Clipper City Heavy Seas Below Decks

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

2007 vintage. Pours a dark yet clear coppery amber with a medium sized beige head. Aroma of candied sugar, malt and barley. Taste of sweetened candied syrup and or sugar, malt and barley. Has a slightly citrus and alcohol finish. Pretty decent barleywine.

Feb. 2007 - Beer was dark caramel color with nice fluffy head and lacing. Weak aroma of caramel malts. The flavor was malty with candied fruits and peat. A very noticeable alcohol burn. Highly carbonated. A bit too sweet for my liking. Very little hops, any bitterness seems to be from the overwhelming taste of alcohol. Maybe aging would help. Who knows.

on draft at Taco Mac. a tannish red color - not the most attractive barley wine - I prefer the deep red. Overall an average Barley Wine, not in the same realm as my favorites.... decent, drinkable but not worth having again. Strong aroma of malts and a bit of alcohol. Medium body, bread notes and some mild fruits. The finish is a bit hoppy and smooth.

Pours a deep mahogany with an initially large head, diminishing to nothing. The nose is of burnt toffee. with the slightest hint of white apple vinegar. The flavors, laden with notes of alcohol, contain burnt caramel and slight biscuit flour. The biscuit notes come through to fruition in the mid-palate. The finish has a peppery, yet somewhat grassy hop that mingles with the biscuit and toast contingencies well. Unfortunately, for a barley wine, the body lacks the overall sweetness and body of a "top-shelf" offering. Carbo levels are a little more active than expected, but do mingle with the alcoholic notes OK. The malty-sweet complexity of a great style example is lost on this one, all but in the alcohol content. I even let this one age for quite some time (1-2 years +), but it didn’t come across as a "top-shelf" stylistic offering. It’s certainly not bad, by any means, just not the greatest brew in the Barley Wine category.... more like a "Barely" Wine would properly suffice.

- 2005 -

2/13/2008: Heavy Seas Below Decks Barley Wine Style Ale is a clear ruby-pecan color and has a quickly dissipating beige head. The aroma is malty and syrupy (a little bit like cherry cough syrup) with a hint of nuts. The flavor has some caramel and biscuit malt in the front followed by some even dark fruit and cherry and then some mild metallic hops. There is initially some sweetness that is quickly edged out by the hops and alcohol, but the finish is a bit soft and weak. Some cough syrup-like alcohol and taste lingers on the palate. This beer has a medium body and is slightly syrupy with some stickiness on the lips. Usually Heavy Seas beers are pretty solid, but this one was pretty disappointing. It really lacks the maltiness and richness that I expect in a barleywine. Even 2.5+ years of age didn’t really seem to help it very much! Oh well, at least it hinds the alcohol pretty well...

12 fl. oz. bottle (11% ABV) from The Party Source in Bellevue, Kentucky. Rating #234 for this beer...

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of malts, hops, biscuit, caramel, alcohol, and dark fruits. Poured copper/brown in color with a large, foamy, beige head that lasted throughout. Lightly cloudy. Sparkling. Many tiny particles. Excellent lacing. Medium sweet, lightly bitter flavor. Tastes of hops, malts, brown sugar, alcohol, metal, and salt. Medium body. Watery texture. Average to lively carbonation. Malty, salty finish.

Bottle: Poured a dirty copper color with a tan head. The aroma was sweet like caramel with a hint of fruit. The flavor was malty and smooth, sweet and delicious. The is a favorite of mine in the B.W. style.

Pours a brownish red with a nice off white head. Aroma of fruits, caramel malt, and sweet candy. Flavor has a lot of sweet fruit going on. Caramel malt, sticky sweetness, and blueberry? Odd. Slightly syrupy, mild carbonation. I could have used a bit more of a hop bite in this one, but dangerously drinkable with this high of a n ABV. Very nice.