Clipper City Heavy Seas Winter Storm (2005+ -- Imperial ESB)

12 oz bottle-pours a foamy light tan head that laces and copper color. Aroma is nice citrus-grapefruit and orange/pine hops, secondary medium malt. Taste is some alcohol, citrus-grapefruit and orange, metallic/herbal/pine hops, some tannins bitterness, secondary medium malt, some roasty. Slightly slick mouth fee. Taste doesn’t meet my expectations from the aroma, the (English) hops didn’t seem to quite stay ‘balanced’ on the jump to imperial ESB.

Dec. 2006 - Beer poured dark amber color with nice head and decent lacing, too. Aroma was strong piney hops. Flavor was a nice balance of sweet malts and piney hops with a detectable alcohol flavor which was nice. Another solid beer from Clipper City!

12 oz bottle. Poured a clear dark amber color. Head was two fingers high and off white with fair retention. Some lace was left on the glass at the end. Attractive malt dominated aroma which was not as powerful as the Lagunitas Imperial Red sampled side by side. Smelled mostly of buttery caramel and toffee. Medium bodied and slightly sweet. The alcohol flavor was evident along with sprucy hops, toasted bread, and caramel. Very good beer.

12 oz bottle. Pours a deep copper color with 1/2" off white head. Consumed at fridge temp. A great deal off hoppy bitterness up front. As the beer warmed flavors of malt and caramel showed through, but still very hoppy. Alcohol is strong too. To bitter for me.

Toffee clored liquid under light tan head. Hops on the nose. Good, solid ale, perhaps a little too sweet on the end. Good.

Bottle courtesy of kmweaver. Pours a hazy, deep copper with a fluffy, ecru head and wispy lace. The nose is of toasty, bready malt with a solid, resinous, earthy hop backing. Medium-bodied and creamy with a tongue-squeezing bitter finish. The flavor is of toasted, bready, caramel malt with big, bitter, earthy hops and a lingering resinous finish. This one really pushes the envelope of a style that I enjoy quite a bit (ESBs), and I was really impressed with the result. I wish that I could get this in KC. It would surely become one of my winter standbys. Thanks again for sending this one, Ken!

Bottle. Dark amber, almost opaque, with small creamy yet persistent light brown head. Aroma: quite faint until warmed, sweet and fruity. Nice balance of caramel sweetness, hops bitterness and citrus that lasts. Lively fullness in mouth with pleasant tingle. Warming. Like an after dinner cordial.

Another 4-pointer from Clipper City! "Shiver me timbers" says the cubist captain on the label. There is a nice, honey sweetness. They say it is an imperial ESB. I say it is full of hops! Nice, fragrant, piney, fruity hops. Good malt backing. Pretty dry finish with some alchohol in there. They call it a heavy seas / winter storm ale, but this stuff would hit the spot with flat water and warm sunshine too. A hearty, hopping pale ale that reaches the same highs as this brewer’s Loose Cannon.