Eagle Claw Fist - Clown Shoes

jrsone

North Carolina

2.58/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Color of a cigar, not amber really. Harsh bittering hops rule the taste with a little citrus/ floral hops on the finish. Unwelcome scent of booze with some dank hoppiness.
Caramel mouthfeel weak, booziness lacks discipline and hop flavor is a dojo disgrace.
Your Eagle Claw technique is no match for most red ales Clown Shoes.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 19:06:19 | More by jrsone

jethrodium

California

2.3/5  rDev -39.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

650 ml bottle courtesy of myspoonistoobig. Thanks Michael. Pours a hazy copper amber with a small white head that has good retention and leaves some light lacing on the glass. The aroma is sweet with big sugar cookie, light caramel, and some light floral and citrus hops. The taste is really sweet with sugar cookie, caramel, and some light citrus. The finish has a light bitterness. Medium body. Medium carbonation. This beer was just too sweet with nothing to balance it out. It was quite bland as well. It could have used a much bigger hop presence.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 05:52:44 | More by jethrodium

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at The Petrol Station in Houston.

The beer pours a medium amber color with a white head. The aroma has a lot of toffee and caramel notes, as well as some nice pine notes from the hops.

The flavor also has a nice mix of hops and malt. I get some toffee and cocoa notes from the malt, as well as some nice pine and orange citrus notes. There is also quite a bit of booziness in the flavor, as well as the aroma.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2011 04:09:19 | More by Mora2000

viaingo

Maine

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clown Shoes Brewery is an iconic Boston craft beer maker that has a fantastic personality. I first ran into Clown Shoes beer at the Portland Brew Festival this year and fell in love. They featured their Tramp Stamp and Lubrication, but not this absolutely delectable red ale. Beware, this beer is hoppy and bitter. For me, this is perfect. I love red ales and this is one I will definitely drink this again!

Type: Red Ale
Color: Dark amber red hue and cloudy.
Body: carbonated
Head: Very thick off white head. Delicious and lasts for a long time.
Taste: Hoppy and bitter. You can really taste the malts and the citricy aspects. The bitterness finish is almost like a final strike to the taste buds.
Aroma: Very malty and hoppy. Slightly earthy and piney with citrus notes.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 23:55:54 | More by viaingo

arizcards

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bomber from Total Wine the first of October for $5.99. Bottled on 6-15-11.

Beer poured an amber brown with a smallish white head that is leaving some lacing behind.

Nose is citrus hops which are starting to shine thru as the brew warms. Malts linger in the background.

Taste is hugely hop forward, pine dominates with some citrus in the background. Crystal malts are not enough to balance this out.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and pretty smooth.

Overall this is a pretty decent beer but a little off the imperial red style mark with the amount of alpha hops in this brew. If you like it bitter be sure to get this one!

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 22:58:31 | More by arizcards

rel

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Eagle! Claw! Fist! Do eagle claw have fists, I don't know, but this beer might make you think about it.

Pours a dark amber color, with a frothy, one finger head.

Smell is primarily sweet toasted malts, with flowery hops present but not overwhelming.

Prepare to be overwhelmed! Not that this beer has the most hops ever, but if your nose were your eyes, you would think you were seeing a cute, sweet bird, but when you went out to pet it you realized it was a ferocious eagle with claw fists! All hops. Too much hops. It's not a bad beer, but I was deceived.

This very bitter beer is dry and medium bodied.

I enjoyed it, and eagles are awesome, but I was expecting a more friendly eagle. Perhaps if it weren't labeled an amber, despite being imperial, I would have been more lenient.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 02:10:10 | More by rel

cosmicevan

New York

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

brought this one home from my last trip to chicago (bottled last week in january 2011...yikes, pretty old). now they distribute locally (as of this week! will need to try a fresher batch and revise).

a - opened the bottle and filled my E snifter. bottle opened with a super big hiss and when poured, the head was about 70% of the pour. the head was cream colored and super frothy and milkshake like. the beer beneath is a deep crimson orange. semi transparent to the light.

s - strong malt with a very nice sweetness. lots of earth and grass. the dry hop is noticeable.

t - fairly hop forward with a bitter finish. the malt is biscuity with a touch of brown sugar.

m - a bit fizzy, leaves a touch of a tingle. alc is pretty well hidden, but some warmth is definitely in the mouth.

o - overall, ambers get a bad wrap, this is pretty good for an imperial. not a go to brew for me, but an enjoyable stronger amber.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 01:02:12 | More by cosmicevan

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a 1.5" linen colored head. Hazy caramel brown and amber body. Smells IPA hoppy/fruity. Taste has some very brief caramel then lots of the IPA hoppy/fruity again. Although labelled an Imperial I don't think the body weight hints it and frankly the alcohol doesn't feel like it either, the latter I suppose a good sign. There's a lingering bitter grapefruit finish. Although Clown Shoes always has great names and labels I'm not sure this is the martial arts greatness they claim it to be.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 00:04:10 | More by MoreThanWine

obrike

Texas

3.8/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber bought at Specs in north San Antonio

Really liked the look. Dark amber pour, fluff white head...spider web lacing throughout. Very pretty.

Smelled similar to a doppelbock at first...dark fruits...some sugary malt. Nice.

Wow...Jarring taste to say the least. Not in a bad way, just super bitter initial flavor, followed by caramel malt, then another blast of hop bitterness on the backend. This is a beer not for the weak.

Mouthfeel was pretty damn smooth...hid booze well, and certainly one of those beers that got better as it sat for a while.

A good effort with this one, but the bitterness will certainly scare off newbies.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2011 02:02:08 | More by obrike

champ103

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at Queen Vic in Houston, TX

A: Pours a dark reddish/brown color. A one finger light beige head forms with poor retention. No lace is left behind.
S: Toasted and caramel malts up front. Some dark fruits of plums and raisins. A large lingering grapefruit bitterness as well.
T: Toasted and caramel malts up front. Lots of residual sugars initially. Though a huge lingering grapefruit bitterness lingers. The alcohol is noticeable as well. The malt, sugars, and bitterness do not mesh right for me.
M/D: A medium to full body that is a bit low on the carbonation. Though not under carbonated. I wish it was cleaner with more of a crispness though. Nothing meshes right for me, and add to that plenty of alcohol. Not something I care to come back to.

I am not really digging the Clown Shoes offerings so far. This, specifically, does not mesh right for me. Not something I would recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2011 02:57:44 | More by champ103

TenHornsProud

Colorado

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a solid brown/amber color with an off-white head that lingers and laces.

Smells of pine hops with a small malt/honey aroma. Big, pleasing hop nose.

Taste is initial sweetness followed by a big bitterness, pine, small grapefruit, spice, earthy flavors rounded out with a hop kick in the end and a nice, sweetish finish. I'm betting Chinook is involved here. Kind of one dimensional in the overt hop burst but it's good.

Medium bodied and medium carbonation. It goes down smooth.

This is an amber beer with a big, pine hop kick and some sweetness to balance. Not a lot else to say which is good and bad.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 01:15:34 | More by TenHornsProud

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mercury Brewing / Clown Shoes
Eagle Claw Fist Imperial Amber Ale
22 oz. / $5.99 @ Total Wines & More, Claymont, DE

Brand and marketing vs. the beer inside the bottle... interesting. Perhaps both are equally matched, and perhaps not. The Clown Shoes name holds a high bar, and under that the Eagle Claw Fist holds an even higher bar. In fact, legend tells of a beer so legendary that it became legend before it was even conceived...

All joking aside, and who can blame me (seriously, they've asked for it), this is a decent beer.

Appearance: It's cloudy and darkish copper, OK, but it's got great head retention and lacing. It doesn't say it's bottle conditioned, but even if it's not... we can just pretend, can't we?

Smell: Hoppy! Grapefruit, citrus rind, aged (read as almost souring and headed towards tartness) berries, pine/spruce... and a little bit of hardened dark-caramel maltiness. Bright and inviting!!!

Taste: As the aroma suggests, this is not a sweet or malty beer. The hops commandeer the ship and sail decisively forward. The base malt has a bit of bready caramel to it and it balances, but the hops are more dominant in the end (or at least in the finish). It's floral, and a touch spicy; and it's citrus-rind drying with lots of tropical fruit to boot. Hop juicy! But it's also balanced, and it's kept in check by a solid bitterness that runs start to finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Gently crisp.

Overall: Quite nice. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 05:35:46 | More by NeroFiddled

Nugganooch

California

3.83/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

My first Clown Shoes brew made courtesy by Charliedvrs - Thanks Bro!

*notes from 09/01/11
Bomber + pint glass

A: E.C.F. Pours like a beauty Clark! Dark amber. Slightly hazed orange color that you can just fall in love with. 2 fingers of khaki froth with nice hang time and spotted lacing down the glass.

S: Smells herbalicious! Danky pine notes and citrus peels. Some sugary biscuit malts. Very nice hop aromas.

T: Hi-ya!!! With a nice big resinous hop presence. Grapefruit citrus. Dank pine tar. Herbal peppery spice kick. I swear there is some Rye additions here. Has that Rye spiced cake flavor. Bit of caramel toffee chew on it. Nice balance. Light crisp finish. Have I found a new favorite Red???

M: Great creamy texture with a nice bitter hop sting on the palate. Mod body and carbonation gives a nice resiny slick mouthcoat. Dry crisp finish.

D: Easy drinker for me. Well hopped with enough Caramel malt coming through. I would bet a touch of Rye in the mix. Well balanced. Smooth mouthfeel. Light and refreshing.

This Kung Fu is pretty damn good. Would definitely trade for again! Looking forward to trying out some more Clown Shoes

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 20:05:44 | More by Nugganooch

jsanford

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber poured into a New Belgium Globe.

Pours a hazy orange-amber with a soapy white head. Aromas of pungent pine & grapefruit hops dominate with some sweet amber malt. Taste is close to the nose, with a minty, herbal hop profile. Pleasantly bitter finish lasts some time. Mouthfeel is crisp, with a medium body and good carbonation. Overall a nice Amber Ale, but far from great.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 14:26:41 | More by jsanford

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

2.58/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

$7.00 bomber from Bottles in Boston.

Hazy dark orange body with reddish highlights, topped by an enormous creamy slightly off-white head.

Aroma is mix of pine and oranges, but could be more assertive.

Semi-sweet caramel slides by quick. Juicy fruits - orange, apricot - follow, then a pine finish.

Watery mouthfeel for an imperial amber. Needs to be fuller and firmer.

I'm a big fan of imperial reds/ambers, but this was a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 03:38:25 | More by RonfromJersey

SkeeterHawk

Texas

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked this beer up at the downtown specs a few days ago. I tried this breweries "hoppy feet" on tap at the Flying Saucer that night (no notes) and thought that it was pretty good. Let's see what their industrial strength Amber is like:

Appearance: Pours a mildly hazy dark chestnut color with a small 1/4" head of various size tan bubbles that was active at first and then settled to about 1/8" being maintained by the bubbles rising. There is quite a bit of lace left on the glass after drinking the beer and the head never completely goes away.

Aroma: The aroma was clean with lots of malt and some evidently American "C" hops. Getting deeper into it, there is some dark caramel/toffee in here. I don't get any off aromas at all, so it seems like the hops and malt are jiving with the water and that it is a well crafted beer so far. Let's give it a taste...

Taste: The flavor follows the aroma pretty well in that it is predominantly American hoppy with some strong malt presence. Overall, it comes across to me a bit like Arrogant Bastard in that it has a strong hop presence with American Hops up-front, yet has enough back-bone and malty presence to give your palate something to do for the finish. Overall it is a decidedly hoppy beer, but it doesn't finish so bitter that it gets chalky at any time, so it goes well with the water and malt. The finish is balanced mildly toward to hops, but there is enough malt and alcohol to keep the hops in check all the way to the end.

Opinion: I am now reading that this beer boasts >100IBU...I will give it credit enough to say that it is drinkable. I am not a fan of IBU's in the triple digits, but maybe the water chemistry for them worked that the calculations can say that they have >100IBU and the beer remains drinkable. The beer is definitely drinkable and I will be enjoying this whole bomber.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 03:17:12 | More by SkeeterHawk

FUNKPhD

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clown Shoes recently made their arrival in TX, so I picked a few bottles up.

The pour reveals a nice reddish, almost cola color, with good head that lingers throughout the consumption. The smell is very strong with the Centennial hops, which, in my opinion, is quite inviting. The taste is hoppy all the way through; Centennial, Citra, then Columbus with the bitters. Overall mouth feel is pretty consistent with the style, with added note of ABV.

All in all, its a pretty tasty beverage. Nice and aromatic, hoppy. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't yet.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 03:21:29 | More by FUNKPhD

HardTarget

Texas

3.28/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Brown bomber, bottled 8/11 (woohoo, this month!), new to Texas.

Appearance: Amber glass with golden edges, good clarity, holds a thin white head long and collar well into the glass.

Smell: Lots of hops, but they smell more in the boil than in the finish, not "fresh and floral", more piney and bitter.

Taste: A bit worty and watery at the start, then a slow oily bitter hop burn sets in and takes a long while to fade. A little cotton candy sweetness at the back end as well. Odd flavor profile.

Mouthfeel: Oily, slick texture, medium body and firm carbonation.

Overall: Was expecting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-n2xWWC7bg#t=00m04s
Was more of a
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDbR-yW8Pf0#t=00m08s

Still, a pretty good beer, interesting, a really hoppy red.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 02:43:50 | More by HardTarget

Brad007

Vermont

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Clown Shoes has finally made it to VT!

Pours a dark amber with a big, frothy head into my glass. I've seen a few imperial examples but I do wonder the following: Why?

Piney, citrusy hops greet the nose with only a touch of malt underneath. This is a hoppy monster, even if not a traditional DIPA.

Wow, I was right there. Lots of piney hops that pack a punch. Malt is crisp and a bit sweet, which compliments the hop punch.

Lingering piney, resiny hops with a soothing, dry finish.

I believe I can answer the question I originally proposed with a "why not?" This is an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 02:45:01 | More by Brad007

Sensaray

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer appears dark oranger amber with a finger and a half light tan creamy head. Looks really good.

Smells of sweet malts and fresh hops. Citrus is noteable, and light tropical fruit is there too.

Tastes delicious. The first sip I let linger for awhile before taking the next. Excellent bitter thats builds and lasts through the finish. Nice pines and citrus qualities. The bittering hops are perfectly complimenting this beer. It tatses good. Nice resinous grapefruit and pine. Good underlying caramely sweetness.

Mouthfeel is nice, smooth and drinkable with light medium body.

Really good beer. Great bitter beer, with a great taste. A super hopped american amber.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 04:40:11 | More by Sensaray

sirdrinkwell

Florida

3.45/5  rDev -9.4%
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

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 03:01:39 | More by sirdrinkwell

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark red with an everlasting tan head.

Smells of lots of caramel malt with some piney scent from the hops.

Taste is up front caramel what you'd expect from an amber, but also a load of piney and a bit of citrusy hops. Roasted malt notes are also detectable. Finishes extremely bitter and dry at the end of the palate.

Mouthfeel/carb are pretty spot on for the style.

I like my ambers hopped up, and this is a good beer, but I think they missed on the profile a little bit. Everything ends up being a bit too bitter when the roasted malts and piney hops are added together. Maybe a bit more lean toward a citrusy hop could have made it a tad less harsh.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 08:50:28 | More by jmarsh123

Wasatch

Utah

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to Mess for this brew.

22oz. Bomber

Pours a nice cloudy dark amber color, nice carbonation, nice one-finger creamy off-white head, with some nice sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, slight citrus note, nice hop note as well. The taste, slightly sweet, malty, hoppy, slight citrus. Medium Body, very nice bitter/dry finish. This is my first brew from Clown Shoes, and it is a very nice one. A true to style brew. Thanks Chris!

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 00:13:38 | More by Wasatch

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber from Premiere Gourmet. Pours amber body with enormous lasting tan head in my case one-and-a -half inches. Initially, malty aroma, also some faint hops. Mostly a well malted melange of hops. Good balance, though very roasted to burnt malt as well.Good drinkability and above average mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 23:43:39 | More by northyorksammy

sendsilk

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22 oz poured into a pint glass.

A- Beautiful red color with a 1/2" head. Who cares, it's an amber, let's move on.

S- Really piney and hoppy for an amber ale. some caramel and bread on the nose.

T- Wow, holy hops Batman, the most hoppy Amber Ale that I have had in a while (aside from Nugget Nectar, but DAMN that's a good beer!). Finishes a little too piney and dry for my taste.

M- Average for the style.

O- Glad to try it, but once is enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 05:57:37 | More by sendsilk