diff --git a/Rakefile b/Rakefile
index 871bc69f..f2887d5a 100644
--- a/Rakefile
+++ b/Rakefile
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ CONTENT
   end
 end
 
-# Ensures that the version have been updated for a new release.
+# Ensures that the VERSION file has been updated for a new release.
 task :check_release do
   version = File.read(scope("VERSION")).strip
   raise "There have been changes since current version (#{version})" if changed_since?(version)
@@ -189,25 +189,11 @@ task :release_edge do
     sh %{git reset --hard origin/edge-gem}
     sh %{git merge origin/master}
 
-    # Get the current master branch version
-    version = File.read(scope('VERSION')).strip.split('.')
-    pr = version[3]
-    version = version.map {|n| n.to_i}
-    unless pr || (version[1] % 2 == 1 && version[2] == 0)
-      raise "#{version.join('.')} is not a development version" 
+    unless edge_version = bump_edge_version
+      puts "master is already a prerelease version, no use building an edge gem"
+      next
     end
 
-    # Bump the edge gem version
-    edge_version = File.read(scope('EDGE_GEM_VERSION')).strip.split('.').map {|n| n.to_i}
-    if !pr && (edge_version[0..1] != version[0..1])
-      # A new master branch version was released, reset the edge gem version
-      edge_version[0..1] = version[0..1]
-      edge_version[2] = 0
-    else
-      # Just bump the teeny version
-      edge_version[2] += 1
-    end
-    edge_version = edge_version.join('.')
     File.open(scope('EDGE_GEM_VERSION'), 'w') {|f| f.puts(edge_version)}
     sh %{git commit -m "Bump edge gem version to #{edge_version}." EDGE_GEM_VERSION}
     sh %{git push origin edge-gem}
@@ -217,11 +203,41 @@ task :release_edge do
     sh %{rake package}
     sh %{git checkout VERSION}
 
-    sh %{rubyforge add_release haml haml-edge "Bleeding Edge (v#{edge_version})" pkg/haml-edge-#{edge_version}.gem}
-    sh %{gem push pkg/haml-edge-#{edge_version}.gem}
+    sh %{rubyforge add_release haml haml "Bleeding Edge (v#{edge_version})" pkg/haml-#{edge_version}.gem}
+    sh %{gem push pkg/haml-#{edge_version}.gem}
   end
 end
 
+# Reads the master version and the edge gem version,
+# bump the latter, and return it.
+#
+# Returns nil if the current master version is already a non-alpha prerelease.
+def bump_edge_version
+  # Get the current master branch version
+  version = File.read(scope('VERSION')).strip.split('.')
+  version.map! {|n| n =~ /^[0-9]+$/ ? n.to_i : n}
+  unless version.size == 5 # prerelease
+    raise "master version #{version.join('.')} is not a prerelease version" 
+  end
+
+  # Bump the edge gem version
+  edge_version = File.read(scope('EDGE_GEM_VERSION')).strip.split('.')
+  edge_version.map! {|n| n =~ /^[0-9]+$/ ? n.to_i : n}
+
+  if version[3] != "alpha"
+    return
+  elsif edge_version[0..2] != version[0..2]
+    # A new master branch version was released, reset the edge gem version
+    edge_version[0..2] = version[0..2]
+    edge_version[4] = 1
+  else
+    # Just bump the teeny version
+    edge_version[4] += 1
+  end
+
+  edge_version.join('.')
+end
+
 task :watch_for_update do
   sh %{ruby extra/update_watch.rb}
 end
diff --git a/haml.gemspec b/haml.gemspec
index 4ead8a57..1d3ee439 100644
--- a/haml.gemspec
+++ b/haml.gemspec
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@ require 'rubygems'
 # Note that Haml's gem-compilation process requires access to the filesystem.
 # This means that it cannot be automatically run by e.g. GitHub's gem system.
 # However, a build server automatically packages the master branch
-# every time it's pushed to; this is made available as the haml-edge gem.
+# every time it's pushed to; this is made available as a prerelease gem.
 HAML_GEMSPEC = Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.rubyforge_project = 'haml'
-  spec.name = File.exist?(File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/EDGE_GEM_VERSION') ? 'haml-edge' : 'haml'
+  spec.name = 'haml'
   spec.summary = "An elegant, structured XHTML/XML templating engine.\nComes with Sass, a similar CSS templating engine."
   spec.version = File.read(File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/VERSION').strip
   spec.authors = ['Nathan Weizenbaum', 'Chris Eppstein', 'Hampton Catlin']