Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet Big DIPA

Brewed by Heavy Seas Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Baltimore, Maryland USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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This goes down as the biggest disappointment of 2009 thus far. My main beef with the beer is that on first sip it tasted stinkingly similar to their barleywine Below Decks that it lead me to believe that it is the same beer sans Magnum, Fuggles, and Goldings hops. The beer is super sweet and sticky on the lips like maple syrup. The dose of American hops is too low to even consider this anything more than an ordinary barleywine with an American hop accent. I was looking forward to this beer and I hope that Clipper City goes back to the drawing board and crafts something up that is to style and original. I.E. Not Below Decks masquerading as a DIPA. Perhaps something dry and hoppy please. This is a dessert beer, so I think labeling it a DIPA is misleading to the customer who is looking for a DIPA.

22oz bomber pours dark copper with a khaki head. Aromas of toasted bread heavy hops some pine and carmel malts. Flavor is bready some biscuit a touch if pine and grapefruit rind. Body is full with a boozy feel.

WOW! This is what a DIPA is all about. To hell with the color and the aroma, this tastes fantastic. Nice sweet malt up front with a solid dose of grassy citrus hops. The 10.6% ABV is not really evident until it warms. Very slick and oily on the tongue and roof or my mouth. For the uninitiated beware, this very drinkable ale will drag you to the bottom of the sea quickly!

22oz bottle served in a tulip. Pour is mahogany with three fingers of light kaki head. Nose is malt, hops, resign, pine, grapefruit, caramel, and cantaloupe. Taste is right on the money, with a dish soap finish. This is a very well done DIPA, and just one more reason to give Heavy Seas my hard earned green! A+++

22oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Ar: Floral hops with light citrus notes. Big caramel malt backbone. Ap: Golden copper in color with decent clarity. One finger off white head with alright retention and decent lacing. T: Big caramel up front. Then a weird floral and citrus hop profile. An off mixture. Not to bitter. Finishing slightly grassy with an alcohol bite. P: Medium light body. Medium high carbonation. Slightly slick. A touch dry. O: Not a great DIPA, but it is decent. The hop profile is a very odd flavor. The alcohol has a bit of a bite in the finish that I’m not fond of. This isn’t a bad beer just not one I would purchase on a regular basis.

Cask gravity @ GBBF 2011. Pours a golden color with a small white head. Has a fruity malty hoppy grapefruit aroma. Fruity malty hoppy bitter grapefruit flavor with hints of caramel. Has a fruity malty hoppy bitter grapefruit finish.

A: Rich orange-amber body. Big white cap which receded quickly. Spotty lacing. S: Malt. Lots o’ malt. At 75 IBUs I certainly am not detecting much over the syrupy sweet caramel malts and toffee. T: More of the same. Except it manages to get even more one dimensional. All caramel malt. M: Medium bodied, yet thin on the palate. No quantifiable finish. The syrupy beer just coats the mouth and sticks around forever. O: Utterly disappointing. However, I used what I didn’t drink (which was a lot) for the base of a minestrone soup I made the lady. It worked in that role, but not as beverage.

Big earthy aromas with notes of citrus, caramel, and booze. Pours clear deep copper color with off-white head and no lacing. Taste is fairly sweet with caramels popping thru with a nice bitter bite on the back end. Average to flatish carbonation with a long dry finish. Overall, a good, big beer. Nice balance, strong flavors, and abv hidden well.

Cask at GBBF 2011, Day 4. Pours clear, rich amber with a small, white head. Heavy malt and caramel nose, with dense citrus hops. Big sweet flavor, sugar notes, toast, light booze. Full bodied with fine carbonation. Warm finish, lots of sugar, resinous and oily hops, mild pine and citrus. Really good beer. An enjoyment.

Draught at Maddy’s, Washington. Clear dark golden with a small head. Aroma heavy malty (caramel) and hoppy (grassy). Flavor moderate sweet, heavy bitter, some alcohol. Almost full body.

22oz bottle. Clear amber large lasting fluffy beige head. A bit barleywine-ish on the nose - solid grain malt, pretty heavy resin and dry leafy bitterness, a bit of an alcohol burn - nice balance, if big (7+). Taste - same, but tons of fruit, and even maltier than expected - big, grainy, boozy - and dry. Average body, a bit syrupy, mildly carbonated -a fairly boozy long finish. I have had the bottle for a while, it has stood up nicely.