Below Decks
Heavy Seas Beer

 

22 ounce bottle poured into a snifter.
2016 vintage.

Looking murky, dark amber/copper in color with a little bit of light filtering through. Each pour leaves about a quarter inch of short-lived dirty-white foam. It shows legs on the glass and has some very small bits of suspended sediment. The nose is strong and sherry-like, malty caramel and prune, cherry, more dark fruit and only mild alcohol. Any red wine barrel aromas seem to have disappeared. The taste, as with the nose Is malt forward and full of dark fruit, caramel and molasses. Starting sweet with a restrained fruity hop bitterness and finishing somewhat less sweet and tangy with pruny dark fruit flavor. Alcohol is noticeable but very mellow. The medium body is very smooth and soft, only slightly warming and just a bit of crispness from the medium carbonation. The finish is short, this is very easy drinking.

This aged great in the bottle, any of the aged aromas and flavors mix well into ale and enhance it. Don’t be afraid to buy a dusty bottle of this if any are left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S: definite red wine smell - medium high to high, balanced by medium to medium high malt aromas. Alcohol, bread, vanilla, brown sugar, treacle, fruit and dried fruit aromas are medium and add complexity. Hop aromas are medium low to low. The aromas are slightly sweet.

L: It pours semi-clear brown with a red wine to rose tint. Fine bubbles slowly rise to the surface joining a thin pinkish white foam cap with moderate to poor retention. A swirl of the glass produces fine legs.

T: The flavors are complex and layered melding fruit, grape and vanilla red wine barrel flavors with English Barleywine dark dried fruit, nuts, brown sugar and treacle. It has a balancing bitter finish. While the beer leans to the malt it has a fairly big red wine character and big alcohol. The alcohol is smooth and not hot or harsh.

F: The beer is full bodied to chewy with medium low carbonation.

O: big, complex well balanced beer, deligh to drink

Didn't really like it that much it was a bit too musty grape wine tasting and by the second glass (Got a bomber for 8 bucks) the alcohol really takes over. The BBA version is by far the most superior.

 

**
02/26/2017

On tap at blend.

LOOK: murky brown, medium white head.
AROMA: grape, raisin, red wine,
TASTE: wine, grains, little bit of woodyness.
FEEL: warming, medium body.

This is really nice. My favorite heavy seas beer by far.


**

22oz brown bomber, sample from the brewery.

This big ass Barleywine is mellowed out for a good while in red wine barrels, for 12.2% abv that level is pretty tame. Lush oakiness, berries and cherries, and an edge of caramel. Loads of complexity, mildly vinous though without a doubt this clearly says Barleywine all around.

Seek a bottle out.

 

 

 

Pours a murky medium brown. It's like a bog. No head whatsoever. The aroma is sweet, heavily vanilla, with just a hint of fruit. The taste balances the vanilla with a unique red wine quality and the traditionally malty barley wine. It's a little different but really good. The body is thicker and smooth.

Murky rust colored with no head.

Aroma: can easily smell the red wine, some dark fruits, raisin and plum. Slight booziness to it, but not very noticeable.

Taste: a fair amount of hop bite up front, light sweetness to it. The hops take the lead and overpower the malt. Earthy notes, oak and red wine finish things out. The booziness is at the very end.

Feel: lightly carbonated, medium in body.