Heavy Seas Loose Cannon - American Hop3 Ale - Heavy Seas Beer

BuxMontBeerLover

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle was part of a Heavy Seas Variety 12pk.

Poured and sampled from a DFH Pint glass

A - Beer pours a deep amber/reddish color. Mostly translucent. A decent 2 finger, dense head on the initial pour. Lots of sticky lacing left after drinking.

S - A piney, citrusy, yet very sweet smelling beer. Nice aroma.

T - The beer is very good. The classic IPA tastes are there of grapefruit, slightly bitter hops and pine but it has a distinct caramel or toffee taste that pulls the beer into the sweeter side for IPAs. The beer goes down really easy despite its ABV of 7.25% although you can taste the alcohol more as the beer warms.

M - A moderate consistency, slightly syrupy. Moderate carbonation.

O - Without a doubt, the best beer from the variety pack. The other beers (Uber Pils, Sea Nymph and Gold Ale) were OK but this was the star. I'd purchase this beer again for sure. A fine effort from Heavy Seas/Clipper City. Recommended.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 20:52:39 | More by BuxMontBeerLover

beerme626

Kentucky

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottle from Beltway Liquors in Baltimore, poured into a drinking glass.

A: One finger off-white head atop a slightly bubbly brew. A little more amber than I expected from an IPA, but still pretty.

S: A light smell of the typical hops and pine of an IPA. Alcohol is obviously present as well.

T: Tasty, smooth IPA. Much more smooth than a hop-blaster, with decent tastes beyond hops. I get a little bit of maple in addition to the floral and pine.

M: Much more syrupy than I'm used to for IPAs. Not as crisp as most, but doesn't seriously bring down this brew.

O: I liked it a lot, and I like supporting Maryland brews. This was a very solid, and slightly different, IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 18:16:27 | More by beerme626

Celtics76

Rhode Island

5/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle poured into a Heavy Seas pint glass that I stole, er, accidentaly took from Lucky's in East Providence.

Anyway, I continue to be bewildered by those folks who are giving this less than a 4 here. This was the beer that got me into IPAs, and craft beer for that matter. Beautiful pour with about a half inch head and a nice clear golden color. But nevermind that - it tastes fantastic. Very strong piney/citrus scent that carries over nicely to the taste. Perfectly balanced between the malts, hops, etc.

Despite the 7.25% ABV, this is very easy to drink - it's a real flavor explosion on the taste buds with a nice (but not overwhelming) bitter aftertaste that one would expect from a well made IPA.

For those in the RI/MA area, I recommend getting this on tap at Doherty's with one of their amazing burgers. Can't recommend this enough.

Yup, I gave it a perfect 5.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 22:25:25 | More by Celtics76

SawDog505

New Hampshire

3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass, best by 10/29/12. Pours a orange red with a one inch white head with loads of lacing. Smell is grapefruit, tangerine, mango, and pine. Taste is good, but doesn't hold up to the awesome nose. Not nearly as much citrus as the nose would have you expect. Body is medium, plenty of carbonation, not dry, and good drinkability. This is good, I wish the flavor was as good as the nose.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 22:19:52 | More by SawDog505

Kendo

New York

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from the growler into a pint glass. Body is clear coppery amber with a fluffy, 1.5-finger soapy white head. Carbonation appears pretty faint. Some splotchy lace on the glass.

S: Citrusy hops dominant, but foundation of sweet malt is noted as well.

T: Follows the nose: sweet malt (brown sugar and caramel malt) is followed by citrusy (oranges) hops. Lingering hop bitterness on the aftertaste, but sugary malt is still noted underneath.

M: Slight slickness to the feel; kind of flat despite the big head. Heft is medium in weight.

O: Good stuff. Malt is more forward than I remembered.

Serving type: growler

06-24-2012 00:25:19 | More by Kendo

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle served in a pint glass.

pours a nice, translucent medium amber with a big frothy 2+" head; good retention and lacing. great looking IPA. nose opens with floral / pine / citrus characters, secondary notes of malt... doesn't jump out of the glass the way my favorite IPAs do, but very nice nonetheless.

taste follows and exceeds the aroma. very nice balance between the hop notes and the malt backbone. medium bodied mouthfeel with average carbonation. very tasty.

overall an excellent IPA, tasty and enjoyable. highly recommended.

(originally reviewed: 11-30-2011)

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 21:45:21 | More by BostonHops

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: shiny/dirty yellow/tan/orange body, trace white body,
vibrant lacing

S: lemon peel, mild orange, pine/grassy

T: same as nose, mild caramel malt, mild bitter long finish

M: med body, light oily/sticky mouth

O: very nice brew. would get again + recommend.
Heavy Seas continues to impress me, give them
a try.

QUITE NICE, NOT MUST HAVE!

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 20:37:33 | More by BeerLover99

matt062286

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - transparent straw golden yellow. One finger head that dissipates quickly. Moderate head retention and moderate lacing.

S - A strong floral hop presence. Notes of citrus and a fresh bread quality.

T - A bold but not overwhelming hop flavor. Much as it smells, and finishes a bit dry but very clean. Hints of grapefruit with a slight malt backbone. Small amount of alcohol astringency.

M - A lighter bodied IPA. Very drinkable. Moderate to light carbonation.

O - Nothing too out there, just a solid drinkable IPA. Not bad out of the bottle but shines on tap and on cask. My go to from Heavy Seas.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 19:45:17 | More by matt062286

macrosmatic

Florida

3.85/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz bottle into pint glass. Label indicates a "Best by" date of August 2012.

A: A somewhat aggressive pour leads to a one-finger head of white foaminess that lingers pretty well. Small bubbles of active carbonation. Clear, amber to copper in color.

S: Hoppy aroma (grapefruit, pine) up front. Caramel malt aroma is there as well when I really work at it. Not a "punch-you-in-the-face" amount of aroma overall.

T: Bitter & citrus hops, followed by an understated malt. Near the standard hop-bitter finish, there is a slight acetone flavor that accompanies the alcohol presence that I can't quite identify. It quickly fades, but I don't think it's a good flavor. It distracts a bit from what otherwise seems a solid taste profile.

M: Medium mouthfeel for the style. More carbonation than average but it fits the beer well. Alcohol presence is a little forward for a beer of this ABV, but not so much as to be distracting.

O: Good, a quality offering to grab in a six pack. I don't think it exceeds its more quality competitors, however. That being said, I would be interested in trying an extremely fresh bottle to see how much it has changed with the little bit of age it has on it.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 03:31:25 | More by macrosmatic

Dave1999

Virginia

4.48/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light amber with a thin white head.

The smell dark fruits, raisins and plums.

The taste is much the same as the smell very well balanced. The hops are very tasty but not ridiculously bitter.

The mouth feel is medium bodied with low carbonation.

Overall a very good ipa,hides the abv well and is very well balanced. I think this ipa is comparable to 90 minute one of my fav ipas.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 00:33:11 | More by Dave1999

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.23/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 Oz bottle poured into a tulip glass

A- Pours a slightly hazy golden orange with a one finger bubbly head, decent retention.

S- Hops galore. A bit of pine and a ton of citrus. This smells like a pineapple and a mango with some fresh squeezed orange. Not funky or overly ripened at all so I think my bottle is fresh. A sweet sugary caramel backbone that sets it all off. Awesome stuff.

T- A big bite of citrus up front. Fresh mango and pineapple and orange. Very low bitterness considering the hop character shining through. A sugary light malty backbone that isnt quite as strong tasting as I would like it to be.

M- Easy to drink, moderate bitterness and average carbonation, a light character.

O- This is a prime example of what an american IPA should be. an in your face hop character, light body and above average ABV. If this beer had a bigger, more flavorful malt profile I think it would be about perfect. Awesome stuff

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 01:30:44 | More by TwelveOunces

JWU

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into a tumbler

A- traditional yellow/copper/orange with a finger of white head that dissipated quickly, but left nice lacing down the glass.

S- Orange, apricot, and some biscuity/caramel malt notes.

T- Follows the nose. It's a very balanced IPA, and the hops aren't particularly bitter, but you certainly taste them. Big notes or orange and apricot with hits on grapefruit. The malts certainly are there to balance, and aren't an afterthought as in most West Coast IPA's.

M- Medium bodied with a more aggressive carbonation than most.

O- A very good, well crafted IPA, that I would certainly have again, but I have many other's I would have over this.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 18:04:17 | More by JWU

Beer_Runner

3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Purchase by date of August, 2012.
Slow pour into a standard pint glass.

A: Nice, thick, two-finger head, but disapated fairly quickly. The brew is a copper color with an orange hue and very clear with some carbon bubbles raising through.

S: The aroma is grapefruit and citrus with some light floral and just a touch of sweetness.

M: Medium to light body, but not too much carbonation.

T: Lots of grapefruit with a little malt sweetness that fades to a hops bitterness and a touch of floral.

O: Big grapefruit hops blast that lasts thoughout. The big citrus blast makes it standout from the crowd. A nice take on an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 00:03:51 | More by Beer_Runner

BierStein711

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into weizen, didn't have a shaker

Three finger off-white head: apricot yellow and dark brown

S: Hops, baby, and more hops!! I know this is hop cubed!!

Booze too!

T: Grapefruit, apricot, citrus, hop bitterness, slight booze

M: You know its a beer!!!

Overall, I'm going to have this again, ASAP!!

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 04:00:53 | More by BierStein711

beaker30

Indiana

3.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I put together a six-pack of IPA's the other night...so I've been sampling a variety.

Poured it into beer glass. The bottle said it was about a month past its sell-by date. Oh well...here goes.

The head disappeared pretty quickly.

I did not like my first sip of this. I guess I was expected more like the Western IPAs. But the more I drank it, the more I liked it. It seemed really well balanced to me. The bitterness lingered long after I finished it but it didn't bite me like some IPAs. I tasted the fruitiness, but again, not as much as some.

I would buy this again, and I would definitely recommend it to someone who wants to try an IPA. It was hoppy, but not overpowering, ins spite of its name. :) I am a huge fan of IPAs and expected this one to be a bit more, of what I'm not sure. But the more I drank it, the more I liked it. Sessionable.

First review, so I hope I did OK.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 02:34:25 | More by beaker30

david18

New York

3.25/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This was a recent review I wrote of this beer on draft:

I've been curious about the Heavy Seas line of beers for a while and finally saw this at one of my local stores. I had to buy a sixpack but it ended up being well worth it. Very good ipa, typical of a east coast style it's a little dark and a little maltier in flavor than the east coast west coast versions. Very good color, aroma, flavor and mouthfeel. Worth getting if you see it.

---

I recently had it on cask at my local bar, who have been serving a lot of cask ales lately. It was good, like above, but not as good as some of the other cask ales I've had recently. Worth trying though.

Serving type: cask

04-24-2012 19:16:49 | More by david18

HeadyHopper32

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Cloudy orange color. Nice head on the pour. White fluffy bubbles that stick around for a while. Great looking IPA.

S - Really nice smell on this one. Getting a lot of orange and a little sour lemon coming through as well. Definitely more citrus than pine. Hoppy but not really bitter smelling at all.

T - Delicious. A lot of citrus on the tongue with a nice bite at the back of the mouth. The aftertaste is very fruity and a little bitter; feels like you just ate a juicy grapefruit. Not a dry beer IPA at all. It's not as bitter as some extreme IPAs but hopheads will still be satisfied with this one - trust me.

M - Very wet and oily. Isn't so oily that it feels heavy but definitely leaves your mouth coated with the hoppy taste.

O - Mmmm. What an IPA. Im usually a fan of dry, super bitter IPAs like Sierra Nevada's Torpedo but I was definitely loving this wetter, fruitier version of a hopped up brew. At $8 dollars a six pack this is unbeatable in my opinion. DEFINITELY pick this up if you come across it.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 00:59:44 | More by HeadyHopper32

rarbring

Sweden

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An amber clear brew, an off-white firm head with good lacing and curtains.

Citric galore, grape-fruit, lemons, and orange blossoms.

Brown bread and toffee, grape-fruit juice, mango squash and lime peel.

Low carbonation, soft and refreshing, a smooth dry finish.

Nice refreshing and lively IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2012 20:57:38 | More by rarbring

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a straight pint glass, color is copper to light amber, very bright, transparent with a nice 1" thick head that is off white in color.

Smell is a little light, but grapefruity hop notes come through with mild malt sweetness, no sign of caramel.

Taste is a little sweeter than the smell lead to think, but the hop bitterness cuts through this. Hop flavors are fruity, aromatic with a touch of bitter resiny pine in the finish.

Mouthfeel is very good for an ipa, the relatively clean malt is cleaned well by the solid bitterness, suprisingly clean and balanced at this strength.

Overall, a very solid ipa a touch bitter, not sweet and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 23:21:10 | More by mvanaskie13

Dodo2step

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

P- Thanks to my buddy Matt for this brew

A- Very frothy and so much so the head cascades over the top of my pint. light amber and clear in color.

S- strong grapefruti with tangerine smell as well. sweet malt hits the back end of the nose.

T- taste is like the smell. The hoppiness isnt as dry as i ould like but it is still tasty.

M- creamy for an IPA. The grapefruit comes out as doe the sweet malts as it lingers in the mouth.

D- This goes down smooth and quick. Easy to drink and flavorful. i could use this for concerts or baseball games.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 20:37:51 | More by Dodo2step

busterwhite

Georgia

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a golden amber with a 1 finger head. Some lacing present.

Smells of citrus - tangerines, grapefruit, a little orange, along with some malt sweetness.

Taste matches the nose pretty well. Orange with tangerine, pretty strong malt sweetness with a little bitterness in the finish.

Nice medium mouthfell and well carbonated.

Overall this is a good, solid IPA. Nice flavor, glad I had it and I'll have it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 19:33:42 | More by busterwhite

nrs207

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap in a pint glass.

A - Really nice appearance. A lot of lacing, pretty dark for an IPA, but the room isn't very bright. Looks like a golden orange.

S - Not really getting a lot on the nose. A little citrus hops. Not too interesting.

T - Nice citrus hop taste with a decent bitterness at the end. No alcohol at all. It's a slightly above average IPA in the taste department.

M - Pretty smooth. No alcohol burn, pretty drinkable. On the thinner end of medium bodied.

O - Not bad. Slightly above average, but nothing fantastic. I wouldn't seek this out. Nothing wrong with it, just not too interesting.

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2012 01:21:09 | More by nrs207

CPDalton

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark golden brown, no sediment at all. Poured too foamy, had to take my time with it. The head looks very sticky though.

Smell: Lots and lots of fruit smells. Cherry, grapefruit, and even banana. Smells delicious. I don't get any earthy tones from this.

Taste: A kick of the hops from the get go, followed by a rush of sweetness. The fruit from the nose are represented well here. A very sweet and sugary beer, was not expecting this.

Mouthfeel: Very mild carbonation, easy to drink. Goes down extremely well. The more I drink, the more I think it's a little too thin.

Overall: This is a crazy take on an IPA. One of the sweetest that I've ever had. It smells lovely, and tastes great. The sugary and sweet taste would get old after a few, but having just one is perfect.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 00:46:37 | More by CPDalton

fatmusic14

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - pours beautifully, a nice rich gold color with an army of bubbles flowing upward.

S - lots of citrus, sort of a sweet/sour hint (almost like a sweetart candy, but not exactly). Lemon, orange, very very slight hint of mint and earth

T - delicious. light, flavorful, refreshing - bursts with hops and lemon freshness. Very bubbly, very tasty. Sweet but not like honey. Lots of complex flavors. play well together though.

M - great carbonation level and refreshing level, but kind of brought down by a slight coating of the mouth which I'm not too fond of

O - bought in a "Make Your Own 6 Pack" - so I only have one. Worth a buy for a 6 at $8.99 or less. Singles probably the way to go.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 22:41:29 | More by fatmusic14

motherofalldogs

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Citrusy smell, sort of a toss-up between tangerines and orange cream soda.

Taste is hoppy, but not overtly bitter. I would personally have expected slightly more hop to the taste, since this is supposedly "triple-hopped", but this is still very drinkable for fans of IPAs.

Good mouthfeel, particularly with food.

This bottle was a one-off gift from a friend, but I will definitely seek this one out and purchase it in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 03:35:53 | More by motherofalldogs