Harpoon Dark - Harpoon Brewery

rangerred

Tennessee

4.2/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler pour into a pint glass.

Pours a clear medium brown with a half finger white head. Ok head retention and lacing for being out of a growler.

Aroma of roasted malt and toast. Some caramel is evident along with grassy hops and dark fruit.

The flavor is much like the aroma although has much more depth. Toast and roasted malt is very prominent up front but there is a nice grassy hop backbone. Biscuit and vanilla are underneath along with some dark fruit and a little bit of wood. Mouthfeel is crisp and somewhat drying without the least hint of cloying sweetness.

Overall, I really like this beer. A great thirst quencher with plenty of flavor. This is nicely done by Harpoon and is probably my favorite beer from them that I have tried so far.

Serving type: growler

11-02-2012 00:58:20 | More by rangerred

BostonBrewins

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark, tawny brown. Some decent head retention and lacing. A nice looking beer indeed.

S - Fairly weak on the nose, some faints notes of sweet malted barley and nuts.

T - Very balanced flavor. Slightly sweet, toasty, and nutty notes are balanced out by moderate astringent bitterness. Finishes dry.

M - Light to medium bodied, with a moderate carbonation level. Light and smooth.

D - Rich and flavorful yet goes down very easy. I could drink mug after mug of this. In fact, I think I will....

Serving type: growler

07-31-2010 22:49:32 | More by BostonBrewins

Walken

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Harpoon: Munich Dark Type, Brown Ale (Tasted 12/02/08)
64 oz. growler (Windsor Brewery): poured into an imperial pint.

Appearance: Dark brown, a few shades shy of black with ruby highlights. Off white head is about one millimeter high and fades quickly into a ring & crown. Lacing is alright, but no show-stopper.
Odor: Clean dark munich malt aromas, toasted pumpernickel and chocolate, slightly alcoholic.
Consistency: Medium, bordering on full bodied. Feel is smooth and slightly creamy. Carbonation is surprisingly lively for a growler filled off a tap.
Flavor: "It tastes the way it smells...delicious." Echos the aroma almost entirely, dry bready pumpernickel hits first, hop flavor and bitterness are an afterthough. A little bit of earthy/grassy flavor and bitterness slide in, then chocolate flavors ramp up into a clean, slighly fruity, malt driven finish, lingering for a while.

Once upon a time, this was one of my favorite beers and it still holds a place in my heart. For a simple, drinkable mock lager, it's got everything you're looking for and nothing you aren't. It's a shame that it's not in 6 packs anymore.

Serving type: growler

12-02-2008 18:05:51 | More by Walken

soccerman7

Vermont

4.35/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - deep mahogany with a finger of head and great lacing.

Smell - Very similar to a scotch. Toast, smoke, malt. very nice aroma.

Taste - Fantastic! very nice malt and faint smoke. balanced and full.
very complex.

Mouth - very smooth and lingers on the palate for a bit

Drinkability. An excellent beer that is increasingly harder to find. Its worth searching out and a great example of the style. a favorite.

growler from windsor.

Serving type: growler

09-16-2008 00:56:27 | More by soccerman7

apresskibrewer

California

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler filled on June 15th, 2008 at Windsor, VT brewery. Poured into an imperial nonic 20oz.

appearance - Low delicate white head on a dark mahogany crystal clean beer, with amber hued highlights. Minimal lacing.

Aroma - A touch of alcohol with strong biscuit and roasted malt.

Taste - Dark chocolate and a bit dry through the palate. Once warmed some subtle coffee and caramel comes through with the strong maltiness.

Mouthfeel/drinkability - nice carbonation level, even coming out of the growler. dry when colder, but smooths out as the beer warms. at the appropriate temp, very drinkable.

I really like to see beers like this coming out of breweries like harpoon. makes me smile.

Serving type: growler

06-15-2008 20:25:48 | More by apresskibrewer

Sycodrummer

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

An aggressive pour from a half-gallon growler into a nonic yielded about one finger of white head that was quick to fade but left plenty of lacing. The beer was a dark ruby brown color with hues of darker brown throughout.

The smell was heavy on malt and caramel. Some nut and bread dough as well. Slight hint of sweetness in the nose too.

The body is sturdy with a dominating malt profile with caramel candy sweetness to start. Hints of toffee, fresh bread, and a slight nutty/flowery taste as well. Some hop presence detected, but mild at best. Slightly chewy, but a nice consistancy to the finish.

Medium firm body with a creamy finish.

Enjoyable and sessionable. A solid beer all around and great fresh from the brewery (as this was). One of my favorites from Harpoon's regular offerings.

Serving type: growler

04-12-2006 22:37:43 | More by Sycodrummer

barczar

Kentucky

3.84/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

It's nearing a year old, so...

Pours a clear deep brown with dark caramel highlights and a fleeting dark cream head that dissipates into nothing.

Deeply caramelized malt, chocolate, nutty notes, and light roast form the aroma.

Flavor is toastier initially, with roast malt, caramel, and slightly burnt toast weighing in later. Chocolate pervades throughout, though not sweet. Somewhat mocha. There's a slight coffee finish.

Body is moderate, with low carbonation and light astringency.

Roasty, toasty, caramelly, slightly sweet, and slightly bitter. Earthy hops underlie the flavor, but cave to the malt.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 01:04:34 | More by barczar

brentk56

North Carolina

4.04/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance: Arrives at the bar with the translucent dark brown liquid capped by an inch of foam; some strands of lacing squiggle down the pint glass

Smell: Toasted brown bread and caramel

Taste: Toasted brown bread and caramel, up front, with chocolate tones developing in the middle; chocolate builds, after the swallow, though the finish has the grainy character I often taste in lagers

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with crisp carbonation

Overall: A really fine example of the style - one that is rarely brewed by domestic breweries

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2013 02:52:01 | More by brentk56

gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.09/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Purchased in a mix pack in Wakefield, RI

A- Pours a beautifully clear, dark russet colored body with a 2" white head that reduces fairly quickly and leaves little lacing.

S- Big toffee and caramel aromas. Roasted malt and bread.

T- Follows the nose big time with toffee, vanilla, caramel and a slightly smokey aftertaste.

M- Medium to medium-light body, medium low carbonation. Super quenching and drinkable.

Overall a solid beer! I was pleasantly surprised the first time I had it, so I had to review the second one to spread the word. I'm picturing it as a perfect pair for a savory chicken or turkey dish.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 20:52:51 | More by gcamparone

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a dark cola color. The head isn't particularly impressive; it's a one finger light mocha shade that fades away to a gimpy-looking film quickly.

S: Mild roasted grains, some faint chocolate, nuts, butterscotch, and slight fruity esters. A decent aroma that only suffers only from its mild strength.

T: There's an initial hit of roasted coffee, before it finishes with some nutty malts and some stone fruit esters. Not complex or particularly interesting, but it's easy drinking and pleasant.

M: Superbly clean and crisp. Apart from a slight lingering fruity note from the lager yeast, this is as bone dry as it gets. I really like the feel here.

O: I had this one last year and hated it. Having it now, it's less awful and more ho-hum. Still, it does a solid job of hitting the qualities a dark lager should.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 20:52:00 | More by ThisWangsChung

Damian74Shensky

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle served in Sam Adams perfect pint glass
A) Pours with a finger thick head some lacing. Dark amber, cola in color.
S) malts, coffee scent chocolate.
T) Sweet Malts, Chocolate bitter hops, coffee
M) medium body, good carbonation
D) Not bad, its average, would get again if there's nothing better at time of purchase...

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 00:09:01 | More by Damian74Shensky

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a a dark ruby/mahogany color with a fingers worth of tan head

S: Lightly roasted malts with a yeasty presence and some chocolate. Some dark fruit notes come out as well

T: Follows the nose. Very malty, with some roast and chocolate. Also get some chalky yeast, chocolate, and dark fruit notes

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Lightly chalky

O: A nice easy drinker, it's quite quaffable at 5.2% (according to the bottle). Hits the spot for those in the mood for a dark lager

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 03:07:52 | More by BEERMILER12

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a good fall beer. this is a munich style dark ale, meaning a bigger sweeter malt profile and a yeast strain with a bit of spice to it. the nose is quite roasty, with some cocoa and caramel notes, a little dusty on the malt end, but not in a stale way. i taste some lighter german pilsner malts, which makes sense. some chocolate flavors and a little residual sugar despite a dry finish. overall a rich yet drinkable brew, a good addition to the winter mix 12er, and a beer im happy to have quite a few of. full body, a little filling, but good carbonation lightens things up. overall a satisfying beer from harpoon.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 18:09:01 | More by StonedTrippin

ColdWaffles

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Samuel Smith's Tulip Pint Glass.

Appearance: A good looking dark, yet not completely opaque beer. Head isn't particularly big, but it stuck around for a bit.

Smell: Didn't get much, a little earthy.

Taste: Reminds me a lot of semi-sweet chocolate. The tail-end of a swallow is slightly bitter, but the sweetness is still evident. Actually pretty refreshing, which I wasn't necessarily expecting the first time I tried this. This gets better every time I have one.

Mouthfeel: Probably the best aspect of this beer. Very smooth, reasonable carbonation. Something to savor, but still easily drinkable.

Overall: I think this is a grower. First time I tried it I wasn't a huge fan, but I came back and Harpoon Dark and I are becoming pretty good friends. Very drinkable for a dark beer, which is always nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 19:03:58 | More by ColdWaffles

DavidS88

Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Harpoon Dark Lager is a really great beer that is a nice midway point between a stout and a lighter lager. It pours a very dark brown, but not quite black, closely resembling Coca-Cola when poured with a small white head on top and very minima lacing on the glass. The head dissipates very quickly, but a small ring of foam will remain at the top of the beer as you drink it. The smell is an interesting combination of coffee, some chocolate and maybe even a hint of nuttiness. The taste is nice and malty like a lager should be with a roasted and kinda smoky taste up front. The aftertaste is the nice hint of chocolate that it says on the bottle with the slightest hint of bitterness (thus the little bit of stout hints.) Harpoon Dark has a great mouthfeel, not too carbonated and very drinkable with that small bit of chocolate flavor. You can definitely have a few of these and really savor the unique flavor of this great beer. Dare I use the word session here Bryan and Nate?

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 02:15:00 | More by DavidS88

Treyliff

West Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured in a pilsner glass

A- pours a dark chestnut-brown with with a ruby hue, small tan foamy head with good retention and lacing.

S- dark smoky roasted malt with notes if coffee and dark chocolate, cereal grains, smoked pork and just a bit of hops. Bold aromas.

T- strong malts with bold roasted notes, coffee, chocolate, and grainy cracker. Finishes smoky and somewhat dry with just a enough hops on the backend to balance it out.

M- light-med body, low carbonation, slightly foamy mouthfeel.

O- this one is malty and delicious, the smoky notes makes for some bold flavors. This would pair well with food, but dies just fine in its own. One of my favorites from Harpoon.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 02:12:15 | More by Treyliff

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into pilsener glass, best before 4/15/2012. Pours crystal clear reddish brown color with a small 1 finger tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Good spotty lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of big caramel, toffee, nuttiness, biscuit, chocolate, vanilla, toast, and light fruitiness. Fantastic aromas with great balance and complexity. Taste of caramel, chocolate, toffee, biscuit, nuttiness, toast, herbal, roast, and light dark fruits. Lingering notes of caramel, chocolate, herbal, toast, nuttiness, toffee, and light fruitiness. Nice balance and complexity of flavors; with no cloying sweetness at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a great Munich Dunkel! Nice flavor balance and robustness; and very smooth to drink. Really enjoyed this, and this might be my choice for an easily available dunkel in the future.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 03:22:18 | More by superspak

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber pours a dark crimson color with a thick, creamy cap of tan head. Nice retention and lacing. It’s a pretty darn good looking brew.

Nose is black licorice, unsweetened chocolate, mace and maybe a little smoke even. Interesting blend of malty aromas with very little hop or yeast presence.

Taste rounds out a simpler cocoa and light roast maltiness with a smooth, dry finish. This is a pretty good stab at a Dunkel, Harpoon did a good job of keeping it simple and fresh. Mouthfeel is a bit on the thin side and the sweetness is lower than typical for the style, but those are pretty minor complaints. At 2.99 a bomber, this is a god deal. I have not seen this in sixers, but if I saw it at around 8 bucks, Id return to this one fairly often...especially with the much appreciated best by date. Props to you Harpoon, well done!

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 20:53:22 | More by twiggamortis420

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Once more into the breach of tone77's bottles! I may crack open a CAN of something later today just to stay focused.

From the bottle: "Our Munich Dark honors the classic Bavarian style. Rich color, balanced maltiness, and a moderate hop finish; a full body with a surprisingly delicate mouthfeel. Enjoy!"

My moderate pour still managed to produce a massive two-plus fingers of rocky, light-tan head with decent retention. Color was a deep mahogany-brown with NE-quality clarity and a good bit of carbonation in evidence. Nose was chocolaty, more like milk chocolate than dark chocolate, though. Mouthfeel was slightly full, thanks to all of the carbonation and the taste was of a mild chocolate, definitely not roasty. Finish was likewise pleasant and chocolaty. It was not a bad beer, but as a self-avowed hophead, I would not want more than a couple of these at a time.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 15:56:18 | More by woodychandler

JustinAniello

Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours dark brown, ruby shows in the light, with a two finger head. Dissipates to a light cap and nice sticky lacing.

S - Earthy malts and piney hops take up most of the aroma, with chocolate and possibly a slight coffee in the background.

T - Light medley of chocolate, coffee, and dark fruit. Hops and bitterness shown through on the swallow and linger for a bit.

M - Medium body and carbonation.

O - A nice beer, but could use bolder flavor. Good if you were looking for something on the lighter side of dark brews. Would probably have again if given the chance.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 00:52:23 | More by JustinAniello

SouljaSaia17

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Have been sitting on this beer for about a month an have been eager to review it. Comes in a Bomber!

A: Nice, dark color with a thin foamy white head. Kind of looks like a Pepsi without the fizz.

S: Subtle hop aroma with a hint of chocolate, not much to the smell.

T: The taste leads with chocolate and is balanced out with a variety of specialty hops and maybe a hint of toffee, not too complex of a taste.

M: This is a velvety smooth beer that is very drinkable, not much carbonation or lacing to speak of.

O: Overall, not the quality of a stout but more like a porter. A decent beer that is light bodied besides the tint, not very heavy on the mouth at all. Not something I would seek out again, but a good beer to try for Harpoon fans or if your experimenting!

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 04:46:16 | More by SouljaSaia17

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a light fluffy fizzy almost 1 finger head that fades at a med pace with bits of lacing, over dark black with the slightest hints of light sneaking through.

Nose has dark chalky malts, hint of cocoa and milk chocolate, slight earthy nutty aroma like herbal hops, a light smoked malt and hint of roasted like malt, bit of carafa and dark crystal malts, and a light lager crispness.

Taste starts with more dark malts, slight chalky dark malts, with some roasted malt that gets a bit overpowering with some tinny charred malted metallic like flavors, and hint of a smoke like flavor. Then light chocolate almost Cocoa Crispies like chocolate, some cheaper dark chocolate, powdered chocolate, plenty of caramel as well. It tries to bring a lager crispness but just gets drowned out by the malts. Bitterness starts to build a bit from the herbal earthy hops, but also from the roasted malts. The finish dries quite a bit though and gets slightly crisper, a light lager finish, with plenty of lingering bitterness that ramps, some sticky caramel, cocoa, and bit of roast, all lingering for quite a while.

Mouth is med to slight lighter bodied for what the full flavor pack it, um, packs... with decent carb.

Overall not bad, a bit overpowering with malts and hops that it kinda loses the whole lager part, but that does lighten the body, dry the finish, and make it much more drinkable than I think it would if it were a dark ale. The dark malts do add nice characters, and hops are decent, and the beer is fairly drinkable. So overall pretty good, for Harpoon especially.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 00:47:37 | More by jlindros

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle served in a SA "perfect pint" glass. (best by 04/15/11)

pours a mostly opaque dark brown with lighter brown highlights yielding an even finger of a foamy/creamy head, khaki in color. decent head retention; good lacing.

malty nose with some notes of hops, a touch of coffee. okay - maybe slightly above average - but nothing to write home about on this count.
flavor is dominated by roasted maltiness... some toastiness and a hint of the coffee, maybe caramel. shades of an american stout. finish is mostly clean, though there are subdued notes of hops.

medium bodied, medium carbed mouthfeel. goes down fairly easily; not going to send your taste buds to utter bliss but it's flavorful enough that it keeps you interested, but not so much that the palate becomes fatigued.

originally reviewed: 01-16-2011

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 22:55:10 | More by BostonHops

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Casked and dry hopped with Fuggles & Cascade hops.

A-Pours a very dark brown color. Nearly no head. Minimal light retention.

S-The nose is mostly of brown sugar, roast and caramel. The dry-hopping added some hops to the nose. The nose is overall pretty bland and mellow.

T-The dry-hopping is a nice addition to the overall flavor. The malty sweetness is the main flavor. Sugars and caramel and even some bread and coffee.

M-Cask feel. Low carbonation with a smooth body. Medium to light in weight on the palate.

O/D-I have had this on cask with additions as well as on-tap and in bottle in its normal form. I enjoy the regular version far better. Harpoon Dark is a supremely underrated brew. One of the most agreeable dark Lagers I have come across.

Serving type: cask

05-20-2012 15:31:08 | More by VelvetExtract

jniagar1

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a dark, muddy brown. Huge chocolate milk-like head coming out of the bottle, dissapated quickly.

Smell: Toasted malt, not overbearing though nothing special.

Taste: Delicious! Toasted malts with a slightly bitter finish. A very well-balanced beer. I'm going to have to find more in this style.

Mouthfeel: Lightly carbonated, heavy, sticky, but very easy to drink. I thought it might be a little to warm out for this beer, but I was wrong.

Overall: Another intereting beer in a style I have only had once. Still,I greatly enjoyed this one from Harpoon. A well-balanced beer that was easy to drink. I'll be coming back to Harpoon Dark the next time I get a chance.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 18:33:56 | More by jniagar1