Heavy Seas Beer
 | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Hugh Sisson |
| Headquarters | Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Products | Beer |
| Production output | 15,000 barrels/year |
| Owner(s) | Hugh Sisson |
| Website | www.hsbeer.com |
Heavy Seas Beer is brewed by Clipper City Brewing Company, in Baltimore, Maryland. The brewery was established by in 1995. Previously, Sisson operated Maryland's first brewpub, Sisson's. In 2010, the brewery rebranded. While the name of the brewery remains Clipper City, all of its beer falls under the Heavy Seas brand. Heavy Seas hosts free tours every Saturday at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. It is located at 4615 Hollins Ferry Road, Suite B, in the Halethorpe section of Baltimore. Heavy Seas currently offers 24 beers under 3 different fleets (Clipper, Pyrate, and Mutiny Fleet). Its awards include: Heavy Seas Märzen, a repeat winner at the Great American Beer Festival (medals from 2006-2010), Classic Lager, a bronze medal winner at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival, Small Craft Warning Uber Pils, a bronze medal winner at the 2004 Great American Beer Festival, and Heavy SeasGold Ale, a gold award winner at the 2010 World Beer Cup.
History
In 1994, Hugh Sisson left his family-owned and -operated brewpub, Sisson's, to focus on brewing beer at a larger scale. Sisson, who is responsible for the legalization of brewpubs in the state of Maryland, originally targeted Baltimoreans as his main consumer base; he intended to fill the niche left open by the relocation of the National Bohemian brand. Clipper City was named after the clipper ship, which was first constructed in Baltimore.
When the craft brewing industry experienced a contraction in the late '90s, Clipper City resorted to contract brewing to stay afloat financially. In 2003, Clipper City started its Heavy Seas brand--intended for higher gravity beers. The new brand took off; the beers under the Heavy Seas line could sell in more states than could Clipper City beers, limited as they were by insular branding. Due to the steady success of the brand, Sisson and his crew decided to rebrand Clipper City beers in 2010; the beers under the Clipper City brand now sell as Heavy Seas Clipper Fleet (Classic Lager, Märzen, Gold Ale, and Pale Ale).
In 2011, the brewery tacked on 10,000 square foot addition to its 15,000 sq. ft. brewery. Heavy Seas beers sell in 18 states, from Florida to Maine and as far west as Michigan.
Beers
Clipper Fleet
Pyrate Fleet
Mutiny Fleet
References
External links
- Heavy Seas website
- History of Sisson's and Oxford Brewing Company
- Profile of Hugh Sisson
- Heavy Seas Page on BeerAdvocate.com
Coordinates: 39°13′50″N 76°40′31″W / 39.23056°N 76.67528°W
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