Heavy Seas Beer - AmeriCannon

This relatively new addition to the Heavy Seas line-up presents a pretty, bright, golden hue with an ample cap of pale foam that drops to a lasting collar and laces our glasses nicely. We found it quite fruity and inviting in the aroma, with lots of citrus and tropical fruits, touches of melon and stone fruits, and hints of pine. An array of five different hop varieties are used here, including dry hop doses of Centennial as well as lupulin powder from Simcoe. Not surprisingly, this is super hop-forward on the palate, with lots of citrus zest, pine, and herbaceous notes and a firm level of hop bitterness to keep this pale ale dry from the start to the lingering finish. For pairing options, we're inclined toward boldly flavored dishes including Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese, or some simple skewers of citrus and chile marinated shrimp. Cheers!

The history of Heavy Seas goes back to the mid-1980s when Hugh Sisson, proprietor of Sisson's, a local restaurant and bar, first recognized the potential for a small brewery in Baltimore. Upon attempting to get a license to brew beer at his restaurant, he quickly discovered that legislation prevented brewpubs in Maryland. So, he began working with Senator George Della, Jr. to lobby the Maryland General Assembly to pass new legislation, which it did on the first attempt. In August 1989, Hugh began brewing at Sisson's, Maryland's first brewpub.

The move helped usher in the wave of craft brewing in Baltimore, and Hugh engrossed himself in the development and market recognition of both Sisson's brewpub and its beers, while simultaneously serving as this pioneering facility's first brewmaster. After five years of brewpub brewing, Hugh went through another round of legal wrangling in order to expand into a full-scale microbrewery. In early 1996, Clipper City Brewing, borrowing a Baltimore sobriquet as its name, officially began brewing on the scale Hugh was going for. In 2010 the brewery placed all of its beers under the Heavy Seas name, a brand they began in 2003. In addition to their bottled beers, Heavy Seas is also one of the largest, if not the largest, producer of British-style cask-conditioned beer in the U.S., and they've been recognized for their contribution to the craft beer scene with awards including Beer Connoisseur magazine's 2017 Brewery of the Year. For more information about the brewery, Taproom, scheduled tours, or their Heavy Seas Alehouse gastropub in Arlington, call 410-247-7822 or check out their web site at www.hsbeer.com.