Harpoon Crystal Wheat - Harpoon Brewery

mafeeker

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Nice clear golden with a white head that fades quickly

S: light lemony malty with grass

T: lemon flavor stays throughout, finishes very smooth, very slight hop flavor

D: Very drinkable beer, nice lemon flavor that makes it very refreshing. A great summer/lawnmower beer without a doubt.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 00:10:38 | More by mafeeker

Arenbeer

Connecticut

2.68/5  rDev -17%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Real light, clear as day yellow body with a seriously fluffy 2 finger bright white head.

S- Smells like lemon dish soap. Not to much wheat, just citrus and corny malts.

T- Pale corny malts with a strong citrus lemon flavor. This beer tastes like someone put lemon juice in Budweiser.

M- Light body with moderate carbonation and a wet finish.

Overall pretty dissapointed. Normally Harpoon is worth raving about but this brew should have never been made IMO.

SkÅL!

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2010 22:35:22 | More by Arenbeer

generallee

New York

2.9/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a pint glass. The bottle has a "Best By" date of 09/15/10 printed on the bottle and a very short description on the neck label. There is no noticeable ABV%.

Appearance: It has an uber effervescent pale yellow body. It has great clarity and the aggressive carbonation supports a tall bright white head of smooth creamy foam. Lacing is thick and splotchy.

Smell: The aroma has loads of citrus and wheat popping right out of the bottle as I popped the cap. The citrus is a mix of lemon grass, lemon oil, lemon candy and lemon scented dish soap.

Taste/Palate: There is a light wheat and cereal grain base with loads of lemony citrus character. This citrusy character matches its aroma. There is a brief hint of sweetness before it all goes dry and slightly sour. I am also just picking up the very slightest hint of hops in the finish. Its body has a light feel with lots of lively carbonation that made me burp like I was drinking soda pop.

Notes: I really was not expecting this beer. The flavor was just off to me and I didn't really care for it.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2010 04:00:43 | More by generallee

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

3.35/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Got a sixer of this from the Windsor brewery. Cold 12oz bottle poured heavily into a weizen glass.

This bright yellow brew is crystal clear with abundant carbonation and generated about 1" of foamy eggshell head with decent retention. Smell is of lemon, ginger, semi-sweet... like a cross between ginger ale and lemonade. The carbonation is quite rigorous and a bit abrasive, but this gives it a crisp clean feel. Taste is very similar to the smell. Overall I think it's a decent beer, suitable as a chuggable summertime brew. The semi-sweet body should appeal to a wide audience (ex. beer noobs). Especially a good choice for sharing with anyone who doesn't like hops.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 22:56:43 | More by BeerNinja007

CHickman

New York

3.7/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours hazy gold in color with a 1 finger white head that faded quickly; lame lacing that slides down the glass pretty fast.

Smells of yeast, lemon, spices, coriander, light grains and grass or hay; nice summer aroma that has an overall citrus aroma.

Tastes of lemon (very zesty lemon), faint orange peel, wheat, funky yeast, spices like light pepper, coriander, light grains, grass, hay and some malt, which leaves a tart and almost bitter finish. Middle of the road taste.

Mouthfeel is light, crisp and refreshing, with very high carbonation like champagne, and an almost watery feel that is very light and airy.

Very refreshing and easy to drink, this is a great summer beer that went down like iced tea!

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2010 03:45:01 | More by CHickman

jal30

Massachusetts

2.35/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

I was excited to try this beer since it is only available on tap and in their summer seasonal mixed 12-pack. Needless to say (from looking at the scores I gave it) I was very disappointed. I probably should have had lower expectations, which is my own fault--I like big cloudy hefes and wits, not filtered American pale wheats. But even as that genre goes, this was really not much of a beer. The one thing I can say for it is I wouldn't mind getting drunk on the beach with a bunch of these--although you can't even do that because they don't sell sixers of them, but they should probably keep it that way. Tasted like Rolling Rock with the slightest hint of wheatiness. Really nothing to the nose or the palate. I keep trying to love Harpoon, being from the Boston area, but it just won't click for me. They make a solid IPA which is of course their bread and butter, and I quite liked their belgian pale ale, but that's about it for me...I've had their hefe, wit, summer beer, etc. and all of have been sort of whatever. Bland and not interesting. This one is definitely the worst of the bunch.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2010 17:37:38 | More by jal30

Brad007

Vermont

3.63/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light golden color with a white one-finger head into my glass. Good color and presentation here.

Aroma is full of a strong dose of clove upfront with just a hint of citrus present.

Taste is much of the same but with a crisp feel to it. Wheat and citrus mingle. Easy to drink.

Mouthfeel is full of lingering wheat and citrus notes. Finishes quite clean.

A tasty, simple ale for the summer. No-frills and very quenchable. I'd take it over a simple lager for a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 01:10:43 | More by Brad007

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.78/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Another new one for me, we brought a bunch over to the fourth of July cookout. Served cold and poured
into a nice tasting glass, this one was consumed on 07/04/2010.

Found this one in the fridge when I went in for a soda, lol. Really light pour almost clear with loads
of carbonation coming up through the glass that tops off into a head of pure white. Settling down it
leaves a broken crown that quickly leaves itself bare.

Aroma is light, almost sprite like with tones of lime and lemon grass coming through the air. As I
take the first sip I am really taken back with the lack of flavor and depth. Not that I was expecting
a ton, but there was a serious lack of it on here. Lemon grass,, light wheat and not much else. Very,
very light and completely session able though.

Overall a rather odd, and uninteresting beer. It was not terrible, it was as drinkable as water, just
was not looking for that level of lightness at the time. Oh well, still decent.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2010 23:25:55 | More by mikesgroove

DrewKid4

New Hampshire

3.3/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Served: bottle to 16 oz tall glass. Happened to eat an orange before hand.

A: Clear golden straw color with initial half finger white head that fizzles out quickly. Small amount of carbonation.

S: Wheat and citrus. Smells rather sweet.

T: Lemon and bubblegum. Does not taste bad at all.

M: The initial decent tastes dissipates quickly to reveal more of a soda/seltzer taste. Hardly tastes like a beer after a few seconds and definitely not a wheat from a respected brewery.

D: One and done.

A good beer for hot weather, as it is marketed in the Harpoon summer seasonal pack. Not good for wheat lovers or most beer lovers.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2010 01:14:20 | More by DrewKid4

Spineypanda

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a golden color with a nice little head that last about 5 minutes. Not much lacing.
Smell is lemony. Complete lemon with a tad bit of beer smell.
I would almost wonder if the lemon is added to cover a mistake. A Crystal Wheat is something that seems difficult to retain the good flavor from the wheat.
Nonetheless the lemony flavor and aroma is not a bad thing, and this beer would be great for a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2010 00:43:48 | More by Spineypanda

Swalden28

Texas

3/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear gold with white fizzy head. Aroma of lemon peel, lemon grass, faint wheat, faint bubble gum. Flavor is very much the same. Mouth feel is light and watery with very high fizzy carbonation. Overall, it's a decent, refreshing summer beer. Has more then just a hint of lemon.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 22:39:55 | More by Swalden28

Mora2000

Texas

2.85/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to bman1113vr for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a clear yellow color with no real head. The aroma is a mix of wheat and lemons. The flavor is wheat and lemons, which mix together to make it taste like a lemon-lime soda such as Sprite or 7Up. Thin, watery mouthfeel and medium to high carbonation. I guess this would be easy to drink on a hot day but even then I doubt it would be any good.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 23:31:51 | More by Mora2000

twiggamortis420

Texas

2.38/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle with a best by date of 09/15/10. Pours an unsurprisingly crystal clear light gold color with a large-bubbled white head that is neither very large, nor does it display great retention despite being fed by a shitload of streaming bubbles. Why would you filter a wheat beer anyway? That has never made much sense to me.

Huh? This smells like a lemon-lime soda! It actually reminds me of a better smelling version of bud light lime. Not much else here, unfortunately.

"Hint of lemon essence" my ass! This tastes like the old-school yellow candies that came in rows of dots glued to paper...Candy Buttons, that's it. Sweet, with a little bit of clashing tartness and hop bitterness on the finish. Sorry Harpoon, you know I love 'ya but this beer is pretty foul.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2010 00:48:11 | More by twiggamortis420

marlinsfan4

Maryland

2.95/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4.5

Their summer seasonal in the their mixed 12 pack. Pours a straw color, not much head to it, lots of carbonation. Smell has a hint of lemon to it. Very light bodied, an OK mouthfeel.. just way too watery and thin, not much for taste, just some lemon zest on the after taste. Nice beer to swig down on a hot day, but not a lot of substance to this one. Solid, but nothing great by any means.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2010 00:27:12 | More by marlinsfan4

GratefulBeerGuy

New Hampshire

2.83/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Ultra clear, yellow-gold color, soft, tight head, fizzy look, head's gone fast.

The aroma is mostly lemmon zesty wheat, citric tartness, clean and sharp.

The light, cispy and simple wheat flavor's are grand, but alas, there's a bunch of lemmon zesty added flavor that just simply takes me out of the game.

Let's lay off the added fruit flavor's and let a simple wheat beer speak for itslef.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2010 22:23:34 | More by GratefulBeerGuy

JamesS

Indiana

2.9/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a nice golden yellow color, but with minimal head and no lacing. Sweet scent, although more lagerish than wheatish -- not a lot of the straw scent I get from wheat malt. Decent taste, very sweet with a slight lager finish, but a nice little (very little) wheat kick. Goes down smooth at first, when slightly chilled, but gets a bit of an alcohol tinge as it warms up.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 01:55:42 | More by JamesS

Billolick

New York

2.78/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

23 ouncer I pilfered from a friends box of 12 sampler. best before dating etched onto the neck of the bottle, pours very light golden amber, clear, minor off white head and lace. Just a hint of powdered sugar in the nose. Metallic tasting and not all that pleasant. I get a minor taste of some wheaty malt and astringent hops late. Not much here to be real positive about. There is so much better beer out there, pass this one by.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2010 23:18:17 | More by Billolick

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.35/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appears a pale golden color, with fizzy carbonation head does form nicely and sticks around for a considerable amount of time, lacing sticks to the glass fine even lacing. Aromatics hits you with the essence of lemon pretty much a strong dish soap or cleaning product lemon zest tone, and that's about it. Flavor wise it's pretty much like an alco-pop with fizzy sturdy carbonation and the natural flavoring of lemon essence. There's a filtered American wheat somwhere in here, but it's hard to describe with the lemon blast dawning the palate up. You could probably threaten to wash your kid's mouths out with this when they cuss. Mouthfeel is light and spritzy reminiscient of the summer shandy from Leinenkugel's. Drinkability overall is okay, chicks will dig but this was the weakest offering by far in the summer sampler. I liked the summer beer (kolsch), IPA solid, and UFO is unoffensive. This one kind of crosses the palate as a few notches below mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2010 13:38:34 | More by WVbeergeek

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Harpoon Crystal Wheat poured a yellow, with almost no head. It smelled like dish soap. It did taste better however then it smelt. It had a very light rereshing taste, with a little bit of a lemon flavor, it was easy to drink, and overall wasnt horrible, worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2010 20:49:26 | More by vette2006c5r

TommyW

Massachusetts

2.93/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Clear, pale, gold body with a tall white head.

S- Smell of lemon and some sourish wheat twang.

T- Taste is of a thin, wheat malty base and a lemon taste that remind me of lemon drops.

M- Thin feel this is some kinda flat.

D- Not my favorite wheat ale; kinda a funny taste overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2010 01:11:21 | More by TommyW

ProfessorHomer

New York

4.33/5  rDev +34.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A GREAT summer wheat beer on those hot, hazy & humid summer daze! Appeals to both genders.

A: clear and pale. Smallish head dissipates rather quickly.

S: clean, crisp wheaty beer with citrus/lemony notes.

T: very smooth, balanced & wet. Distinct lemon taste, then wheat malts. Hops are there in a subtle, balanced way.

M: good solid carbonation - necessary for a summer brew.

D: A very good summer beer not a hot day when you need your thirst slaked. Goes down easy - you can have several of these while you cool down due to the low ABV.

One of the best wheat beers out there for quality, slakability and drinkability. Highly recommended! Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2009 16:18:17 | More by ProfessorHomer

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.23/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle served in a weizen glass.

Clear yellow color with a white head that was on the small side.
Earthy, malted wheat.
Sweet and malty upfront with some citrus bitterness towards the finish, decent balance.
Light bodied, clean and crisp.
It's drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2009 21:17:35 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.43/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a pale yellow color, with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of lemons, light malts, wheat and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with a crisp wheat flavor and a strong lemon flavor. The malt character is on the thin side and there's a very mild hops presence but it seems to balance decently. The after-taste is slightly tart.

M: Smooth and very crisp, light body, medium carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, it might not be the best wheat beer out there but it's a refreshing lighter beer that is worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2009 01:14:46 | More by TheManiacalOne

WCBCFrank

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Harpoon Crystal White pours translucent yellow-white, with a nice fading white head. Some citrus, yeasty orange and lemon, and a subtle carbonation.

For the novice: Your girlfriend/wife's new favorite beer.

Personally: A "wit" beer for those who don't like beer. Seriously, super refreshing, but well made for what it is - a light alternative to wheat beers. I would consider this one of the best "light beers" around. On a hot day, I swear I could drink like ten of these.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2009 02:23:51 | More by WCBCFrank

JMD

Connecticut

2.42/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: Crystal clear light yellow with almost no head and no lacing. There doesn't appear to be very much carbonation either. Not very appealing to look at.

S: Artificial lemon aroma. Kind of smells like Sprite or some other lemony soda.

T: Same as the aroma. Artificial lemon, and some light grain. Also an astrigent, soapy flavor that isn't very pleasant.

M: Light bodied and very low carbonation. Very watery.

D: I normally like Harpoon, but this one is bad. The chemical lemon flavor was completely overpowering, and ruined this one for me. And the texture was horrible as well, way too watery. I got this one in a mixed 12, but I'll definitely avoid this in the future.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2009 16:40:27 | More by JMD