Clipper City Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3

8/20/07: Bottle.
Ode’ to Paul! Fresh hoppy aroma with a deep camel colored body. Caramel malt and fresh hop flavors (citrus, orange peel and pine) – fairly balanced. Finish is bitter. … Have fun in Costa Rica, buddy!!

Clear orange with finger sized head. Floral hops are obviously all over the aroma, as well as citrus, piney grapefruit scents. The taste is certainly citurs/hop based but there are rounded quiet touches of malts to provide some balance and a softening presence. A well balanced and potent IPA with definite drinkability, a good example of the style.

Pours a hazy orange color with a pretty good head. The head is thick and a little off white. The beer has a nice hoppy, floral small to it. The flavor is a little lighter than I would have guessed after smelling it. It is mainly citrus with a bit of hoppy flavor in the background. It’s not as hoppy as I would have expected for something calleda hop ale. Not bad though.

THOUGHTS: By far the best Heavy Seas beer I’ve tried. Also one of the better IPAs I’ve had. I usually go fot the double IPAs., but this was way more balanced than most plain IPAs I’ve tried and packed wit a lot more flavor. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, light copper with a small white head that mostly diminished. The aroma was moderate caramel malt, heavy flower and orange hops and a little alcohol. The initial flavor was lightly sweet and bitter, while the finish was moderately sweet and moderately to heavily bitter with a long duration. Most of the flavor was pine and citrus hops and became more balanced with the malt as the beer warmed. The medium to light body was dry and lightly fizzy with a metallic finish.

2006 bottle. Pours a cloudy deep golden/orange, with a nice frothy cream colored head that leaves some sticky lacing. Aroma is very citrusy with orange and grapefruit as well as some pine. Some carmelly malt comes through after the hop aroma dissipates. Nice refreshing DIPA flavor - moderate bitterness (esp in the finish) but well-balanced for easy drinking. Medium and smooth mouthfeel, moderate-high carbonation. This is an excellent "every day" DIPA, especially given its relatively low ABV.

On tap in South Carolina at the the Taproom. Pours a clear amber color with an inch head and faint lacing. The scent was of grapefruit, citrus fruit and some spice. The scent wasn’t overwhelming on the nose, very different from other IPAs with a high abv. The taste was very refreshing with a nice balance between the malt and hops, slightly sweet upfront with some citrus, spice, grass and bitterness in the back. After my first one of these, I ventured out for a six pack.

6-pack from Bottle King, Wayne, NJ...I had been looking forward to finally trying Clipper City...bottle pours orange amber, thin off-white head...a little surprised that the aroma was very faint, but i did pick up a bit of citrus and hops...taste was much more apparent though, nice malty citrus with a zing of hops, mild bitter aftertaste...very thin lacing...taste-wise I really enjoyed this IPA, but I like to get a bit of aroma as I’m just about to drink...didn’t happen here but really good none-the-less.

Pours a clear, amber color with a nice white head. Initial aroma is very floral, backed by a clean citrus presence. Smooth body gives way to a crisp hop character with enough malt to be balanced. Wasn’t expecting much, but the beer proves to be a great value.