Clipper City Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning

Brewed by Clipper City Brewing Co.
Style: European Strong Lager
Baltimore, Maryland USA

Date: 04/02/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Brewfest, Athens

hazy dark yellow, fresh german hop aroma on a lightly sweet carmal malt base, medium body, nice sweetness, good balanced hop flavor, light lingering bitter finish,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

This pilsner pours a medium orange gold color form a 12oz bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is sweet with a touch of orange and herbs. A medium bodied pilsner. Malts are fruity and sweet. Lots of citrus and orange flavor. Hops are floral and spicy. A touch fruity and sweet and is heading towards being a Malt Liquor. It has that sweetness and the alcohol sharpness but none of the corn and adjunct garbage. Sort of between a pilsner and a Malt liquor or European Strong Lager. Lively carbonation. Interesting beer. Mouthfeel is full. Finish si clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

12 oz bottle via Mystery Swap 2.0 (thanks shp555!). Pours a hazy amber with a medium/large beige head. Nose is yeasty and alcoholic. Hmm, it is grass hoppy, warm and tastes like an amped up Pilsner. Sorry but this doesn’t really work for me..it is like making a big light beer...a contradiction that clashes with itself.

Has all of the elements of a beer made from Europe. The taste is light but flavorful malts with grassy hops. The rest of it takes a hard taste of Alcohol.

The aroma is both hoppy and malty but lacks any complexity. The only other element is alcohol. The appearance is deep gold with a small head. The flavor is like the aroma. The palate is thin. Overall it’s drinkable but not a good beer.

Pours thick and golden, though somewhat transparent. Like dirty glass. Aroma of boozy lemonade with bitter orange skin and weeds. There are some attractive hoppy moments here and there, throughout. A very syrupy green tea flavor, so much so that it’s a struggle to swallow. Compost and some very old apple juice in the middle. Alcohol is belligerent. With a little time this induces a brazen chilled tequila character, which isn’t really good or bad, but just unlikeable. Finishes with a lick of wet hay, then a coating of unrefined sugars. Palate is long and thick, which isn’t fitting for these flavors. I can’t dig it. Thanks anyway, Steve.

Bottle from tj’s. Pours a hazy straw-colored orange with a small white head that sticks. Aroma is fruity and slightly piney--a lot of hops up front. Flavors noticed include banana, more tropical fruits, citrus, some kind of spices. Rich, medium body. Hardly any alcohol noticed. Better than expected.

Bottle from Irishboy. Amber with no head. Aroma is caramel, light hops, light alcohol. Taste has caramel, light alchol, sweet. Interesting beer I guess.