event we really enjoy,' Pugsley said, stepping away from taps dispensing Shipyard's 'Signature Line,' including the seasonal 'Smashed Pumpkin' brew."

Also, be sure to check out the photos from the event HERE.

2009 Maine Brewers Festival

Woot woot for Maine beer!

Check out photos at this link.

Watch video at this link.

XXXX IPA Honored with Silver Award

Shipyard Brewing Company's XXXX IPA was honored with a Silver award at the Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival. This award was presented in the "Ale Modern Style 6% and Above" category.

The Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival is one of Europe's largest trade and consumer shows. Shipyard was just one of ten U.S. breweries to receive an award at this festival. Competition results can be viewed at this link on the Brewers Association Export Development Program website.

XXXX IPA is one of the selections in Shipyard's new Pugsley's Signature Series. This series is named after Shipyard’s master brewer, Alan Pugsley. Pugsley’s career began in England where he worked under the tutelage of renowned brewer Peter Austin at the world-famous Ringwood Brewery in Hampshire. Pugsley moved to the United States in 1986 to consult on the construction of dozens of North American breweries before partnering with Fred Forsley at the Shipyard Brewing Company in 1992.

XXXX IPA is a non-traditional American IPA with a brilliant copper color and the classic citrus nose of Cascade Hops. This beer demonstrates a unique balance of malt-inspired, delicate red grapefruit sweetness and lingering hop dryness. XXXX IPA won a Silver Award at the 2009 United States Open Beer Championships. This beer pairs well with Cajun dishes, blackened fish, and BBQ.

Malt: Malted Wheat, Pale Ale, Crystal, and Caramalt
Hops: Cascade, Warrior, Summit and Glacier, 70 IBUs
OG: 1.092
ABV: 9.25%

Maine Brewer's Guild at the Maine Brewer's Fest

The Maine Brewers' Guild will be at the afternoon session of the 16th Annual Maine Brewers' Festival being held on November 7, 2009. They will be there promoting the newly established Maine Beer Trail and will have a bunch of swag from some of the member breweries. There will also be a raffle for gift certificates to some of the great Maine brewpubs!

The Guild's table will be right next to registration and will be sharing the space with the Maine Beer Writers Guild.

Stop by and learn all about the Brewer's Guild and how you can stay up to date on all the Maine Beer news!

Shipyard Brewing Releases Cellar Aged Barley Wine Style Ale

Read press release at this link.
Shipyard Brewing Company has released a limited quantity of cellar aged Barley Wine Style Ale. This beer was first released in October 2008 as the inaugural brew in the company’s Pugsley’s Signature Series line. A limited quantity has been aging for about 10 months and is available now through December, while supplies last.

“As this beer has aged, the flavors have developed to become more complex,” noted master brewer Alan Pugsley.

The 22 oz. cellar aged Barley Wine Style Ale bottles are stamped with a gold “Cellar Aged” sticker. This beer can be found on shelves in New England in Florida in single 22 oz. bottles and in the new Pugsley’s Signature Series 4-bottle sampler pack.

Read more about the new sampler pack at this link.

Barley Wine Style Ale is a big beer made with six different malts (Pale Ale, Crystal, Caramunich, Wheat, Chocolate and Roasted Barley) and balanced with a very full hop charge of Summit, Challenger and Fuggles hops. It is a deep reddish brown color with a complex fruity nose, a very full body, and an interesting balance between grains and hops which ends with a pleasing dry taste. To fully enjoy all the flavors, this ale is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This beer pairs particularly well with dark chocolate and sharp cheeses, such as Stilton. OG: 1.088, ABV: 8.5%.

Pugsley’s Signature Series is named after Shipyard’s master brewer, Alan Pugsley. Pugsley’s career began in England where he worked under the tutelage of renowned brewer Peter Austin at the world-famous Ringwood Brewery in Hampshire. Pugsley moved to the United States in 1986 to consult on the construction of dozens of North American breweries before partnering with Fred Forsley at the Shipyard Brewing Company in 1992.

Shipyard Brewing Company is located on the historic waterfront in Portland, Maine and produces more than 15 varieties of award-winning English style and seasonal beers. Its products are distributed in over 35 states.

Last Sunday Brunches on Peaks Island

The Inn on Peaks Island kicked off brunch last week in coordination with Harvest on the Harbor. The music by East Wave Radio was a great addition and the crowd had an awesome time. It was so much fun that the Inn has decided to continue brunch on the last Sunday of every month.

The next one will be November 29th and costs just $13.95 per person. East Wave Radio will again be there playing.

Buy tickets HERE.

Hope to see you all there!

Inn on Peaks Island: Romantic Getaway

Special Rate: Escape to The Inn on Peaks Island
November 1, 2009 - May 14, 2010
$185 per night includes dinner for two
$135 per night for room only
Call 207-766-5100 x2 to reserve your room today. Or email the Inn at frontdesk@innonpeaks.com

Escape to the romantic Inn on Peaks Island, just a 15 minute ferry ride from Portland, Maine. The Inn proudly serves beer from Shipyard Brewing Company.

The Inn's six Maine-cottage-style guest rooms feature jacuzzi tubs, gas fireplaces, sunny sitting rooms, private decks, and harbor views. Check out photos of the Inn at this link.

This package is not available on Mondays, Tuesdays, and holidays. Price is based on double occupancy. Does not include Maine State Lodging tax. No two night minimum required.

Pumpkinhead Costume

Andrew Bean, a Pumpkinhead Ale Super Fan, celebrated Halloween by dressing up as the headless horseman found on the Pumpkinhead logo. What a great costume! Cheers and Happy Halloween!