Heavy Seas Winter Storm (2005-) (Imperial ESB)

Brewed by Heavy Seas Brewing Company
Style: English Strong Ale
Baltimore, Maryland USA

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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bottle-pours copper orange with a minimal eggshel head. big pine, cherries, fuirty aroma-nice and fresh. flavors showcase grapefruit, green grapes, pine, and quite a big alcohol note in the finish. some nice resiny hop notes come in the finish. this is too hoppy to be an esb if you ask me. but i guess due to the english nature of the hops, it works. some nice carmely sweet malt holds the base for the hop stomp. this beer is a little on the boring/run of the mill side, but still not bad. I would call this an imperial red.

Has a pleasing berry like and hoppy aroma. Flavor has a definit hop bitterness, as well as some spicy notes. These al rest on a solid malty backbone. Very enjoyable, and I thank Jimboood for this beer.

I had this on tap and assume I got some bad beer. I really did not like this-poured part of it out actually. I’m not sure what to write here because none of what I read is anything close to what I experienced.

Clear copper with lots of little floaters and a loose head. A little oxidized in aroma with malt and spicy hops. Nice body, bitter finish. Tangy, slightly nutty malt flavor with a strong hop presence that is earthy and spicy with some citrus peel. Some noticable alcohol. Not bad. The hop combination is a bit strange though.

Pours copper with a one-finger white head. Very malty and hoppy aroma, with some roasted notes; it smells almost like a hoppy Porter. Caramel and toffee malt flavors, with a hefty dose of earthy hops. Interesting take on the style.

Bottle. Amber color with offwhite head. Nose of earthy/piney hops, pungent grapefruit hops, and sweet malt. Flavor is a nice balance of earthy and fruity hops, though leaning toward the resiny pine hop flavor and mouthfeel, with a nice sweet malt backbone present throughout. Finish is tacky hops, very nice. I don’t really think of this as an IIPA-- it’s pretty much right where I want a traditional IPA. That said, it’d be a great summer IPA as well. Nicely done, but perhaps a bit off in the labeling/marketing.

It’s nice to have a winter seasonal that strays away from the more traditional bocks and heavily spiced beers. This IPA pours a dark copper with some red highlights and a creamy, lasting eggshell head. Strong citrus aroma with some grapefruit and pine as well as a whiff of malt. Lower end of the medium body spectrum, but there is some active carbonation. More hops in the taste, very bittering all the way to the finish. Not as agressive as I would expect from a 2IPA, but I think it’s held together nicely. This one really needs to be warmed to get the malt to kick in and balance it. Alcohol is hidden well. Not really a double in my book, but still pretty good.

Clear, crimson coloring, a thick, puffy, creamy head, as poured into the Belgian tulip glass I chose to employ for this tasting. Looks nice. Aroma is fruity, rosy, vibrant. Hoppy, yes, but none too bitter. Mainly fruity, though there’s dull thud at the end. Doesn’t give quite enough projection in this nose. Taste: again, fruity, hoppy, but too short in that regard. Apples, melons, cherries, and a bit of citrus. Pleasant, but rather simple and shy of the bombast we’d espect from a 7.5% Double IPA. The hops, what there are, are treating the palate with kid gloves, when we really would rather get it rough. Medium bodied, light, fruity finish. Alcohol burn starts to show further in, but doesn’t flare. Too simplistic for the style, but, beyond that, not a bad IPA at all. Very warming, inside the mouth and out.

Poured coppery chestnut brown, creamy tan head with staying power and nice lace. Aromas of alcohol, herbal hops, malt and metal. Wonderful full-bodied taste, heavy on malt and hops, with alcohol showing through. Great mouthfeel. Reminded me why they make IPAs.

I would call this a really hoppy ESB. An okay beer, but not great. Nice appearance. Good belgian lace. Nice, caramel brown color, but the hops are a little cloying.