Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #05 - Alt Ale

Formerly brewed at Harpoon Brewery
Style: Altbier
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Pours an amber color with a small ivory head. Very fruity aroma with a faint hop backing. Taste is very fruity, slightly tart, woody and malty, with a bitter end.

Deep ruby orange color, with a large tan head that quickly dies down. Deep malty aroma with a nice amount of sweetness. Full bodied and ends lightly sweet with a long aftertaste.

A classy looking brew with a dynamite nose-- luscious maple syrup. But it’s not sweet. Actually a little less malty than most alts I’ve tried. A spritzy mouthfeel and slightly bitter middle keep things interesting. An unexpectedly smooth finish. Perhaps can be a bit more bodied, but this beer is nonetheless quite good. I’ll have this one again.

Art of Beer Festival 2004: Has a nice amber color with some off-white lacing. Smell is of sweet malts. Taste is also of sweet malts/syrup and finishes very smooth/little alcohol. Overall a pretty good altbier, but I would like to try this again since it was getting a little late into the ’fest...

2004 bottle. Pours a dark brownish copper, with some lighter magenta and rusty orange colors. Big light beige colored head. Aroma of light nutty grains, hints of dry toffee, a touch of black licorice perhaps and some earthy hops. Flavor is bigger than I expected from the aroma; sweet and malty, but has a deep earthy roast quality that is very subtle but pleasing. Soft hints of light red fruits mingle with caramel and a touch of yeast. Finish remains full flavored. Palate is medium to medium full bodied and lightly spritzy. Very drinkable and very good, though perhaps a bit more sweetness and fruitiness than I would like from this style. Give me a little bit more yeast and earthiness. Still, this is one of the better alts I’ve had (not that I’ve had many).

Crystal clear deep copper body and an uneven sudsy off-white head that hastily faded away. Big grapey nose plus dark bread crusts. Screams Munich malts. Aroma also has a leathery quality plus hints of clove spice, nuts, chocolate and Noble hops. Malty flavor has an odd phenolic-metallic property that leads into a bitter finish. As that sensation subsides, the appeal of this beer grows. Medium body with a fairly clean finish. Overall, this is a nice rendition of an altbier.

08.10.04 bomber. Pours a rather dark mahoganey color with a medium white head and silly lacing. Aromas have the wonderful alt salted pretzel smell. The flavor follows suit and the body is coating with a salty, coating feel. My only complaint with this beer is it’s lack of spice, that tongue raking bite that so often lingers with an alt. Not surprising, really, to think that Harpoon worked hard to rid this brew of that bite that might be thought of as an off flavor by the average consumer. So many of Harpoon’s brews fall into the category with Dewars scotch and Kendall Jackson wines...they’re all good, well made, and consistent, but none of them is willing to take the chance and push the envelope. Whatever, this beer works - but for five bucks?!?!

A nice crystal clear reddish brown hue with long legs. Richy malty aroma with a slighty citrusy scent. Light tan head that dissippates quite quickly. Taste is quite malty, with a very full mouthfeel (almost chewy), but very well balanced by a touch of slight spice. Mild aftertaste is sweet. Overall, a fine example of the style.