Clipper City Heavy Seas Below Decks

Brewed by Clipper City Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Baltimore, Maryland USA

12 oz. into wine glass. Dark hazel nut brown pour with a creamy dirty white head. The nose is dominated by a combination of roasted and sweet malt with a creamy, almost vanilla flavor - like ice cream or whole milk. The flavor is weird. I can feel the thick body of the brew in my mouth, but my taste buds don’t seem to derive much from it. The only way I can describe it is like drinking something with your nose plugged (or with a cold) - you can feel it, and want to taste it, but simply cannot. The only thing I could taste was a pretty harsh alcohol bite on the finish, although not as bad as the 11% would suggest. Pretty thick and coating on the palate - medium to heavy bodied. Overall: not bad or offensive in any way, but there are plenty of better barley wines out there.

12oz I bought in Providence @ Nikki’s Liquor and shared with my GF Cyn. Bottle says 2007. Pours bubbly amber with a 1 finger bright white head. Nose is a little chalky and slightly biscuity nose. Taste is sweet and hides alcohol pretty well. This is drinkable and a decent barleywine.

Amber pour. Small head with tight lacing. Malty aroma and taste with a very slight bitterness.

4/24/08 notes: bottle. Pours amber color with small head. Flavor features an intense malt character, hazelnut, and some red wine booziness. I am not that experienced with Barley Wines, but there was a certain alcohol-malt intensity to this beer that was a tad uncomfortable. Regardless, this beer is smooth and nutty, with a hint of dark fruit that made it overall enjoyable.

12oz bottle tried at Taco Mac in Alpharetta Georgia. Medium bubbles. Small head. Dark amber color. Heavy body. 2007 bottle. Malty DMS aroma or something off. Not that pleasant to smell. Sweetish. A little throat burn. Lower drinkability, but I’m not sure why: either high ABV, higher alcohols, or just general bad taste.

Bottle @<a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/forums/cnudde-ølsmagn target=_new> Cnudde Tasting.. Clear medium amber color with a small, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate malty, roasted, caramel, wood, oak, toffee, alcohol. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and light to moderate bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily - syrupy, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. (290308)

12oz bottle purchased from Bauer Wines in Boston. Pours a clear dark ruby. The aroma is sweet. Too sweet. I’m scared before the first sip. First taste is not AS sweet as I was worried about (phew) though it still has a good wallop of sweetness, which isn’t really my thing. I think it is "sherry" flavours that this beer has, but I’m not sure because I never drink sherry. But it’s one of those flavours that used to make me think I didn’t like barley wines.

Clipper City Heavy Seas Below Decks is good. I’ve had better Barley Wines but this one is still one to try