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

Filtered golden body with no head. The aroma is very malty with lemons and orange aroma from the hops. The flavor is also very malted.

Poured an orangish red with a thick creamy off white head that had great thick lacing. It looked appitizing in the glass with a nice 1" full head. The initial aroma I got was of orange with a malty background. There was a mellow bite with a light bitter initial taste that mellowed to a subtle sweetness at the finish. The flavor lasted well on the palate. A very nice beer

2007 version. Deep ruby color with almost no head. Big hop Boquet. Flavor is hoppy/citrius/bitterness balanced by some malty sweetness and rum flavors. Great big beer. Love it. Alcohol is well hidden.

Nice thick creamy head. Very strong nose on this one. The aroma is very nice, hoppy but with a nice malty smoothness, and the flavor is immediately very balanced. The swallow is a bit strong, but still very nice.

Draught: Aroma of malts, as well as piney, citrus, and floral hops. Poured amber in color with a small to medium-sized off-white head. Good lacing. Sparkling. Clear. Medium sweet, light to medium bitter flavor. Tasted of roasted malts, and floral hops. Medium body. Thinnish, dryish, texture. Average carbonation. Bitter and sweet hop finish. Hoppy but not bitter.

Bottle. 12 fl. oz. Dark amber color with thick, creamy head. Strong malt aroma of candy or caramel. Very fresh. Medium body with a leathery mouthfeel. Flavor strongly resembles aroma with the exception of slight hoppy bitterness at the end. Alcohol is well hidden. Goes down real easy.

Pours slightly hazy copper colored with a nice stand of off-white head which leaves nice sticky lacing. Aroma is generally sweet with caramel malts along with a good dose of fruity, flowery and sometimes earthy/spicy hops. Very flavorful and bitter, with a nice base of soft, complex caramel malts under loads of citrusy and earthy bittering hops. Well-balanced throughout and into the finish. Smooth and medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Excellent beer all around. Seems reasonably true to style for an ESB (a style open to considerable interpretation), with the slight exception of its strength. Including it as a Strong Ale here unfairly lowers its style percentile rating, IMO.

Pours Copper color with a thick off white head. Malty aroma with floral hops cutting through. Thick very hoppy malty ESB on steroids taste. Very much and English style ale, but all phases are amped up, from the aroma to the taste and finishing with a english hop bitterness on the tongue.