Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #09 - Maibock

Formerly brewed at Harpoon Brewery
Style: Heller Bock
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Faisant partie de la serie 100 barrels. Couleur cuivrée frôlant à la fois le brun et le rouge. Apparence semblant pleinement filtrée. Mousse blanche concassée et pleinement diminuante. Agréable caramel accompagnée d’une touche de houblon Anglais réminiscente de la feuille laurier. Corps d’épaisseur semi mince, faible carbonatation, texture rappelant la douceur de la guimauve pour au palais, finale de houblons floraux et de malt grillé. Pas exceptionnelle mais assez près du but pour suggérer son pays et son style d’origine. Dégustation à l’aveuglette avec Nic et Joce.

(22 oz bottle - 100 barrel series, session 9) Deep reddish amber. Foamy white head but no lacing. Smooth mouthfeel. Hops are predominant in aroma and in first few tastes like an IPA, then sweet maltiness and more bitter aftertaste. Kind of ale-like, in particular a strong ale. I’m a Harpoon fan but I’m not sure they make true lagers, so this may be another "crossover." Well done but not a personal favorite.

I like the deep red color of this. Not a lot going on here in the way of aroma. Mild fizzyness at first that succumbs to a hoppy finish.

100 Barrel Series #09 I ususally don’t go out of my way for a bock, but enjoyed this one. Probably because it’s not a Maibock but more an amber ale. Poured a very clear copper color with a rich thick offwhite head. The lacing was thin but stayed with the beer right to the end. Very pleasant malt and sweet floral notes. The taste is well balanced malt, sweet flruit and a mild hoppy finish. It is medium in character with a good mouthfeel although somewhat watery. In my opinion this is not a Maibock, but it is a nice refreshing beer that I could easily have a few more of.

From a 750 ml bottle. Sweet and sour aroma. Beautiful deep ruby-amber color. A little more bitter than some other bocks, but still characteristically soury-malty. Aftertaste is primarily hoppy. Decent.

This was a bottle brought to a party by a friend’s friend - thanks Dan! Sampled from a 750 ml bottle this beer poured a dark chestnut color with a medium sized tan head. The aroma is sour malt and a bit of nut. The flavor is what one expects from a maibock - sour malt and nut. This beer is hoppier than I usually find from this style which was a welcome change. The finish is sour malts. A nice change of pace.

A bottle from the special series they put out in the bigger bottles. Beautiful red color with a minor hint of lacing on top. The flavor was rather bitter, but before the bitterness comes a pleasant and small burst of a creamy maltiness. Good, but the long-lingering bitterness is detracting from the whole experience.

Bottle, from Julio’s. 100 Barrel series. Ok nose, malty. Nutty, cardboard, egg, caramel, apple, cherry. Nice clean brownish orange color, Decent size beige white head that faded quickly. Bitter sweet flavors, same as aroma, with lite cocoa, tobacco and soapy. Thicker body, lite creamy mouthfeel, lite bitter dry finish, tasty enough, though has an off taste that I’m not crazy about. Seems it would be an easy out if it is the Maibock from before.