Eagle Claw Fist
Clown Shoes

Eagle Claw FistEagle Claw Fist
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From:
Clown Shoes
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
8%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.8 | pDev: 12.63%
Reviews:
192
Ratings:
413
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 10, 2021
Added:
Aug 18, 2010
Wants:
  19
Gots:
  40
An amber IPA with a modern hop bill that balances strong malt flavors with notes of citrus, pine, and a touch of resin.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by sirdrinkwell:
Photo of sirdrinkwell
Reviewed by sirdrinkwell from Florida

3.45/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
22 oz poured into a pint glass.

A-nice deep amber, almost molasses thick in appearance and darker than i expected.

S-is this an red amber ale or an IPA? This is hops and pine all the way in the nose.

T-and the pine/hops continue to roll right on through with some sour, peppery citrus on the back end.

M-a bit dry and acidic. moderate carbonation and medium body.

O- Not a bad beer, certainly something i could deal with again sometime but probably not something i'll prioritize as an instant repeat buy before moving on to try some other new things first
Aug 17, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.41 by Bogdawg from Massachusetts

Aug 10, 2021
Photo of Griffin2
Reviewed by Griffin2 from Virginia

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 12 oz can into a Willi Becher pint glass.
L - Pours a deep amber color with a large white head.
S - Smells of caramel malts.
T - Tasty of fruity hops with a nice malt backbone.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - A good change of pace, after so many hazy IPA’s. Really tasty IPA.
May 23, 2021
Photo of SmoothOverEverything
Rated by SmoothOverEverything from Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Really good smooth start, a bit of a harsh finish. Just not quite as much taste as I was looking for.
Apr 20, 2021
Photo of dsa7783
Reviewed by dsa7783 from New Jersey

3.89/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Single 12-ounce can copped from Ridgedale Liquors in East Hanover. Pours a ruddy copper hue with impressive frothing which quickly dissipated. Ardent aroma redolent of grapefruit musk and green apple. Easily drinkable.
Apr 10, 2021
 
Rated: 3.43 by AGoodStout from Kansas

Mar 29, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by strengthdoc from Connecticut

Feb 28, 2021
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.47/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Eagle Claw Fist from Clown Shoes. Purchased 16/11/20 for $ 28.00 (Including tax) for mixed 12-pack of 12 oz cans ($ 0.194/oz) from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. On shelf at store and stored at home at 42 degrees. Reviewed 16/1/21.
Stamped on the bottom “Best By 1/31/21”. Served at 48 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 54.8 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), opaque. When rear-lite, dull ruby and slight haze.
Head – Large (Maximum 5.5 cm, aggressive center pour), almond, medium density, short retention, leaving a four to ten mm irregular crown with some prominences, and a rocky partial cap. Some tiny pieces of lacing remain at the top of the glass as the head retracts.
Lacing –Fair. Leaves a thick ring of mostly tiny to small bubbles with an occasional foamy mesa. See also above.
Aroma – 3.25 – Weak malt and weaker hops (orange blossom), no yeast.
Flavor – 3.25 – Begins slightly malty, resiny, and lightly bitter, no yeast. No alcohol (8 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends slightly malty and resiny.
Palate – 4 – Medium, short of syrupy, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Another looks good, feels good brew from CS. This one is all about the malt, with the hops providing a resinous counterpoint that cuts the sweetness to a drinkable level. Overall, one of which I could drink one or two more if nothing else was available.
Jan 16, 2021
Photo of cyclonece09
Reviewed by cyclonece09 from Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Day 8 of the 12 Beers of Christmas. Poured from a can into a pint glass. Pours deep red with a fluffy off white head. Smells of grassy hops with just a hint of citrus. Tastes of caramelized malt with strong grassy and citrus hop notes. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.
Jan 10, 2021
Photo of Peach63
Reviewed by Peach63 from New York

4.48/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours copper with a 1 1/2 inch cream-colored head, which lasts. Heavy lacing to the end. A nice looking beer.

Aroma is floral, pine, toffee, roasty, slight grapefruit.

Taste is earthy, pine, citrus, wood, nuts, caramel malt, a touch of black malt. Robust and resinous.

Medium bodied, lively carbonation. Dry, bitter finish.

Seems more like a Black IPA, albeit another outstanding IPA from Clown Shoes.
Jan 08, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by jkermitj from Mississippi

Jan 04, 2021
 
Rated: 3.73 by RBorsato from Virginia

Jan 03, 2021
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
12oz can. Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a small, khaki-colored head of foam. It left sudsy sheets of lace on the glass. It smelled of caramel, biscuity malt, orange and some pine. Sweet caramel and toffee taste with citrus and a piney bitterness.
Jan 02, 2021
 
Rated: 3.77 by wafers from New York

Dec 30, 2020
Photo of Steve_Studnuts
Reviewed by Steve_Studnuts from Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A pretty beer - far darker than your typical IPA. I see now that while the can reads India Pale Ale, it's listed here as a red ale; so there you go. The massive head sticks around for ages and leaves mucho lacing. Smell is all dank and green and sticky and piney. Very nice in that department too. Taste is far more malt-forward than the nose lets on; not that I take umbrage with that. It's nice and well-balanced with the bitterness of the hops. The mouthfeel is perhaps a touch thin, but it's strangely refreshing for a big assed red ale. Hop bite sticks around for a minute. This is really well done, though I appear to like it more than the average Beer Advocate reader. Fools!
Dec 30, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by TeachChefs from Pennsylvania

Dec 27, 2020
Photo of damndirtyape
Reviewed by damndirtyape from Ohio

3.87/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle, best before 01/31/21. Date stamp 268 19:38. Served in a tulip glass.

Appearance: Mostly clear very dark tarnished copper color. Huge off-white head upon pouring that slowly dwindled down to a thick ring of persistent foam. Lots of lacing all over the glass.

Smell: Citrus and pine. Very hoppy.

Taste: Tastes a lot like it smells, with strong citrus and pine hops at the start and the finish. The finish is quite strong and lingers a bit. This reminds me a lot of Arrogant Bastard, but less malty.

Mouthfeel: Good thickness, good carbonation, very sticky on the teeth from the hop oils.

Overall / Drinkability: A very strong AIPA, which is what the can says, even though the category here on Beer Advocate is an American Amber/Red Ale. The color certainly is that of a red/amber ale, as is the appearance, and this reminds me a lot of Arrogant Bastard in aroma and flavor, but not as much malt for balance. It's a bit of a palate wrecker - one is enough for me as it's a bit unbalanced.
Dec 26, 2020
Photo of BeerAndGasMasks
Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From Can Number 08 from the Clown Shoes Christmas pack, it pours a coppery/reddish amber color with a nice off-white head that slowly reduces and leaves lacing. In the nose, it is a little caramel and pine scents. In the mouth, the caramel hits first, followed by the piney flavor and a citrusy bite.
Dec 24, 2020
 
Rated: 3.55 by Allurex from Kansas

Dec 22, 2020
Photo of Pegasus
Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas

3.82/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Hazy reddish-amber color; offers a massive, coarse cream-colored head, with superb retention. Belgian-like lacing rings the glass wall. The carbonation consists of clouds of minute bubbles, and the occasional fat one, rising to the surface in a languid dance.

Aroma: Sharply pungent aroma of juicy grapefruit rind, and lesser pine hops. There are some subtle sweet orange hops, as well. Rustic dark bread notes and dark caramel are also present, though they are a mere afterthought. There is no presence of alcohol in the aroma that I am able to detect, interesting in light of the 8% ABV.

Taste: Opens with a strong wave of pine hops, and as another reviewer noted, spruce tips. The hops seem almost overwhelming. There is a subtle malt presence of dark caramel and dark bread, but these are relatively minor additions to the taste. As with the aroma, the alcohol of 8% ABV is quite elusive, offering nothing in the taste, and only a slight warmth. Late in the taste, the hops turn strongly towards pine notes, which linger on and on, well past what is otherwise the end of the taste. Some reviewers mentioned tropical fruit notes, my palate was simply overwhelmed by the dominant bitterness, I did not note these lighter flavors.

Mouth feel: Smooth and quite full, with mild carbonation zest.

Drinkability/notes: This is "dinner in a can" for the dedicated hophead. Eagle Claw Fist is certainly very well-crafted, but a bit much for me, my tastes in hops being more moderate. This is the eighth beer in the Clown Shoes "Twelve Days of Christmas" package.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twelve-ounce aluminum can, served in a Duvel tulip. "Best by" date is 01/31/21.
Dec 21, 2020
Eagle Claw Fist from Clown Shoes
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 413 ratings