Clipper City Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning

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

Clear dark yellow, almost burnt yellow in color. Nose is sweaty and stenchy, with crisp hops, corn and vodka like liquor... slightly fruity as well, like orange and melon scents., some yeast as well. Slick and fruity, crisp and wet palate... yeast, milk, corn, it’s a weird beer, one I can’t take too much of.

Total Wine. I have had some pils that were pretty close to awful, this is not one of them. Nice aroma of pale malt and hops. Flavor is really good for a pils. Excellent balance between smooth sweet pale malt and the hops. I can pick out the saaz, and its apparent there are other hops in the mix that add to the complexity, but I cant pick them out. Incredibly drinkable, and an excellent alcohol bite that is not at all rough. Really enjoyable.

Pours out very pale in color with a thin head. Some potential in the aroma that does not come quite through. Some more of the malt in the nose and this could be really nice, but seems to fall short. I can smell some really nice things in the nose and I just wanted to warrant a strong lager. Great style, but not up to par.

Aroma cold, a faint harshness. Flavor quite sweet. Very rich but not particularly good malt flavour, totally dominating the hops, which are strong nonetheless. Alcohol flavour is very noticeable, poorly masked. A slightly sour, chemically aftertaste lingers. The aftertaste dissipates eventually, however, to a more pleasant flavour. This beer is quite poor...reminiscent of malt liquor, not real beer. It has some good qualities, but not enough to warrant drinking it, in my opinion.

12oz. bottle. Aroma features some fruity, herbal, leafy hops and lightly sweet, crackery pale maltiness, with notes of citrus, flowers and faint pine. Clear medium golden in color with a slight head. Flavor is largely hoppy as well, fresh, green, spicy, fruity and piney, and as it finishes, showing lighter touches of honeyish malt toastiness combined with a lingering, moderately strong bitterness and hints of dried herb. Relatively light and active mouthfeel for a lager of its strength. Medium-bodied. Perhaps not quite utterly refined, but does have what I can only describe as some pleasantly rough edges and seems an appropriate enough "Double Pils" sort of beer.

Pours clear, bright golden with minimal head that quickly settles to just a light ring around the glass. Aroma is spicy, grassy and sweet, with some tart fruitiness; apples, cherries. Flavor is well-balanced between a nice, mild but complex malt profile with light bitterness and some floral notes on top, and a slightly bitter finish. Medium mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. This is a nice, mild, sessionable strong pilsner.

12oz. Bottle Small Craft Warning poured a beautiful golden with lots of swirling carbonation into my pilsner glass. The gold is slightly darker than other pilsners. Two+ finger white microbubbled head on the pour that fell to a one+ cragginess after a little time sitiing. Leaves chunky lacing after each sip. Really nice looking beer. Smell is definately nice as well. Starts with a solid sweetness along with a little dustiness. This is followed up by a very pleasent subtle grassy hop aroma. It’s all together subtle but very nice. Smells refreshing and crisp. Taste is mildly sweet and altogether grassy and slightly herbal all at once. Working hand and hand. There is a very small earthy quality that I find in certain saisons but I really have to work to pick it out. I pick up slight alcohol fumes as it warms. Very nice. Mouthfeel is exceptionally crisp and clean. Finishes with a mild hoppy tartness and dry. Prickly carbonation on the tongue. Drinkability is high. I can easily drink a few of these at a time. Especially if it was a warm summer day and the Cubs were playing. This beer was a HUGE surprise. I keep drinking s I type to make sure everything really is as good as the review I’m giving it. Small Craft warning really is that good. I wasn’t expecting that. Pick it up and try it if you see it. 1/15/06

Pours golden and a bit cloudy. Tastes malty and a bit sweet for a pilsner. Good flavor and nice finish. Really drinkable beer for a 7% alcohol content. You can really see the bock side of the beer come out. A nice combination.