Harpoon Ale

Brewed by Harpoon Brewery
Style: Amber Ale
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Spending time in Boston for many years, I fell in love with this perfectly balanced beer. One of the best of the bunch!

Pours with a lightly hazy, orangish red, yet full copper color. It is topped by a frothy, initially two-finger thick, pale tan colored head that falls back to a thin layer pretty quickly, but leaves some lacing on the side of the glass. The aroma has a lightly herbal almost spicy hop note to it. There is also a bit of sweet maltiness to the aroma that evokes a certain fruitiness to it; I get a mix of light caramel, some notes of raisin, and something that seems to remind me of a mix of cherry and strawberry.

The taste is lightly sweet up front with a soft, berry like fruitiness and a finish that is lightly bitter and herbal at the same time. There is a nice hopping to this beer, it is herbal, a bit spicy (perhaps even a hint of cinnamon) and overall this beer is slanted towards the hop side of things. This is certainly a nice refreshing beer, easily quaffable with enough hop character to keep things interesting. The balance of this beer is perhaps the best thing about this beer, and evident malt character balances & even up plays the slightly more dominant hop character.

bottle from 4-variety pack. A decent amber ale. A basic "session" beer - much more flavorful than mass market beers, but not as flavorful as the stronger micros.

off copper amber pour with a tingly bubbling white head. nose of peaches and toffee. same flavors come through with a effervecense on the palate. british breakfast flavors with a nice fruit character of the hops is evident. not bad.

on tap-pours an offwhite head with gold color. Aroma is spice, hops, clove? Taste follows, dry, good effervescence.

Bottle, 12 onces; eye: golden orange, white head that disappears quickly, a little bit of effervescence, clear; nose: malt, bread (yeast); taste: malt followed by nothingness and finally the bitterness appears, lightly sweet, medium body, oily texture FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 12 onces; oeil : orange doré, mousse blanche qui disparaît, un peu d’effervescence, clair; nez : malt, levure; bouche : malt puis le néant et finalement l’amertume moyennequi revient en bouche, légèrement sucré, corps moyen, texture huileuse

This ale pours a light yellow color with a fizzy head. Light carbonation in a clear body. Beautiful aroma of hops, with grapefruit and flowers, and a hint of citrus. Also a note wheat malt. Initial taste is lightly sweet, with a moderate bitter finish. The more you swirl the beer, the more the bitter intensifies. Mouthfeel is oily with a light to medium body. MB says "It’s yummerific!".

Pours a hazy gold body with small white head.. Aroma is mildy fruity. Malty. Well-carbonated. Very average brew.