Heavy Seas - Smoke On The Water - Heavy Seas Beer

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Black with a big white soapy head. Mild smoke aroma. A bit thin for a beer, for the style, but smoke in the taste, a bit of chocolate malt. Ken's bottle. Pleasant enough drinking.Middle of the road in the smoked style.Sweetish smoke, though not overly sweetish.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2010 14:44:19 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Barely opaque bittersweet chocolate brown with russet accents and an attractive crown of golden brown sugar colored cream. It's still early, but it appears as if the quality and quantity of lace won't disappoint. This is pretty much what a smoked porter should look like.

Smells like an American porter. Given the name, shouldn't there be more smoke than this? In fact, there's very little. So much for any rauchbier comparisons. Major work to do on the palate.

Smoke On The Water is slightly more capable on the flavor front, but it still isn't blowing the best versions out of the... uh... water. Roasted barley is front-and-center, which makes this brew taste more like a stout than a porter. Dark chocolate, charred coffee beans, a hint of vanilla, and a puff of wood smoke share the spotlight.

Compared to expectations, flavor depth and smoke are less than anticipated, while hop flavor and bitterness are more. Guess that means this is a pretty fresh bomber. Partly due to well-buried alcohol and partly due to a wee lack of heft, this CCB offering drinks more like 6.0% than 8.0%.

Actually, as the beer gains a few degrees, it's filling out and settling down in fine fashion. Might have to give kudos the mouthfeel after all. A lack of sappy stickiness is a boon to drinkability.

The Mutiny Fleet Series of beers from Clipper City ranges from good (The Great Pumpkin, Hang Ten) to decent (Holy Sheet, Big DIPA, Below Decks) to disappointing (Siren Noire Imperial Chocolate Stout). Smoke On The Water falls squarely into the middle group. Bottom line: worth the first bottle, but probably not worth a second.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 14:19:49 | More by BuckeyeNation

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.4/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

16 ounce pint - Taco Mac in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Cheerfully served up a dark brown, near black body with faint garnet hues at the edge and topped with a layer of beige foam.

Smell: Darkened malts present a not particularly potent nose, with only lesser notes of roast and chocolate. The addition of the smoked malts yield no more than a modest poof of Pall Mall cigarette smoke.

Taste: Roasted barley with a touch of unsweetened chocolate and minute hint of smores. Small amount of encroaching smokiness. Light dark fruitiness with an even lighter, distant sourness. Slight licorice. Lightly bitter. Finishes dry and chalky with a bit more of the dark malts.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Fairly smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Personally, I found it to be a flimsy porter imparted with a lackluster smoke character, and therefore an unappealing brew. I tried this a week later out of the bottle at a dear friend's cookout - same results, sadly.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2010 21:33:37 | More by ChainGangGuy

oberon

North Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Iam closer to giving up on the Heavy Series after this offering wich was decent but just not good enough.Poured into a tulip glass a deep dark brown with only a hint of of ruby when held to the light,a fluffy almond colored head atop.Aromas are dominated by smoke,other BA's said not enough smoke....,I say too much,not much else came thru other than some bitter chocolate.Flavors are one dimentional in the smoke category,a hint of unsweetened choclate comes thru, otherwise it has a bit of peppery spice as well.Just not enough going on here,yeah there is a decent amount of smokiness but not much else,Iam losing hope in the Below Decks series.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2010 23:14:17 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in the trusty Devil's Backbone willibecher.

I can hear those crunching opening chords now... This guy pours a pretty much opaque black-brown topped by a nice finger of light tan foam. The nose has some light smokey notes, but mostly it's roasted malts. Not much else in there, really, though some light chocolate and caramel dart hither and yon like frightened hummingbirds. The taste is similarly dominated by the roasted malts, backed-up by some brown sugar, molasses, cocoa, and caramel. A lovely kiss of peat smoke comes in near the middle, surrounding the other flavors, cradling them all the way home. Lovely. The body is a nice medium, with a relatively light carbonation and a sliky smooth feel. One of the best Heavy Seas brews yet, and a very tasty smoked porter overall. Get some!

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2010 04:24:16 | More by TMoney2591

WesWes

New York

3.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a pitch black color with a thick frothy tan head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a rich, chocolate and black malt scent with not much in the way of a smoked malt aroma. It's more sweet with a touch of roasted character. The taste is decent as well. It has a bitter black malt flavor along with a nice chocolate malt presence. The smoked character is tame at best. It's most noticeable in the finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a tasty beer, but not much of a smoked ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2010 20:25:33 | More by WesWes

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a dark brown color with red highlights and a white head. The aroma is heavy on the smoke, but I also get some roasted malt. Nice aroma, but not real complex. The flavor is better, with a lot of chocolate, roasted malt and smoke. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice smoked porter.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 06:21:10 | More by Mora2000

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.1/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

On-tap 8/14/10 at Track 84 in Warwick, RI, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep black color, with a large beige head that fades slowly and leaves a very thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains smoky roasted malts, black coffee, chocolate and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of chocolate and a touch of dark fruit. Then there's a harsh bitterness that come in, not from hops but rather from black coffee and smokiness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy. The after-taste is bitter despite having a very thin hops presence.

M: Crisp but not very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is sticky and very dry.

D: Not very tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, decent kick, not the best representation of style, there are definitely better dark & smoky beers out there that I would choose before this one.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2010 13:53:03 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.33/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I think I picked this up in North Carolina, These guys need to impress me, the last few heavy seas have left me wanting...

Pours an effervescent mahogany with 3+ fingers of brown head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Faint chocolate, not much smoke

T: Chocolate, leafy & woody hops, a touch of pine too, then some oaky smokeyness up front. Dark fruit, some oaky smoke notes, baker's chocolate as well once warm, faint booze warmth as well. Finishes dry, sweet, with oaky smoke & bit of pine

MF: Creamy carbonation, medium body, great balance

A fairly subtle smoked beer that grew on me. Not one I would seek out though...

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 04:12:19 | More by russpowell

Gavage

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: pours a dark brown color with a 1/2" head that falls to a thick surface foam. Some spotty lacing develops.

Smell: soft roasted malt, a hint a smoke, and a bit of alcohol is picked up by the nose.

Taste: roasted malt, a bit of dark chocolate, a mild bitterness, and barely a hint of smokiness comes through. Alcohol is slightly warming here.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start, smooth to finish.

Drinkability: this beer was really a decent porter, but forget the fact this is smoked as there is barley a hint of smokiness here. Not what I expected as I wanted some more smokiness.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2010 22:30:41 | More by Gavage

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 7/11/10 notes.

a - Pours a black color with 1 finger of off white head and light carbonation.

s - Smells of smoke, roasted malts, and chocolate.

t - Tastes smokey and of roasted and toasted malts, chocolate, and maybe coffee.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonationi.

d - A decent smoked beer I'm glad I tried. Would try again.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2010 20:47:37 | More by mdfb79

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle purchased somewhere local in MA.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/4" brown head over the almost opaque dark brown brew. Head is down to a thin layer of bubbles pretty quick, with coating slow-falling lace. Aroma is sweet with only a wisp of smoke if that.

Taste begins with sweet darkness, rich through the middle, with a lightly bitter close. Still not sure if I'm getting any smoke. Mouthfeel is smooth, and drinkability is good as well. If it says smoke on the label four times, it had better be evident. As a brew, good, but as a smoked beer, fail.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2010 01:34:48 | More by ppoitras

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On cask at Max's today.

The beer pours the expected blackish brown color with good head retention and decent lacing. The nose is attractive, though I can't say I get a whole lot of smoke. Otherwise, there's some coffee, light tobacco and light chocolate vanilla. On the palate, the beer is considerably more impressive, showing coffee, chocolate milkshake and vanilla. The beer is moderately sweet, but with enough hoppy bitterness to balance that sweetness. Mouthfeel is great, with the beer showing a long, soft, creamy finish. There's a hint of licorise in the finish as well, which enhances the beer's drinkability. Otherwise, drinkability is pretty good, though you can tell the alcohol is up there a bit.

At least on cask, I don't get more then a hint of smoke, but otherwise this is a pretty solid beer. Releasing an imperial porter in the middle of summer seems a bit odd, but otherwise, I thought this latest offering from Clipper City to be very enjoyable.

Serving type: cask

07-05-2010 18:32:12 | More by johnmichaelsen

glid02

Georgia

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Brick Store.

Pours one shade from black with a one-finger tan head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of lightly roasted malts with good amounts of smoked aromas. As it warms hints of dark chocolate waft out as well.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Muted roasted malt flavors are quickly joined by smoked malts to kick things off. Midway through the sip mild amounts of unsweetened chocolate flavors make an appearance, fading out into a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a solid thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass without any problems and could have another.

Overall this was a smooth-drinking smoked porter and another solid beer from the Mutiny Fleet - well worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

07-27-2010 16:20:55 | More by glid02

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Dark chocolate when exiting the bottle shows glistening moments of ruby-plums highlights from the light. The head is a sturdy piece of work, a solid frothy state, khaki in color, that holds rather steady even after 5 minutes. The lacing is thick, clumpy and of average coverage.

S: Burnt chocolate with some burnt wood and lingering light moments of smoke. Later some dark fruit of plums come around with a finish of lightly roasted coffee fine grounds (think coffee in a can).

T: Some acidity on the open with light roasty coffee grounds, bitter chocolate and dried milk powder. Lingering moments of charred wood with some smoky afterthoughts but much lighter then expected or desired. Simple complexity overall, with some dark juicy fruit jumping into the mix along with some bitter bakers chocolate. At room temperature indications of alcohol in the way of cough syrup become evident.

M: The mouthful was meh, medium at best, oily in texture with a slippery smooth appeal on the tongue. Light effervesce with a lack of malt substance and lack of dark roasty appeal limits this to just average regards.

D: Average drinkability, again rather lackluster with no hidden surprises or bells. Mediocrity in excitement and just after a few sips this quickly becomes a boring chore and felt there was little if anything left to explore or appreciate. After finishing my early prejudice was justified. Kinda weak for a big series beer that strives to be middle of the road. A small beer packaged in a big bottle doesn't necessarily make it so.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 01:54:42 | More by beerthulhu

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

'Smoke on the Water' is written by Deep Purple, and the beer by Heavy Seas Brewing is more like 'deep brown', if not black. The streaks of colour along its top and bottom edges give away that it's not entirely opaque and spoil the perception of this as one of those big, intimidating beers. It also doesn't help that the lacing it leaves is 'pretty'.

The smoke is definitely in there, but it plays nice with the other (even more prominent) note of bittersweet chocolate. What can be accomplished when the two work together - wow, this smells exquisite! And the whole bouquet is complimented by a rather genteel, very coffee-ish roast that is weaved in with swirling (and later more so with warming).

Full disclosure: I didn't expect the beer to have anywhere near this much flavour, so you'll excuse me if I get a little excited in listing everything I'm tasting. It's like a quality cappuccino, sweetened with cane sugar and real vanilla, with dark chocolate shavings on top and, almost as an afterthought, a slightly bacon-y smoke to boot. Molto bene!

I noticed a faint something in the aroma that I couldn't tell was either fruity or spicy. Now, in the mouthfeel, I note it again and I'm ready to accuse the 8% alcohol as the culprit. The taste of bruised dark fruit and the brief, zinging sensation of alcohol are each too delicate and short-lived so as to even be considered moderate, but they can be sensed.

The base porter actually resembles a foreign/export stout: it has a cane sugar-like sweetness and, on some sips, seems to have a distant lactose kind of twang about it. The brewer went light on the heavier malts and extracted all the delicious barley juice he could from a less meaty grist. A definite raw earthiness is gained from ample bittering hops.

Smoke on the Water is a great offering for anyone wanting to have a taste of smoked beer without traveling too far down that rabbit hole. I hesitate to consider it a 'training wheel' smoke beer, however, because the smoke is far from it's main or most marked feature, it's simply one of many (and probably the least appreciable at that). Still, this recipe has really brought out the best in both smoked-things and porters. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 23:54:13 | More by biegaman

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.68/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Rich aroma is smoky with strong tones of sweet chocolate, molasses and quality coffee and hints of licorice and caramel. It pours a warm deep brown with a fairly thick fine-bubbled tan head. Delightful, smoky flavor has tones of caramel, chocolate, toffee and molasses with a bit of coffee. Texture is silky smooth and on the thick side, and leaves a nice tingle.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 02:39:27 | More by Cyberkedi

jrallen34

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber poured into my Darkness glass...Light black with some decent tan head, ok retention, better lacing...Weird aroma that is super sweet on the front with a small smokey finish. Very sweet chocolate syrup with vanilla, just not the right combination...Boring and off taste as well, sweet chocolate syrup with a hint of ashy smoke.

This is just off the mark in every way, don't bother.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 02:24:33 | More by jrallen34

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber of the 2010 vintage pours a near black color with some ruby highlights. Fluffy tan head displays average retention and lacing.

Nose is interesting, lighter on the smoke than I would like though. Rummy dark fruit mixed with some sweet chocolate. Low roast and a fair amount of bready yeast.

Low on smoke again in the flavor department, unfortunately. However, the beer overall is actually pretty tasty. Bready, fruit-laden yeastiness with malts that are soft and chocolaty. ABV is well hidden and has a soft, lightly creamy mouthfeel - carbed just about right. Kiss of smoke and light vanilla as it warms and has just the right amount of sweetness. I like it, would bump up some more though if it were more smoky.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 19:59:13 | More by twiggamortis420

FosterJM

California

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

1718th Review on BA
Bottle to Woodshop Snifter
22oz

Shared at Brians Bday

App- Like a bit of oil in the glass with some chocolate syrup as well. A medium dense brown/black inky color. A little bit of lighter edges and then produced no head on it. A few bubbles around the edges.

Smell- When this first poured out, I got a bit of the smoked malts, a little dryness and some chocoalte. It was a bit better than most smoked beers but still what I was thinking. A bit whispy and clean.

Taste- I actually enjoyed this beer quite a bit. It was a nice porter to start, deep chocolate and roasted malts and then balanced out by a smoother smoke flavor and not overbearing. Smooth and creamy as well, with a bit of creamy lushness.

Mouth- A solid medium body with a bit of that residual porter thinness to it. A medium carbonation. A small amount of smoke remains on the finish.

Drink- I liked it. Def. above average but just need a bit more complexity to me.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 20:17:04 | More by FosterJM

smakawhat

Maryland

3.15/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Poured on tap at Alewife in Baltimore into a mug.

A simple dark black/brown body in appearance poured and presented with perhaps a one finger head that is a light cocoa brown in color.

Nose is just a mild smoke, some small roast, but a big strange sweet smell of grape juice. What the heck is this? This is real odd.

Unfortunatly that grape smell was no lie. The palate is just filled and rolling with Welch's style sweet grape juice all over. I can litteraly taste barely anything else on this at all. Texture and feel is perfectly fine and decent, surprisingly not syrupy with all the sweetness present.

Overall this is far too sweet, far too strange tasting (sweet grape juice and smoke just don't mix), and not what I look for in this style at all. It's drinkable but also kind of gross, I won't be having this again.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2011 14:32:44 | More by smakawhat

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours dark brown/black with an inch tan head. Head retention is good, lacing is decent. Aroma is roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate, molasses, caramel, and smoke. The taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like roasted malt, chocolate, smoke, and some coffee and burnt/charred malt. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit creamy and has moderate carbonation. Drinkability is good, it's smooth and goes down easy. I think it's a good porter, but not quite smoky enough for me. For being a smoked porter, I think it should have more smoke aroma and flavor in the brew. I've had both Weyerbacher Fifteen and Nils Oscar Rökporter recently, and I think those are both much smokier than this brew. With that being said, I still think this is a pretty decent beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2010 23:16:35 | More by bluejacket74

blackie

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a: snifter pour, medium mocha-colored head steadily becomes a thin layer and ring on the surface, the beer is deep, opaque brown in color

s: pulling some decent aromas from this one but it's all pretty mild, smoke only slightly perceptible, dark roasted malt approaching char but not quite, bitter chocolate, licorice, a touch of root beer, light toffee backing but far from sweet, benign, earthy hops

m: carbonation light-medium, smooth for the most part, with a light-medium body

t: seriously weak smoke character, essentially hidden beneath the roasted barley flavors - I love smoked beers and picked this one up for that reason, so it's a bit of a disappointment, underlying toffee, a curious creamy milkiness, dark chocolate, some licorice in the finish with a mild bitterness, a decent porter

d: agreed that this is an okay porter that should certainly not be categorized here as a smoked beer, this is a mild-average porter that doesn't belie its abv in terms of booze presence, but unfortunately it doesn't carry the flavor expected of a high abv bier either

bomber from OUaV South, Richmond, VA

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2010 02:35:28 | More by blackie

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured pretty much to the rim with very little room for a small layer of coca foam.

S - Roasted malts with a hint of dark chocolates and mild coffee.

T - Wow I really expected something heavier for 8 percent! No real smoke on the palate just roasted coffee and bittersweet chocolates. Not bad but not really a "smoke" beer

M - Medium bodied and kind of watery but it was good.

D - I may have to get the bomber or at least try it again during the Library's happy hour. A truly good porter to have for 3 dollars a pint!

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2010 04:02:03 | More by DrDemento456

lordofthewiens

Maine

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A bomber in a pint glass.
Black in color with a medium-sized tan head.
Chocolate, roasted malt aroma. I thought it smelled like a wood fire.
Sweet chocolate taste, very sweet. Smoke late and lingering.
Rich mouthfeel. Maybe a little on the too sweet side.
Enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2010 01:05:33 | More by lordofthewiens