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

Brewed by Clipper City Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Baltimore, Maryland USA

Bottle. From Anne and Daniel Christmas 2007. Great aroma of sweet fruitcake and malty pineapple. Sweet strawberry comes through as well. This is a darker tan, almost auburn color and the silky mouthfeel is topped only by its wonderful flavor. Bold and full of life, but still not overpowering. This is a wonderful beer and it’s been a while since I have had one of those. Top notch work on this one. Hops are spicy and biting with a nice fuzzy finish. Great brew!

Really impressed with this guy. Nice copper/amber with small white head. Aromas of orange and pine. Bitter and smooth. Great product, could drink it all year round.

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!