Clipper City Heavy Seas Below Decks

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

Hop nose with a thin, white head. Dark tan/brown body. Caramel and toffee qualities to the flavor. Not a thick enough body as I’d want in a Barley Wine, but not bad.

2006 bottle. clear amber with an off white head that settles into a thin film. malt dominated aroma. toffee and raisins with light woody notes. sweet toffee raisin flavor with a light bitter hop backbone. bitter piney hops shine through on the finish with bittersweet toffee and raisin notes. full bodied but it seems a bit thin and slightly over carbonated for my taste. nothing spectacular but a decent barley wine.

pour was a clear carmel color. little to no head. test is very barleyie. not a favorite of mine, probably will not try it again.

12 oz bottle

Along with the Winter Storm, this is the only Heavy Seas release I have yet to try. While none of the others were particularly they were decent so I had reasonable expectations for this one. It met them just barely - this is towards the bottom of the barrel when it comes to barleywines yet I still like it more than more people seem to. Still, if you have any drink it now as this is one that is not likely to age gracefully.

Aroma / Appearance - A vinous caramel infused aroma greeted my senses. Behind it was vanilla, cherry cordials and butterscotch. It is not quite what I was expecting from a barleywine but it was not exactly offputting either. The body was a stained mahogany with a nice looking sand hued head.

Flavor / Palate - The first sip was a little too boozy but I was able to also pick up malts and some creaminess in the mouthfeel. It reminded me a little of red wine. Caramel, dark chocolate and a trace of coffee come forward later in the bottle. It is an unusual combination of experiences in a barleywine but still somehow not too bad.

Draught chalice at Redbones on 12/26/06
Dull mahogany with light ebony tints and a slight flare of amber as well. Head is beige in color, quite small and poorly retained, fading to a ring rather quickly and leaving no lacing. Clear liquid, with medium-sized bubbles rising steadily.
Stiff, fruity esters barely cover up the alcohol warmth, while oily, toasted malts work with the bitter hops to create a dry, quite sharp/pungent nose. Some light, dark chocolate notes meld with the caramel malts to produce a bit of sweetness on the nose. But with breathing, it is swept away and wholly replaced by dry, yellow fruits, raisins and lightly piney hops. The malts recede almost to nothing, leaving a barren, soda cracker-like vapidness in their wake. And with a few more minutes, fusels arise and completely wipeout what was remaining, dominating the aroma entirely.
Caramel and bread are dabbed by yellow fruits (apricots, peaches, lemons), with a short-lived sweetness of pale and caramel malts that gives way to extreme wateriness for the style. Granted it dosent cloy with the sweetness and you certainly couldnt accuse it of being too thick and heavy, but this is just oddly thin. The strength of flavors, not to mention the horribly domineering, raw alcohol, does not fit with the body in the least. The flavor continues to dry, with brandy soaked raisins, crusty brown bread and flakes of dry, old toffee appearing. Wet/watery texture, medium carbonation which is very loose. Raw alcohol takes over in the flavor as it does in the aroma.

Poured a reddish-gold; medium white head. Aroma was toffee malt; vanilla; alcohol. Different than other barley wines i’ve had, but not an expert on the style. Malt, not that sweet, bitter ending. Not too good, not too great. (Rerate; vintage 2005 in January of 2008. Better than I previously found it. A lot of caramel an toffee. Palate was solid, some creaminess. Did not alter my rating, even though I liked it a bit more, mostly due to the fact that it is pretty weak for the style).

A large creamy head results from the pour of this dark orange Barleywine. Toffee malt aroma with a bit of vanilla. Lightly sweet, some bitterness. Light bodied and a bit thin for the style, but creamy and soft. No real flaws in this one, it just seems to lack complexity and depth.

120z - Aroma is mild for a barleywine. Pretty much all malt with a bit of dark fruit thrown in. Pours copper with a small head and good lacing. Flavor is metallic and mellow. Not a BW by any means. Pure malt with caramel and some dark fruit, but pales in intensity to every other BW I’ve had. Palate is sticky. Not offensize, but not very good either.