Beer In Review: March of the Imperials

Greetings from the Häagen-Dazs state! Being that Christmas will soon be here, I decided to keep things festive and happy here in the blog. So, let's let look at some beer. Better yet, we should drink some.

First up is a beer recommended to me by The Beer Guy who works at the liquor store I frequent. I don't remember him saying that this was an Imperial ale, but if one reads the fine print one finds out. Anyway, it's called Winter Storm and it's part of the Heavy Seas brand put out by Clipper City Brewery, located in Baltimore.

Technically, the Winter Storm is classified by Clipper City as a "Category 5" Ale. What does that mean? Your guess is as good as mine. It is a seasonal, but it's also an Imperial ESB that clocks in at 7.5% ABV. The website states that it has "pure hop power" and that's certainly true. It's dry hopped with Magnum, Fuggles, Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops. Fortunately for me, it wasn't overwhelming like the 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head. In fact, drinking this beer reminded me of an IPA.

When you pour it in the glass you'll get a decent amount of head and a hoppy bouquet. The brewers also claim a "ruby hue" and "vivid malty flavor." I didn't get either of those. The color was dark copper and all I could taste were hops. Still, this is a good beer, especially for hops fans. I did see some yeast particles that the bottle warned about. But any drinker of homebrew knows that's nothing to be worried about.

The other beer is Gonzo Imperial Porter made by the Flying Dog Brewery out in Denver. It's intended as a tribute to Hunter S. Thompson. Yes, that Hunter S. Thompson. According to the website, he and Ralph Steadman, the artist for both HST's books and Rolling Stone articles and the brewery's labels, are kindred spirits with the brewery's founders.

The Gonzo Imperial Porter is as malty as Winter Storm is hoppy. From the moment you pour this beer into a pint glass you know you're getting gobs and gobs of malty goodness. The beer is so dark it's black, due to the black, chocolate and crystal malts. However, there were hints of a ruby glow through parts of the pint glass. Maybe a pilsner or tasting glass would reveal more. Anyway, bouquet and taste are all malt and all porter. The Millenium and Cascade hops show up just enough to let you know this isn't a malt soda. The 9.5% ABV reveals itself to you late in the taste. That's your clue that this a beer not to be trifled with. If you like porters, or just beer from the malty end of the spectrum, then I heartily recommend this one.

I'd forgotten how much I miss porters. There seems to be a dearth of them on the market these days, or at least in my travels. It seems that it's all Wheats, IPA's and PA's. It reinforces my decision that my next batch of homebrew should be a porter. But, in the meantime I'll go bug The Beer Guy to order some porters for the liquor store.

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