Harpoon Glacier Harvest Wet Hop Beer

14-Jul-08 (22-oz bottle: Obtained 11-Jan-08 in trade with jjpm74, thanks John!) The fresh hop aspect of this beer probably faded some time ago, so the subdued hop flavor and mild bitterness are expected, and given my preference for aged beers, this isn’t a bad thing. The moderately sweet malt base is somewhat caramely, balancing the hoppiness nicely. The problem here is overriding metallic and apple-skin flavors that emerge in the evolution, leaving an awful aftertaste and chalky astringency in the mouth. The medium-full body and creamy mouthfeel are nice at the beginning of each sip, but do little to deflect attention away from the astringency toward the finish. The nose is pleasant, offering sweet, caramely malts and very light hop aroma. The beer is hazy amber in color with an off-white head that only pours to half an inch in height, but the retention is most impressive, holding a quarter-inch layer for the duration of the session. Faded hops are perfectly fine, but off-flavors are not. Bright, fresh, zingy hops would have masked the flaws to some extent, but these have probably been exposed now that the hops have faded.

(n) An odd one from harpoon. Interesting hop choice for a wet-hop brew. Appearance is pretty ordinary, if not sup-par. Dark ruby color, not much head, pretty flat looking. Smells wierd- dank, sweet, piney resin with middling hints of bitterness. Flavor follows- on the odd side. Sharp crisp pine trees and a minty earthy sweetness. Crisp bitterness on par with an ESB. Sweet and smooth pale malt flavor. interesting, no doubt, but not sure I’d buy it again.

Tasted at the February Northern California Beer Tasting. This American Pale Ale pours a medium amber color from a 22oz bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is caramel and malt, earthy hops and some bubble gum. A medium bodied American Pale Ale. The malts are caramel and sweet. The hops are earthy and a touch piney. Nice balance. Decent carbonation. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

First the pour. This one has a great head to it. The color is cloudy amber. The aroma is a slight hoppy smell to it. Almost a piney smell to it. As I took my first taste I first noticed that the smell carried over really well to the taste. As the name denotes there is a very strong hop presence in here. The taste really masks the abv making this a very easy drink. It does leave a bitter after taste. I can easily sit and have a few of these.

Fizzy copper beer with a foamy, lasting head - aroma of spicy, grassy hops, citrus, yeast, and biscuit/cracker - fairly creamy mouthfeel, but thin-bodied - the hops ride an undercurrent of bready, british maltiness that is surprisingly sweet, but it works well with the fruity and floral characteristics that the hops generate - the hops aren’t that present at first, but they swell up in the mouth, and are especially potent in the finish, where they combine with some cherry/berry flavors that are unexpected, but welcome - a little bit of metallic character lessens the enjoyment somewhat, but this is still a decent ale - it’s going well with my pizza right now.