Clipper City Heavy Seas Winter Storm (2005+ -- Imperial ESB)

Brewed by Clipper City Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Baltimore, Maryland USA

12oz bottle from Total Wine (Tampa, FL). Pours a generally clear dark amber to brown color with a thick and frothy tan head. Some retention and lacing. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of pear, apple, ripe dark fruit, floral hops, some hints of honey and spice. Flavor is sweet and malty with a stronger hop presence, some notes of spice, ripe fruit, some toasted malt or rye, and hints of raisins and toffee. Generally medium body with a hoppy and malty finish.

This pours a deep amber color with a nice initial off-white fluffy head but not a lot of retention. Caramel malts, some spices and fruits, with a decent dose of bitter hops following. Finishes rather dry. There wasnt a lot to get too excited about but this was a pretty solid beer.

Pours a three finger cream head that fades slowly to a thin layer leaving a good lace. Nice clear amber color. Mix of hops and malt nose. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Flavor is almost sweet caramel with the hops balancing. Better than an ESB - brewer calls this an imperial ESB which fits. $2.00 for a 12oz bottle from Tullys Beer & Wine Wells, Me. Best before Mar 2009.

Bottle. Moderate aromas of cookie, caramel and cooked orange, like candied orange for the malt and hops, light sweat for the yeast with raisin, toffee, maple syrup, allspice and an irony note in the background. Head is small, fizzy, white with fair lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is sparkling clear dark copper. Flavor starts moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then the extra long finish is lightly sweet and acidic, and moderately bitter. Palate is medium, between oily and creamy, and has a soft carbonation. It finishes moderately astringent, which took away a little form the score, and fairly dry. A good American Strong, but unusual in the fact that I thought it tasted way better than it smelled.

12 oz bottle courtesy of eaglefan538. Best before Mar 2009 notched on label. Pour is mostly clear ruby golden with a 3/4 inch tan head. There is no visible carbonation. Aroma of resinous hops, with cookie dough maltiness and soft vanilla notes. Nice smelling beer. Taste is the cookie dough slightly sweet maltiness initially, with a nice mineral character right behind that. There is also a toasted element taht reminds me of rye, even carraway. The hops are present as well, though less resinous than the nose and more bitter. The hops are primarily in the latter part, and certainly are the main component of the finish, which is quite bitter. As it warms, the sweetness gets a bit sharp, and the alcohol wanrmth is more evident. Overall, an interesting concept which was exceuted well. I must say, I was quite certain I was not going to enjoy this based on it being called an "Imperial ESB". I was wrong, thanks Brian.

On tap at David Copperfield Pub New York 20-11-08. Pours red amber with a white head. The aroma is a bit sweet and malty and taste is crisp hops but also sweet and malty much like aroma suggested, there is a nice lingering bitterness. It’s a fresh full flavoured beer, quite decent winter offering lacks a good spiny edge to it but decent enough. A7 A5 F7 P4 OV15 3.7

12oz bottle. I can remember having the pre Heavy Seas Winter Storm IPA, and the initial IIPA Winter Storm, but I wasnt even aware that the current version is an Imperial ESB. Brown orange color, looks highly filtered as you can still see through it. Big sweet malt profile, smooth hoppiness. Quality product, but almost a little too full bodied for the more subtle ESB characteristics you’d desire.

bottle, total wine. nice amber pour with a tan head. aroma is fruity, spicy, and some juicy hops are present. flavor is very malty and slightly sweet with a nice hop bit gets you throughout. pretty good.