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

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

Cask at the Brazen Head. Deep amber beer, very thick sticky white head. A very bright fresh grassy aroma. Soft earthy/fruity bitterness that lingers softly on the back of the palate. Pine and grapefruit and a touch of tropical fruit as well. Very soft sweet malts, lightly toasty wit a bit of caramel on the back. Great palate, soft and lightly fruity. Very fresh with lots of soft hoppiness but not a whole lot of real bitterness. Just a bit of bright hop character. A really solid brew. The cask works very well.

Pours clear ruby red with a thin off white head. Beautiful creamy, floral hop, and caramel aroma. Flavor is very burned and smokey, it tastes like dry, burned hops. Something I really haven’t experienced before. Interesting. I’m enjoying this right now, but it is strange.

Pours a deep dark brown with almost no head. Aroma of carmel, malt and cherry. Taste of hops, spicy, nicely carbonated. Fiinish is dry.

12oz bottle from Total Wine (Tampa, FL). Pours a generally clear dark amber to brown color with a thick and frothy tan head. Some retention and lacing. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of pear, apple, ripe dark fruit, floral hops, some hints of honey and spice. Flavor is sweet and malty with a stronger hop presence, some notes of spice, ripe fruit, some toasted malt or rye, and hints of raisins and toffee. Generally medium body with a hoppy and malty finish.

This pours a deep amber color with a nice initial off-white fluffy head but not a lot of retention. Caramel malts, some spices and fruits, with a decent dose of bitter hops following. Finishes rather dry. There wasnt a lot to get too excited about but this was a pretty solid beer.

Pours a three finger cream head that fades slowly to a thin layer leaving a good lace. Nice clear amber color. Mix of hops and malt nose. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Flavor is almost sweet caramel with the hops balancing. Better than an ESB - brewer calls this an imperial ESB which fits. $2.00 for a 12oz bottle from Tullys Beer & Wine Wells, Me. Best before Mar 2009.

Bottle. Moderate aromas of cookie, caramel and cooked orange, like candied orange for the malt and hops, light sweat for the yeast with raisin, toffee, maple syrup, allspice and an irony note in the background. Head is small, fizzy, white with fair lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is sparkling clear dark copper. Flavor starts moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then the extra long finish is lightly sweet and acidic, and moderately bitter. Palate is medium, between oily and creamy, and has a soft carbonation. It finishes moderately astringent, which took away a little form the score, and fairly dry. A good American Strong, but unusual in the fact that I thought it tasted way better than it smelled.

12 oz bottle courtesy of eaglefan538. Best before Mar 2009 notched on label. Pour is mostly clear ruby golden with a 3/4 inch tan head. There is no visible carbonation. Aroma of resinous hops, with cookie dough maltiness and soft vanilla notes. Nice smelling beer. Taste is the cookie dough slightly sweet maltiness initially, with a nice mineral character right behind that. There is also a toasted element taht reminds me of rye, even carraway. The hops are present as well, though less resinous than the nose and more bitter. The hops are primarily in the latter part, and certainly are the main component of the finish, which is quite bitter. As it warms, the sweetness gets a bit sharp, and the alcohol wanrmth is more evident. Overall, an interesting concept which was exceuted well. I must say, I was quite certain I was not going to enjoy this based on it being called an "Imperial ESB". I was wrong, thanks Brian.