Clipper City Heavy Seas Hang Ten

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

on draft at the saturnalia fest and this was a great doppelbock. 10oz pour and it was a dark color with little to no head. very balanced fruit flavoring even though i couldnt distinguish them. is very strong at 10% abv, so take your time and enjoy another great find.

Pours a dirty brown-rusty orange color. Initially creates a thin beige head which quickly fades completely away. Not even a splotch of foam remains. Aromas were pleasant with sweet, fruity notes of pear, figs, plums, raisins, bananas along with hints of clove, honey and dark brown sugar. Very reminiscent of a Belgian Strong Ale style in the nose. A bit of sinus clearing alcohol is also detected. Mouthfeel is quite slick and syrupy; a bit flat with a slightly thin finish. A touch more spritz in the carbonation would have livened things up. Taste was enjoyably sweet and fruity suppoted nicely by the warming 10% alcohol. Notes of dark dried fruits, caramel, molasses, buckwheat honey, banana, cloves and malt come through nicely. Sweet but not cloying. Presents a warm alcohol finish. At $6.99/4 pack a good deal on a quite uniquely styled beer. Although touted as a Weizen Dopplebock its overall presentation in very Belgian-like.

Single 12oz from Wakefield Liquors. Nice beer. Dark, cloudy brown with lots of sediment. Smells yeasty/belgian/banana. Tastes sweet with maltiness and molasses at the end. Very tasty but a little pricey. Still, I’d most likely get this one again.

Exceptional deep and cloudy brew. Hazey with sediment, it looks like it was roiled for a while before pouring. A deliciously thick brew, though the body is a bit oily. Very nice.

12-oz. Thanks, Boboski! Deeply cloudy and grainy dark brown with a huge, fluffy, sudsy tan head. Nice big sour wheat and sweet grain nose. You know, we talk all the time about "sour wheat" in weisses and weizens, but this one of the few non-Berliners that crosses over into genuine olfactory tartness. Nicely done, Clipper City. Medium body, light carb. Caramel and puckery, almost lemon-like wheatiness and huskiness on the mid-palate. Lingering, lightly acidulent finish. I would drink this rather a lot if it were local, not sure that as it is I’d seek it out again, given the continent that lies between us.

Thanks to Suttree for sharing this one. Hazy,deep gold body that receives a what is left of a small, fleeting off-white head. Malt and alcohol dominates the aroma. Some spice comes in afterward. Syrupy sweet, close to cough syrup. Smooth, hides it’s alcohol level well. Not bad for a Weizenbock if t just wasn’t so overly sweet.

It’s definitely a curious and complex brew, not at all unpleasant -- if not quite what I was expecting from a Doppelbock. I would never guess this one correctly in a blind taste test, that’s for sure. At the outset, it’s reminiscent of a Belgian Strong Ale or a Flemish red -- even the color corresponds in that department, pouring a coppery rust color with the thinnest of heads. It’s slightly cloudy without being dull in the glass, and the head fades to the edges of the glass fairly quickly. On the nose, I sense barley malt (true to a doppelbock), brown sugar, sawdust (like my grandfather’s carpentry shop), and alcohol (at 10% ABV, that’s no surprise). The Belgian/Flemish charade continues on the tongue -- a sweet/sour quality that I associate with those great ales of the Low Countries introduces itself right away, and I immediately think of any number of food pairings. Also on the tongue comes a whole parade of tastes -- dark chocolate, caramel, sea salt, hops (Saaz?? Mt. Hood???), banana, slight smoke (like smoked bacon), with a nice sour finish. (I’m still thinking, "how is this a lager?") The alcohol is definitely present, creating a nice warming after-taste. The feel on the palate is great -- it’s spritzy, and has a quality reminiscent of a dry wine. This brew would be great with savory meat dishes (nothing too heavy -- venison, pork, duck, or maybe lamb would be perfect), or well-prepared sausages. I can also imagine asparagus pairing up well, and maybe even certain desserts (custard, creme brulee). I also envision this beer with a cheese course (gouda stands out). I can’t help but continue to think of Belgian Strong Ale (Kwak, Scaldis Prestige) or Flemish Red (Duchesse de Bourgogne) -- which, given that they are among my very favorite beers, is no bad thing. I’m not seeing how this beer could possibly be in the same family as Ayinger Celebrator, so I might not give it high style marks -- but on its own, as itself, it’s great.

12 oz bottle. The body is cloudy red, There is no carbination or head. Did not really enjoy this, only plus is that the 10% is somewhat hidden.