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

bottle, total wine. nice amber pour with a tan head. aroma is fruity, spicy, and some juicy hops are present. flavor is very malty and slightly sweet with a nice hop bit gets you throughout. pretty good.

Clear warm reddish-amber with frothy tan head. Lively fruity aromas wafting from glass. Lychee, pear, grape, then revealing a spicy hop background. Very quaffable mouthfeel with soft and gentle carbonation. Very fruity with alcohol dryness in the finish after a clean, earthy middle.

Red color, little head, mottled look on top of the beer. Spicy nose, slightly fruity, but underwhelming. Decent palate, rich, malty, hoppy. Wonder why this one is a winter seasonal? And how does this company hide the booze so well in all their offerings? And how much does the catchy naming + art help me appreciate this?

Pours a clear mid reddish brown with a minimal blotchy tan head and little visible carbonation. Faint aroma of hopped fruit effects. First taste is hops galore. There is some caramel sweetness to offset the hop. A touch of fruit and some bread. Bitterness is pronounced as is sweetness. Alcohol isn’t noticed. This is very tart, sweet, and bitter. An interesting combination that works well here.

looks well off wit hits nice brown, malty and a strong sense of light piney hops. touch of caramel malts make this a great beer for the masses

12 oz bottle straight from the brewer. Pours deep straw color with a light creamy head. Grassy hop aroma with some bread in the background. Light toffee in the body, some corn and apple (?) in there. It is some kind of fruit but I cannot totally put my finger on it. Light for the alcohol in it. A bit syrupy but not overly. Slight yeastiness. Not my fav from CC but ok.

Let’s git this one out of the way, I’m pesimistic about anything that says imperial on it. I’ll rate this monster in recognition of ratebeers triumphant return. Kinda looks like iced tea. Fairly strong hoppy lager aroma, somewhat like imperial pilsners I’ve had. Not as bad as expected on the taste buds but it certainly is quite hoppy bitter. Roll your tongue up against the roof of your mouth and get a shiver, mah fah. Never had an impy ESB, but what the Devil? Kick butte, plowing thru my taste buds. Regardless of how offensive this is, it is not as bad as many impy IPA or impy stouts. Really does have ESB character on the upper level of rudeness. Some ESB are friendly and well mannered, and this is not! heheheh. Will not buy again, way too much for this lager lover. On par with Berkshire Cabin Fever Ale or Laggy’s Impy red.

The aroma is hoppy with toasted malt, caramel, and a touch of yeast. The appearance is deep amber with a brown hue and an OK looking head. The flavor is like the aroma and quite bitter. The palate is smooth. Overall it’s good.