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

good taste if you like hoppy beers. Dark in color and a strong beer too. Would buy again....

Tap @ winter brew fest in mount holly. Although many beers had been tasted this beer had a flavor that stuck out. Otherwise no notes to put down.

[1889-20081206] Cask. Toasted hoppy yeast aroma. Clear, dark red body with quick off-white bubbles. Boozy heavy sweet yeast flavour has lots of toasted grains throughout. Medium-full body. Warming.
(@ Cole’s; Buffalo, NY)

The aroma & taste line up almost exactly: a mix of flavors built around licorice and hops. The maltiness of Winter Storm in combination with the candy makes this feel like a dessert. Mouthfeel is good, but the flavors are not subtle in any sense of the word, and that gives this a fakeness to me. It’s hard to explain. I feel like I’m opening a box of crayons and seeing a row of color-coded flavors (Pie Brown and Sugary Red!) presented in order. If you’re looking for a "winter warmer," I’d recommend the Weyerbacher Fireside over this.

[Bottle] Pours reddish-amber with a small beige head. The aroma is decent with a good amount of hops, a sort of nuttiness, and caramel. Pretty good. The taste has some noticeable alcohol, along with a lot of malt, and some hops, although the bitterness is quite restrained. Good mouthfeel, smooth, with a medium-long finish. A solid beer that is easy to drink and well made.

Overall Impression: This was a nice beer, don’t have the particulars in front of me, but here’s the ranking for when I tried it...

Pretty good. Not overpowering for a strong ale, but somewhat complex. Surprisingly light and drinkable. Well balanced, fortunately not too sweet. Light carbonation and small head. A little bit of candy like flavor. No alcohol. Weak finish.

Bottle from Villa, Storrs, CT. Amber color with a nice hop/malt mix. A good ol’ reliable that isn’t to harsh with the ABV.