Clipper City Heavy Seas Red Sky At Night

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

12 ounce bottle from Total Wine. Haven’t been impressed by most of the beers I’ve tried from this brewery, but since Saisons are one of my favorite styles, I had to try this. Pours a golden color and no head with a swirling white cap. Nose is a subtle flowery bouquet. Creamy roundness in the mouth with flavors of wheat, waffles, candi sugar, and pepper. Maltiness all around. Lacking in the typical sour yeast for the style. Medium bodied and lively carbonation. A decent beer, but definitely not a Saison. I find the flavor and mouthfeel to be more similar to a hefeweizen.

I have had this one several times. I think it’s a strange beer but is one of the better attempts at a Belgian candi sugar ales from US brewers. I think it has an interesting and very drinkable taste and character. I wouldn’t sail the seven seas for it, but I’ll likely buy it again.

Pours a hazy straw yellow color with a fluffy white head. Aroma is banana, clove, honey, wheat, and some peppery hops. Flavor is honey, clove, wheat, and a spicy finish.

(USA) Courtesy of AFI96, Hazy golden color with med white head. There was a flowery aroma to this one with a kinda strong spicy / clove taste. It was ok, but not very impressed.

This brew was included in my Heavy Seas Variety 12 Pack; includes Loose Cannon, Peg Leg Stout, and Small Craft Warning. I very much enjoy most of the other Heavy Seas brews, as well as the Clipper City IPA. I live in MD and am a Baltimore native so I may be a bit biased, on the other hand their stuff is comparable to most other brews I’ve had at Max’s Taphouse (over 70 crafts n micros on tap, 200+ in bottle). Anyways, I’ve not liked the other saison ales I’ve had which isn’t saying much (I’ve only tried the Dogfish Head Raison D’Extra on tap at the DFH brewpub). Drank this one straight from the bottle while working in the garden yesterday. Sweet and savory, I enjoyed the spice character and mild hop flavor (Heavy Seas brews are typically heavily hopped). I’d like to try this one on tap. Not my typical brew but I enjoyed it.

I’ve been exploring the Heavy Seas line from Clipper City and Red Sky didn’t disappoint. A smooth saison that pours cloudy gold with smells of malt, citrus, and yeast. Very sweet generally. It finished strong.

Draft at GOBF ’08. Pours a clear medium-light golden color with a foamy, off-white head. Aromas included cereal grains, pale, sweet malts, light fruits, sweet, bready yeast, and some cinnamon. Flavors showed an increase in sweetness, as candy sugar joined the sweet, fruity malts and yeast. Cinnamon and clove are there, but just don’t seem to work that well here. It feels like some sort of Saison/ Hefeweizen hybrid. Medium bodied, the brew is slightly syrupy and cloying. This one did not impress.

Bottle poured into a tulip glass. A slightly cloudy gold color with an inch of off-white head that quickly subsides to a ring of foam. Smells of lemon and orange peels, banana, and yeast. The flavor falls a little flat with banana and lemon being the main flavors. It finishes with a slight bitterness and saltiness. It is drinkable but I’m not going to go hunting for more of it.