Clipper City Heavy Seas Hang Ten

Brewed by Clipper City Brewing Co.
Style: Weizen Bock
Baltimore, Maryland USA

Sept. 2007 - A very big disappointment. I love the Heavy Seas series and weizenbocks, so I was expecting big things. Pour was ruby amber pour with almost no head at all and no lacing. Aroma was candied caramel and phenols. The flavor was sickly sweet caramel and banana with a metallic sour aftertaste that was unpleasant. It didn’t improve as it warmed. I’m so disappointed! Back to Victory Moonglow for my local weizenbock purchases.

Reddish-brown in color, beige head. Aroma has toffee and brown sugar. Taste is initially sweet, but builds with some sweetness. There’s a strong alcohol flavor as well.

Bottle. Small tan head that mostly diminished, splotchy amounts of lacing, carbonation observed, semi-transparent with a slight cloudiness, and an orange brown hue. Nose was brown malt, alcohol, spicy notes, caramel, and fruit notes. Flavor was brown malt, caramel, fruity, and vinuous. Mouthfeel was tingly and a bit of a warming sensation. Medium in body. Somewhat of a sipping beer at 10%ABV although it wasn’t a knock your socks off 10%ABV beer. Would drink this one again if the opportunity came my way.

12oz bottle. Pours a very cloudy, deep, copperish brown with a thin, tan head that fades quickly into nothing and leaves no lace. The aroma is sticky and strong - lots of complexity. There are slight acetic notes (like a drop of balsamic vinegar), lots of dark fruit (prunes, berries), hints of spice (cloves, black pepper), a noticeable touch of wheat, dark specialty malts (notes of raisin, tobacco, and caramel), and alcohol. The flavor, unfortunately, doesn’t quite stack up to the aroma. It starts slightly acidic/acetic with toffee, caramel, and wheat malt. There are lots of fruity esters, too, that combine to give impressions of chocolate covered berries and bananas. By mid-palate, there are some notes of yeast and peppery spices and hops. The finish isn’t dry, but it has a level of carbonation and acidity and a substantial taste of alcohol that lend a slight dryness to the beer’s end. The finish is long and leaves a very complex after-taste. Despite the wonderful complexity, the flavor seems watered down compared to the intense, rich aroma. The mouthfeel is thick and somewhat oily. It also has a slightly spritzy quality from the carbonation. The carbonation level is a little low for the style, but is sufficient to give a slight tingle around mid-palate. Overall, an interesting and complex brew - I would have guessed it to be a Belgian Strong Dark Ale before guessing Weizenbock.

12 oz bottle pours a hazy chestnut body with a small beige head. Aroma of banana, spicy yeast, clove, and banana. Medium body and carbonation with some alcohol presence. Taste is malty dark fruits, earthy bittering hops, spicy yeast, wheat, and overripe banana. Some warming alcohol here. Nice example of the style.

12oz bottle. Consumed in mid-February 2008, with a best before date marked February 2008. It doesn’t seem like a very distant best before date considering it is bottle conditioned. I have no idea when these bottles were produced however. Regardless, it pours a muddy brown with little head. The aroma is very nicely wheaty and yeasty. The flavour is very nice and fits the style well. The taste is strong with an initial sweetness that makes you think about the alcohol. It gives way to a nice yeasty finish. I am quite enjoying this, and it’s difficult to determine where this should rate compared to Aventinus. I think I need to do a side-by-side taste test sometime. RE-RATE - one month later (slightly past the best before date) and I’m lowering the overall slightly. There is a little more tingle to it and a little less full wheatiness.

Its been way too long since my last Weizen Bock and I can hardly wait to try this one. Lots of sweet malt and fruit in the aroma. Very nice. Flavor is one you can wrap your taste buds around. Plenty of malt and hefe notes going on. Banana and alcohol abound and are complemented by yeast, and raisins. Caramel, cloves, and hops show up late and the beer gets more earthy as it warms. I love this style and probably give extra points because of that but this is a very enjoyable and interesting beer.

12oz bottle from mdm46410. I’m beginning to appreciate this style more and more. Cloudy bright amber pour with a thin off white head. Fruity esters and some heavy sweet malt on the nose. Slightly overcooked banana bread, earthy yeast and just the smallest hint of alcohol. Medium bodied and slightly chewy. Dried banana chips, dusty and earthy yeast, slightly funky and dusty. Toasted banana bread. Finishes with a nice mix of fruity esters and earthy yeastiness. 10%? Hardly seems like it.