Clipper City Heavy Seas Below Decks

Clear light mahogany pour with thin big-bubble off-white head. Aroma of raisin and dark fruit. Bitter chocolate and dark fruit flavor. Medium full body with prickly carbonation. Bitter sticky finish. Good, but not great.

12oz bottle: 07 vintage. Thin gray head that fades quickly, lacing is spotty and stringy, minimal. Clear, dark amber in color. Nose is light sweet malts, caramel, some grain along with some fruity notes, plum, over ripe pear and maybe a whisp of hops, sorta earthy. Body is med/full, coating on the palate, oily. Medium sweet caramel flavors along with some toasty notes, more plum and some raisin and a touch of licorice. Finish is lightly sweet, caramelly with a balanced hop bite. A nice BW just sorta drab.

12 oz. into wine glass. Dark hazel nut brown pour with a creamy dirty white head. The nose is dominated by a combination of roasted and sweet malt with a creamy, almost vanilla flavor - like ice cream or whole milk. The flavor is weird. I can feel the thick body of the brew in my mouth, but my taste buds don’t seem to derive much from it. The only way I can describe it is like drinking something with your nose plugged (or with a cold) - you can feel it, and want to taste it, but simply cannot. The only thing I could taste was a pretty harsh alcohol bite on the finish, although not as bad as the 11% would suggest. Pretty thick and coating on the palate - medium to heavy bodied. Overall: not bad or offensive in any way, but there are plenty of better barley wines out there.

12oz I bought in Providence @ Nikki’s Liquor and shared with my GF Cyn. Bottle says 2007. Pours bubbly amber with a 1 finger bright white head. Nose is a little chalky and slightly biscuity nose. Taste is sweet and hides alcohol pretty well. This is drinkable and a decent barleywine.

Amber pour. Small head with tight lacing. Malty aroma and taste with a very slight bitterness.