Clipper City Brewing Company - Peg Leg Imperial Stout

After a few years of brewing, Clipper City recognized the potential of big beers in an increasingly savvy beer marketplace. Thus was born their Heavy Seas line, big beers that push the envelope by catering to the beer cognoscenti—like yourself! Pouring very dark brown with a deep tan head, this beer greets the nose with rich, roasted caramel notes, molasses and espresso tones. Aromatic hops also cut through the thick maltiness. The flavor profile is as rich and sweet as the nose, with a distinct mocha-character and a touch of citrusy hops. Finishes nutty, with coffee notes, and is mildly bitter for the style. Try it with chocolate cake.

The history of the largest craft brewery in the Baltimore area goes back to the mid-1980s when Hugh Sisson, owner and founder of Sisson's, a local restaurant and bar, first recognized the potential for a small brewery in Baltimore. He began his quest to get a brewery started by attempting to procure a license to brew beer at his restaurant, but quickly hit a wall due to prohibitive legislation preventing brewpubs in Maryland. So he began working with Senator George Della, Jr. to successfully lobby the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation permitting brewpubs in MD. In 1989, the beer Gods smiled upon them, and 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. Not only an anti-beer legislation warrior, he is also a member of the Master Brewers Association of America, the Institute for Fermentation and Brewing Studies and sits on the Executive Committee for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Craft Brewers. After five years of brewing at Sisson's, Hugh decided to take his craft brewing to a larger platform by starting a full-scale microbrewery. Three guesses as to who stepped in to say he couldn't do it… that's right, the state. It seems that "they" (a.k.a. "the man") took issue with him owning both a brewpub and brewery. The logic behind this legal blockade? Your guess is as good as ours—this is the business model used throughout Europe for hundreds of years. Fortunately, Hugh was undaunted by the legal challenge, and did battle with the powers that be yet again, pulling out the win less than two years later. In early 1996, Clipper City Brewing, borrowing a Baltimore sobriquet as its name, officially began brewing on the scale Hugh had envisioned. For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (410) 247-7822 or check out their web site at www.clippercitybeer.com.