Harpoon Munich Dark

Brewed by Harpoon Brewery
Style: Dunkel
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Pours a deep brown, almost black. NIce head. Aroma for some reason smelled like fish. Full body, malty, nice hoppiness at the end. In the end, nothing really special.

Back in my early beer drinking days, I used to drink quite a bit of Beck’s Dark. That was in Alabama in the early 90’s, and I had little choice back then. I haven’t looked back on Dunkels since moving on to bigger and better beers, but when Green’s started selling singles, I figured I’d just pick up this one for $0.99. There was no way I was ever going to get around to buying a six pack of this, so this was the best way I guess.

The beer poured out clear, deep brown with ruby red highlights, and possessed a two finger thick head made of rough foam. The smell was mild and a little toasty. The taste was a lot less sweet than I recall Beck’s Dark ever being. The roasty, charred malt character was apparent in a dry, chocolaty, and astringent flavor. The body was light and creamy but the aftertaste was a little harsh. Very little hops present as well. Not a bad beer, but I am glad I have moved on.

Great hoppy aroma but a bit disappointing. A little watery with a bland flavor. The finish though brings the hops back. This grew on me as I drank it. I love the finish.

Thin, bitter, flat...not sure why this is rated as highly as it is. This was a bottle received via my BOM Club. Wish they would have chosen another to send. Mahogany body and decent 1/2 inch tan head...appearance is this beer’s strongest attribute. Once the liquid hits the lips, it’s all down hill. You would somewhat expect roasted sweetness but the "moderate hop finish" described is overbearing. Lacks balance...

12oz from a beer club. Not a bad variation on the style, I think. Very nutty malt aroma with a bright body. Sweet and balanced malts, well integrated, and a tasty hop tang in the back. Pretty good stuff.

Bottle. Surprisingly good. Pours with a dark color and small head. Nice malty aromas. Flavors are very balanced with malts and noticeable hop components. Nice solid body, not too thin and very smooth.

Bottle. Pours a deep reddish-brown with a large and quickly-dissipating tan head. Aroma is caramel and roasted malt. Taste is slight caramel up front, with roasted malt and barely-there hops. Slightly watery on the end, but the flavor is solid enough to make this a solid beer.

Dark mahogany color; big head that dissipates quickly. Slight caramel aroma. Light mouthfeel, light sugars, some caramel, a hint of chocolate malt at the end. It was passable but not something I would run out to get.