Clipper City Heavy Seas Peg Leg

Brewed by Clipper City Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Baltimore, Maryland USA

Peg Leg poured beautifully, dark brown with ruby touches and a one finger, tan head. Not a lot was happening on the aroma end except for some subtle grassy notes. The flavor was pretty solid with coffee, toffee at the front and raisin at the back end. On the tongue this stout was silky and finished dry.

An alright stout. I enjoyed it. Not the best I’ve had...but not hte worst. I would say my least favorite of the mix pack.

Bottle from a sampler 6 pack, best by May 2007. Opaque chocolate, with a medium-sized brown sugar head that lasts. Aroma is chocolate and mild peppery hops with some molasses and a whiff of estery bubblegum and spices - nice. Flavor is malt and slight smoke on the front, hops not overpowering, but come on at the end. Nice malty-chocolate stout, with good balance from the hops. Palate is more medium than heavy, and drinkably smooth. I like it because the roasted barley notes (coffee and smoke) are more subtle than most other Imperials, and also that it is not mouth-puckeringly dry.

I enjoyed this beer. Refreshing from the first smell and a great sip. Perhaps the other reviews are right about the flavor when putting it into the stout category, but I didn’t care. I drank it first for the taste and only looked at the label when I came to write this. Perhaps I’m just silly! But the chocolate and coffee taste is delicious and the sip is carbonated but smooth and not bitter; fitting for the taste.

12oz Bottle: Pours a very deep brown, almost black, with a consistent tan film for head. Simple grainy malt aroma; no richness or traces of aromatic hops that I would like to see from Imperial Stouts. A bit of artificial dark chocolate, sweet licorice, and hints of alcohol. The flavor is sweet, and has a slight syrupyness to it; yet at the same time it remains thin. There’s an astrigency to it, and it irritates the throat. Under all the artificial burn there’s only a hint of some roasty malts & chocolate. There’s no hop character, or quality bitterness, just a light coffeeish note in the finish which is overpowered by the burning syrup like quality of this brew. Not really an Imperial Stout, or anything enjoyable.

12 oz. bottle. Black, but with a ruby tinged border, and a medium light brown head, so-so lace. Chocolate and mild coffee are no surprise in an aroma that is pretty average for an imperial stout. Creamy mouthfeel is pleasant enough, with a medium body and light carbonation. Flavor is pretty nice overall with some burnt caramel sweetness and some balance courtesy of a spicy and peppery bitterness. Finishes dry without harshness. Easy going, drinkable, but not stellar.

This is a very drinkable beer, however I’m a stout lover, and I really wouldn’t qualify this as an imperial stout. At 8% it is surprisingly smooth though. My very first drink, I noticed a "piney" hop flavor. I had a few of these and it was not as strong afterwards, but was noticed at first. The taste was good and smooth, but not very complex. Not a whole lot to figure out here. At $8 for a six pack, it’s a decent "crunk for your buck" value play.

Bottle. Pours black with ruby hues and a large lasting foamy tan head. Slightly mild aroma of lightly roasted malt, light chocolate and coffee and a touch of hops -- too mellow for an Imperial. Flavour, also mellow and a touch watery, of lightly roasted malt and hops with some faint coffee in the finish. Medium bodied. This really needs a lot more character and ’oomph’ if it wants to be an Imperial Stout -- as it is, it’s just O.K.