Review: Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night

Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night
7.5% ABV

Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD

12 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Best by 12/2013

Reviewed on 9/7/13

This saison pours a quite clear gold with a thin white head that dissipates somewhat quickly. Mild lacing. Moderate carbonation.

Smell has malt, wheat, hops, floral/herbal notes, pepper, mild fruity syrup, mild citrus.

Taste has malt, wheat, hops, light breadiness, peppery candy-like sweetness, fruity syrup, floral/herbal notes, touches of berry.  Much more defined taste than smell.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with perhaps a touch or two of bitterness and dryness.

Overall, this is a somewhat decent tasting saison that reveals more in its taste than its smell.  Malt, wheat, and candyish fruity syrup are the main flavors here, with some decent backing accents. It's fairly drinkable and mostly refreshing, though as saisons go, it's average.

My score: 87

Barleywines: Warming Up to the Warmth

The first time I tasted Dogfish Head's Olde School Barleywine, which was also my first time tasting a barleywine, I thought it was a boozy mess; the high alcohol content overwhelmed whatever else was in the beer.  It was early in my craft beer experience and, admittedly, starting barleywines with a 15% ABV version probably wasn't the best way to develop an appreciation for the style.  Also, that Olde School was fairly fresh from the brewery (about a month old) and didn't have a chance to mellow with age. 

 

Almost two years later, I have a better appreciation for that beer and barleywines as a style.  Looking back on it now, I'd say that not only was my palate not ready for the high heat of the Olde School, it wasn't ready for barleywines in general.  It seems like a style that one has to work up to in order to appreciate, though no one should shy away from giving it a try.  As a style, it's typically fairly high in alcohol, with ABVs checking in at over 10% for many, and the alcohol taste isn't generally as muted as it can be in IPAs and stouts.  They can also be fairly sweet and syrupy (for a beer), with tastes like cherry and other dark fruits coming through strong, and they're not really reminiscent of anything the macro brewers are producing.  In fact, you might find something in the liquor section that's closer than what the macros have (and, in case you're wondering, even though "wine" is in the name, there's nothing really "wine" about the style other than perhaps the ABV). 

 

My recommendation for someone new to barleywines (or new to craft in general) is to try one now, take note of what you think about it, and try it again down the road after trying many different beers to see how your palate has changed.  Barleywines are definitely a good candidate for aging, so you can buy a four-pack (or multiple 22 oz btls) and stash the leftovers for later. 

 

One worth seeking: Firestone Walker §ucaba 

 

Others worth trying: Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine, Weyerbacher Insanity and Blithering Idiot, Stone Old Guardian Oak-Smoked Barleywine, Heavy Seas Below Decks 

 

The non-barleywine beers that are quite close: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, Burley Oak Rude Boy

Review: Weyerbacher Heresy

Weyerbacher Heresy
8.0% ABV

Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA

12 oz btl
Served in St. Bernardus chalice
No date on bottle
Reviewed on 4/28/13

This Russian imperial stout pours a thick dark brown color with a fairly dark beige head that dissipates somewhat quickly.  Good lacing.

Smell consists of malt, chocolae, some alcohol, slight soy sauce, some bourbon, touches of caramel and coffee.

Taste consists of dark chocolate, malt, some hops, some alcohol, coffee, caramel, slight breadiness, touch of whisky.

Mouthfeel is quite creamy and smooth on the palate.  Has a nice substantial thickness to it. Exceptional.

Overall, this is a solid tasting stout that has an exceptional mouthfeel due to its smoothness. The flavors here are quite good--perhaps not as bold as, recently, Heavy Seas Siren Noire and some other imperial stouts--but it's close enough.  The chocolate, malt, and coffee tastes are nice here, though the bottle description "aged in whiskey barrels" only reveals a hint of a whiskey taste.  Still, it's smooth, tasty, and relatively easy to drink.


My score: 93

Review: Moab Desert Select Ale

Moab Desert Select Ale
8.59% ABV

Moab Brewery, Moab, UT

32.8 oz ceramic swing top bottle
Served in Duvel tulip glass
No date on bottle
Reviewed on 3/28/13

This black imperial IPA pours a fairly dark color with a thick and frothy light beige head that has quite good retention.

Smell consists of hops, malt, some citrus, spice, floral, herbal, pepper, some chocolate, rye, some bread.

Taste consists of hops, malt, coffee, chocolate, rye, bread, pepper, floral and herbal notes, slight soy sauce.

Mouthfeel as some good dryness and bitterness right at the front.  Fairly smooth and even on the palate.

Overall, this is a nice tasting black imperial IPA that has a nice flavorful profile that has shades of Heavy Seas Black Cannon and even Firestone Walker Wookey Jack. Fairly hoppy, malty with chocolate and coffee flavors, and distinctive rye and floral/herbal notes.  A nice find at Shab Row Bistro in Frederick, Maryland.  A huge bottle and somewhat pricey, but from a brewery that I haven't seen available elsewhere (so I couldn't pass it up).  The reviews online are so-so (what review there are--it's pretty much unreviewed), but I found it to be quite nice.

My score: 90

Review: Heavy Seas Siren Noire (2013)

Heavy Seas Siren Noire
Uncharted Waters - 2013
9.5% ABV
Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
22 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Reviewed on 4/26/13
 



This stout pours a dark brown color with a good bubbly toasty beige head that has decent retention.  Nice lacing.

Smell consists of malt, chocolate, coffee, caramel, some hops, alcohol, some wood some spice, hint of dark fruit.  The aroma comes across as fairly bold.

Taste has strong flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, and malt right off the bat.  Good accent notes of wood, hops, and spice and perhaps a touch or two of bourbon and red wine.

Mouthfeel is smooth on the palate with some good bitterness.  Good bite at the back of the mouth.

Overall, this is a superior tasting stout, part of the Heavy Seas Uncharted Waters series for 2013. Bold flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, and malt are strong right at the front and are complemented well with the right amount of alcohol flavor, wood, and hops.  The bourbon barrel aging is evident and comes through well.  A surprising stout from Heavy Seas that hits the right notes and stacks up well with similar offerings.


My score: 94

Review: Heavy Seas Below Decks Barleywine Style Ale

Heavy Seas Below Decks Barleywine Style Ale (2012)
10.0% ABV
Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
22 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Date notched on on bottle: March 2013
Reviewed on 2/9/13

This barleywine pours a dark brownish amber color, looking a bit like apple cider.  Has a light beige thin bubbly head that dissipates somewhat quickly.  Moderate lacing.

Smell consists of malt, sugar, nutmeg, some citrus, some cherry, cloves, mild hops, slight alcohol, slight apple cider.

Taste consists of malt, sugar, honey, nutmeg, alcohol, cherry, cough syrup, raisins, mild hops, slight burnt taste, hint of caramel.

Mouthfeel is earthy, uneven, not much carbonation, good dryness at the end.  Some alcohol harshness come through.

Overall, this is an interesting tasting barleywine that's a bit uneven.  Malty, sugary with dark fruit and a sometimes harsh alcohol taste, but accented with fall flavors such as nutmeg and cloves.  It would be interesting to see where this would go with some age.  Right now, it's interesting, not overwhelming.

My score: 86

Review: Heavy Seas Winter Storm Category 5 Ale

Heavy Seas Winter Storm Category 5 Ale
7.5% ABV
Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
12 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Date notched on on bottle: March 2013
Reviewed on 12/4/12

This ESB pours a deep amber color with a good bubbly ivory-colored head.  Good carbonation evident. Quite good lacing.

Smell consists of malt, hops, some berry-like fruitiness, some sugariness, some spiciness.

Taste has malt, hops, some good, dry, almost wine-like fruity flavor, mild floral notes, deep biscuity taste.

Mouthfeel is earthy, dry, and bitter with a decent balance of flavors.  Nice chewy texture that gives it some substantialness.

Overall, this is a solid tasting ESB with a good earthy profile of flavors and nice kicks of dryness and bitterness.  Malty and hoppy, with a good dry chewy texture that goes directly for the palate.  A nice hearty brew for the winter season.


My score: 92

Review: Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout

Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout
8.0% ABV
Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
12 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Date notched on on bottle: May 2013
Reviewed on 2/28/13

This stout pours a thick dark brown color with a toasty beige head that retains well.  Some carbonation evident.  Decent lacing.

Smell consists of coffee, chocolate, malt, dark fruit, mild hops, slight alcohol.

Taste has coffee, malt, creamy chocolate, hints of dark fruit and maybe some hazelnut, mild hops, mild sugar, slight alcohol.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, some good grainy texture on the tongue.  Good strain of bitterness on the palate.

Overall, this is a decent tasting stout with prominent coffee and chocolate tastes.  The alcohol taste comes through at times, as do hints of dark fruit and some mild hops.  Not overly distinctive, but quite solid and tasty.  

My score: 89