Shipyard Prelude Special Ale. Pouring a medium-dark, full-bodied Winter Warmer, Shipyard's special holiday ale lives up to the "special" in its name with a complex bunch of flavors ranging from slight fruits, probably of the candied variety, I'd assume, to chocolate and chestnuts/hazelnuts. The fruitiness blend in well with everything else going on, of which there is quite a bit. The scent is bitter but not in a "hop" sense, more of a dark chocolate sense, with some lingering nuttiness in the nose, and a bit of butterscotch or something similar, for good measure. Honestly, this is fucking delicious...it's probably even better than SA's Old Fezziwig, and that's saying a lot considering that was previously the best warmer I've had.
The biggest surprise with this beer, though, is the absolutely intense hit of flavor and alcohol that sneaks up on you after the first few sips (until you acclimate to the feeling, though it is still as tasty every other time); this doesn't happen until you actually finish the sip and it is BIG on the nutty, roasted malt flavor. At this point, the alcohol hits the palate and goes down smooth.
Win. A lot of win.
It was okay but could use some age. Doggie Claws is a barleywine that was pretty hoppy and had a HUGE head. I had to let it dribble out of the bottle lest it all go to waste in the foam. It was still good. Pretty hoppy for a barleywine. Traces of diacetyl but good nonetheless
