Heavy Seas Beer brewer Clipper City files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Maryland
Clipper City Brewing Company, L.P., the Halethorpe, Maryland, company behind Heavy Seas Beer near Baltimore, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy under subchapter V on 8 November, listing US$1m to US$10m in both assets and liabilities, What Now reported from court records.
The voluntary petition, case 26-22440 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, describes the brewery as a small business debtor that has chosen subchapter V, a faster form of Chapter 11. It lists between one and 49 creditors, according to What Now. Founder Hugh Sisson signed it as president of Sisson Management, Inc., the general partner, and the biggest stake on the list, about 24.2%, belongs to the Sisson Revocable Trust. Paul Sweeney of YVS Law represents the company.
The largest unsecured claims stem from trade debts, a building security deposit and business credit cards, among other things, according to What Now's summary of the filing. Ball Corporation, MaltEurop, WestRock and Eco Global Logistics are among the creditors named. No amounts per creditor have been reported.
Chapter 11 lets a company keep trading while it reorganises its debts under court supervision. In subchapter V a trustee is appointed to oversee the process and only the company can put forward a repayment plan, according to the federal courts. The Heavy Seas website carries no statement on the filing and still lists taproom events, including a seasonal beer release on 11 November. How many people the brewery employs has not been reported.
Sisson started the brewery in 1995, and its beers include Loose Cannon IPA. In March 2026 it became part of B3 Beverage, a group of East Coast brewers that includes Two Roads, Yards and Bald Birds, to share purchasing and logistics, What Now reported, citing Brewer Magazine. Caroline Sisson, who runs marketing, tied that move to rising prices for packaging, ingredients, shipping and energy.
Why it matters: Suppliers owed money and distributors now deal with a court-supervised reorganisation in which only the brewery can propose how debts are repaid. Nothing has been said yet about jobs or the taproom's future.
If this affects you
- In a subchapter V case a trustee is appointed to oversee the debtor's reorganisation, and only the debtor may file a plan, according to the US Courts. uscourts.gov
- Under Chapter 11, a creditor whose claim is not listed in the debtor's schedules, or is listed as disputed, generally must file a proof of claim to vote on the plan and share in payments. uscourts.gov
- The US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland accepts proofs of claim in all cases through its website, without a login. mdb.uscourts.gov