     Below Decks Barley Wine Style Ale Heavy Seas Series (Clipper City Brewing Company)
Seems like a nice night to crack the next mega beer from the Heavy Seas collection. Below Decks was brewed to celebrate Clipper City Brewing Company’s 10th Anniversary. The label reads: "Our nod to classic English Barleywine-style ales, Below Decks is deep copper in color with a luxurious malt character. Have some now...and cellar some for later! Very limited release. 10% Alc./Vol." Pours dark. Very dark. Dark, dark, dark amber, almost brown. The head is thin but very well formed and as it dissipates it forms a perfect, long lasting, halo around the top of the glass. Its quite a sight actually. Smells sweet, juicy, malty with hints of raisin bread? Sure, why not. Its my beer and I can say it smells like that. Its a rich smell that is complex for sure with lots of things coming to mind. It leads me to believe that this is a beer that will have a lot of taste... ...and it does not disappoint. First taste is very strong malt sweetness followed by alcohol bitterness. Dark, dried fruit and candied oranges come to mind. The high alcohol content consistently comes into play as I sip this beer. Its almost brandy-like in some ways. Overall, its a very, very flavorful, full-bodied and voluptuous beer. Me thinks I'll sip this one for a bit and enjoy it. Yet another winner from Clipper City. Oh yeah, if you find a bottle take a close look at the label, its a classic.
Posted by Russ Labels: Barleywines, Heavy Seas Series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
   Peg Leg Imperial Stout Heavy Seas Series (Clipper City Brewing Company)
Another visit to Clipper City and their Heavy Seas collection. I've been looking forward to this one for quite awhile now. The label reads: "Beware the pirate! Our Peg Leg Imperial Stout is dangerously dark yet very drinkable with the luxurious character of roasted coffee and dark chocolate." From the Clipper City site: "A dry Imperial stout with rich black color and aromas of roasted coffee, molasses, dark chocolate, toffee and caramel. Rich, powerful, and lingering." Pours a perfect pitch black color. Its quite a sight to behold really. It that inky, oily viscous beauty that only an imperial stout can be. The head is thin, coffee colored and less than half a finger in thickness. Ultimately the head dissipates almost completely and leaves a thin ring of foam that surrounds an island of tiny bubbles. When I popped the cap of this beer I swear I smelled lots of fresh hops. It really surprised me. I don't get a whole lot of that now that its in the glass. What I do I get is dark roasted coffee, chocolate and sweet, sweet malt. This is great smelling stout. All the rich notes are there and the coffee smells really make me think of a nice shot of espresso. First taste of this brings back those hops I smelled from the bottle! Its got the upfront chocolaty and coffee notes for sure but there is a definite hop presence as well. The sweet maltiness of this beer is very tasty and there is hardly any sense of the high alcohol content. As it warms a bit I really get a lot of the rich flavors hidden in this dark and mysterious brew. This beer is absolutely delicious, I think I can leave it at that. Probably one of the best domestic imperial stouts that I've had from a 12 oz. bottle that is for sure. Incredibly smooth and just plain delectable. Clipper City, once again you've come through! Cheers!
Posted by Russ Labels: Russian Imperial Stouts, Heavy Seas Series | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  Hang Ten Weizen Doppelbock Heavy Seas Series (Clipper City Brewing Company)
This bottle of Hang Ten is about 10 months old. At 10% it should still be pretty damn good and maybe some aging made things a little more interesting. Time to put another notch in my Heavy Seas belt... Pours with quite a bit of viscosity, Hang Ten fills the glass with a dark ruby reddish/amber color. The head is quick to fade to a mere film at the top. For a strong beer this one still has quite a bit of carbonation. This is a pretty serious looking beer. The smell is very ripe fruit, dried pears, alcohol for sure and hints of baked apples and cinnamon. Hang Ten is reminiscent of Aventinus but maybe a bit stronger with the alcohol notes. Taste is quite intriguing actually. Lots of fresh and dried fruit tastes. Definitely a sweet apple cider quality to this one as well. There is some subtly spiciness as well but I think what I am most impressed with is how extremely smooth this one is. Also, not sure if anyone should care but there is pretty much no wheat flavor or quality to this beer. Personally I don't care at all, its a great beer and that is what matters to me. I'm definitely surprised that the alcohol taste is not overly apparent, sure its a bit dry and it definitely warms you up quickly, but there is no sharpness or bite from it. Again, its very smooth. Maybe I aged it just right! I'll be on the look out for this one when it comes out again this July. Another great big beer from Clipper City.
Posted by Russ Labels: German-style Beers, Heavy Seas Series, Weizenbocks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Holy Sheet Über Abbey Ale Heavy Seas Series (Clipper City Brewing Company)
Holy Sheet! What a name for a beer. I absolutely love it! Don't let the name fool you though, this beer is no joke. Its another high octane contribution to the Heavy Seas collection from Clipper City Brewing Company out of Baltimore. The label says: "From the centuries-old tradition of Belgian Abbey monks comes our "Über Abbey" Ale. Aromatic and full bodied, pouring deep burgundy in color, it's bold, it's Heavy Seas. Grab a line...Holy Sheet!...or you'll be swept overboard. Seasonally available in February while supplies last." Pours very, very dark brown with hints of ruby redness (you can call that burgundy if you'd like). The head is stark white and fluffy and about a half inch in thickness. Its a nice rich head that hangs on (just like the pirate on the label). Smell is strong, sweet fruit with a touch of alcohol. Call me crazy but I am reminded just a little of Play-Doh when I smell this beer. Mainly, though, I am getting sweet fermented fruit and maybe a bit of cinnamon. Taste is impressive with this one. Lots of sweetness, juicy fruits and a nice bit of warming from the high alcohol. This is a rich and flavorful beer and a great American version of a strong Abbey ale. This is a very unique beer with quite a bit of complexity. Another great beer from the Heavy Seas collection! I love how American brewers aren't afraid to reproduce styles like this. It shows versatility as well as dedication to providing variety to the craft beer consumers in the US. Also, if you look closely at the label you'll notice the pirate is saying "Holy @#%*!" as he holds on for dear life during what looks to be one hell of storm! Too funny...
Posted by Russ Labels: Belgian-style Beers, Heavy Seas Series | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
