Harpoon Leviathan Big Bohemian Pilsner

Brewed by Harpoon Brewery
Style: European Strong Lager
Boston, Massachusetts USA

(12oz bottle) Small white head atop crystal clear straw body. Aroma is medium sweet, straw/grass, orange/floral, some peach, dough, lemon. Taste is moderately sweet, floral/orange, spicy/straw, some peach, lemon, dough/bread, some alcohol. Some medium body, light alcohol acidity but otherwise fairly smooth.

On tap at Capones. Poured a medium and clear yellow/goden color wtih a smaller sized white head. Aromas of floral hops, pine, grains, and bready. Tastes of grains, floral hops, grassy, and had a honey sweetness to it too. Light alcohol in the finish (but not 9%). Some lacing left on the glass.

My Bottom Line:
Honeyed malts and spicy hops benefit from a slight alcohol nudge to take this brew to more potent yet still diplomatic realms. I have to admit it’s nice to see a Svetle Specialni being tried out in North America.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A large head of foam remains atop the transparent pale golden.
-The mouthfeel is super clean and the flavor profile is well balanced.
-Minerals appear in the middle. Or is it oxidation already setting in?
-The cereals also develop hay.
-The nose is a little too subdued for my tastes in the style.
-The spicy hop bitterness is levelled with the rest of the flavor profile.

Bottle.

Pours copper with a white head. Smells of sage, dry malt, floral. Tastes peppery and crisp with some earthy elements and a spicy bite on the finish.

Bottle at PilsnerPeter’s Spring Gathering. Pale golden beer. Aroma is lightly zesty with a distinct prickly alcoholic back note. Light crackery malts, but there is a touch of stickier pale malt as well. Soft bitterness with a lingering cotton candy sweetness. Pretty nice.

Clear straw color with a tallish popcorn colored head. Decent lace. Appearance = 3+. Pale malt, dough and floral to grassy hops aromas. As it sets for a minute, I have a real pils aroma, malt and hops mix with just a hint of herbal and nobel hops. I am not catching the alcohol and grain I find in many of ESLs. Soft malt and caramel flavors. Floral hops with light orange blossom honey join in the middle. Quite crisp in feel for the heft. Finish is also quite crisp. I catch a bit of apple peel in the linger along with some salty popcorn. An outstanding malt liquor. A very good strong lager with pils tendencies. The finish starts to wear on the palate as it warms. About 10 ounces would have been perfect.

Bottle shared by metmayhem. Poured clear pale color with a large frothy white head that was lasting and produced good lacing. Good moderate grass hop and sweet malt aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Moderate sweet flavor with with a moderate sweet finish of moderate duration. Nice drinkable beer.

Pours deep gold with 3-finger white head. Nose is pale malt, hops, sour fruit. Tastes rich, a bit cloying at first, very malty, with peach, apricot, and hops. Tannic, not tart enough for this style, and a bit too cloying for me. Also gets very hot and astringent late.