Clipper City Pale Ale
Heavy Seas Beer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copper like the bronze medal I won at the 2000 Summer Olympics. High jump. Ha. Head was gone at the 3rd sip. Not sure what happened. Hoppy, earthy aromas. Maybe some sharp citrus notes as well. Hops on the taste. The label states 3 different kinds of hops: Fuggles, Goldings, & Cascade. The hops balance well with the malt flavor. Comes with a bitter aftertaste. Nice carbonation. A nice pale ale. Compliments to the brewer. I will keep my eye out for Clipper City products as it's obvious they brew some good product.

Got this in the BotM shipment. Labeled Heavy Seas Pale Ale, which I'll assume is the same.

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a pale golden color with one finger of head.

S: Mild hops here - a little earthy and floral. More malt smell than I am accustomed to in a pale ale.

T: Nice crisp English pale ale. A decent hop bitterness with a smooth malt in the finish. Nothing notable, but drinkable.

M: Moderate carbonation and a little creamy.

D: Easy drinker here. Wouldn't buy this, but will gladly drink my three.

Appearance- Deep gold. Two fingers of head.

Aroma- Grass, wildflowers and earthy hop notes. Very English and very good.

Taste- Pale malts, crusty bread (in a good way), a smack of English hops, lightly resinous.

Mouthfeel- Medium to light bodied.

Drinkability- Another hot day, this beer hit the spot! For the amount of flavor present it was pleasantly sessionable. I could see myself drinking several of these without being overwhelmed. A great beer for spring and summer.

Got this in a BotM Club.

Poured into a tulip pint: Attractive medium amber, clear, with two fingers' sudsy head. A few streams of tiny, slow bubbles. Spots of tenacious foam stick to the side, but no significant lacing.

Smells of restrained, peppery hops, orange & lemon peel. Kind of grassy, earthy.

Taste has semisweet tea-like character up front, followed by some of the pepper & citrus found in the smell. Finishes a little flinty, with a lingering "green" bitterness in the aftertaste.

Light-bodied, crisp with just a real subtle stickiness that hangs around.

Not bad. Like Clipper City's Gold, a very clean, crisp ale suitable for summer porch-sitting. Can't say I'd rush out & look for it, but I wouldn't be unhappy having this as utilitarian fridge-stock.

A - Clear, gold, nice carbonation, decent head that faded to a covering pretty quickly.

S - A little sweet malt, just a touch of hops.

T - Simple and clean malt profile, a little lit on the hops but it balanced the malt good enough. One dimensional but that dimension tastes good.

M - Light and easy drinking, finishes clean.

D - Goes down easy with a good taste. Does not really stand out so although it is refreshing, it just kind of goes down.

Beer of the Month Club selection, served in a pint glass. I was going to dock this beer some points for not tasting what I think an American Pale Ale should be -- but according to the bottle it's an English Pale Ale. It also won a GABF award in 2008 in the English Pale Ale category, which didn't appear to exist as a category in 2009, so maybe that's why it's listed as an APA?

A: Clear golden amber in color, thin head, lots of tiny bubbles.

S: Gentle grapefruit citrus smell

T: Here's where I get confused. The taste is smooth, almost malty, not picking up any of the hoppy citrus tones in the taste. But according to my documentation, this is characteristic of the English Pale Ale style, so that's likely intentional. I do pick up some bitterness in the finish, but it's well balanced with malt characteristics as well.

M: Well carbonated/fizzy, a bit light bodied, but OK.

D: OK, especially if you're looking to drink a few. Went well with a spicy Indian dish I was having.

Came with the Beer of the Month Club. Pours clear copper orange in color with a 1/4 inch creamy beige head; OK lacing that leaves a little residue. Smells of malt and light hops, with some citrus mixed in.

Tastes of sweet malt, light caramel, citrus hops, faint floral hops, grains and a little lemon or grapefruit. The flavor is malty overall with biscuit and grains on the back end and a slight sweetness with the bitter finish. Flavor is not very exciting, but it's a drinkable beer.

Mouthfeel is creamy and crisp with medium to light carbonation and a medium body. Easy drinking and quite smooth, just not very exciting flavor. Could drink these all night as it was enjoyable.