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

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

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 Percentile 
87
overall
An American Strong Ale brewed by
Clipper City Brewing Co.

Baltimore, Maryland USA

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
3403.51/5.03.5/5.0Winter7.3%48.5Snifter, Trappist glass P  Stats

Commercial Description:
Our "winter warmer" ale, brewed with copious helpings of English malts and US and English hops, a ruddy hued "Imperial ESB" in style. Full malty flavors dancing with powerful hop aromas and a lingering, firm hop bitterness. Seasonally available from mid October to February.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 jhumphries69 (656), Tyrone, Georgia, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/515/20

Feb 2, 2008  
12oz bottle. Pours a deep, clear copper with russet and orange highlights. It pours up a smallish, light tan head that fades quickly into a very thin ring - but it leaves lots of lace on the glass. The aroma is thick - a pleasant combination of chewy, caramel malts and resiny, earthy, fruity hops. The flavor starts bittersweet with delectable malts - lots of caramel, some biscuit, and a touch of chocolate. The hops provide a nice background of subtle, flowery bitterness - but the front of the palate says this beer is more malt forward. The are tasty, fruity, English esters in there that strengthen towards mid-palate (and as the beer warms). The middle of the tongue finds more fruit and esters in the overall malt flavor, and a firm bitterness makes itself present. The finish is full of biscuits and dark toast along with some notes of caramel and English hops. The mouthfeel is quite nice - medium-full in body with a moderate level of carbonation. Overall, this is a pretty darn good beer.

 nqualls (1200), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/58/104/515/20
Jun 14, 2009  

Source: 2006, 12 oz bottle. Don’t remember where I purchased it.
Glass: North Coast Snifter.
Appearance: Ruddy brown/orange color with no noticeable head.
Aroma: At this point no hops exist. Sweet malt, caramel and toffee are the dominant notes.
Flavor: Solid malty background with a decent bitter finish. Not much complexity, but generally enjoyable to drink.
Palate: Medium/full body with soft/no carbonation.
Overall: Good beer. Has held up to the years well. Would like to try some fresh though.


Ja29ck (22), Salisbury, Maryland, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/103/511/20
Jun 5, 2009  
good taste if you like hoppy beers. Dark in color and a strong beer too. Would buy again....


 vtafro (212), , New Jersey, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/515/20
Jun 5, 2009  
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.


 mabel (2208), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/515/20
Apr 10, 2009  
[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)


barleywine1 (11), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/104/512/20
Apr 4, 2009  
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.


 OSLO (746), Minnesota, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/104/515/20
Apr 3, 2009  
[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.


 ben4321 (562), Rockville, Maryland, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/513/20
Mar 31, 2009  
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...


 wcampbell (530), Central, South Carolina, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/512/20
Mar 21, 2009  
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.



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