Harpoon Leviathan - Saison Royale - Harpoon Brewery

MVotter

New York

3.6/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The Harpoon Leviathan-Saison Royale pours into a chalice a clear gold with a cream "thunder-head" cloud of foam.

The smell is of spice ... clove (?) and medicine (menthol and Listerine).

The taste is immediately spices ... corriander, and sweet malts. In middle, the taste is sweet, ginger-bread, pumpkin bread, banana and molasses ... spice cake? Wow, interesting tasting brew!

The mouthfeel is medium/heavy with gobs of carbonation.

This brew has a 9% abv and is without a doubt a "sipper." A big brew, to say the least. And, I will say this, that I have tasted some brews with this much alcohol "torque" and the brewer found it hard to mask the alcohol and chloro-phenols.

Not so, here. Harpoon is appealing to your "spicy" side with their Saison-Royale. And, if you're a person who looks for American breweries that push the envelope in the spirit of "extreme" brewing, well ... here ya' go.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2009 04:51:12 | More by MVotter

DmanGTR

New York

4/5  rDev +13%

01-29-2013 04:41:11 | More by DmanGTR

liquorpig

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

01-12-2013 02:00:39 | More by liquorpig

bzach

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

10-21-2012 03:45:50 | More by bzach

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

10-14-2012 00:39:20 | More by t0rin0

ms11781

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

07-01-2012 00:53:04 | More by ms11781

djrn2

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-23-2012 11:50:24 | More by djrn2

jongullotti

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -29.4%

02-19-2012 20:45:44 | More by jongullotti

EvanWilliams

Illinois

5/5  rDev +41.2%

02-05-2012 02:24:11 | More by EvanWilliams

mbs11

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

01-14-2012 00:52:51 | More by mbs11

tclapper

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +13%

12-05-2011 02:19:44 | More by tclapper

nmann08

Maryland

4/5  rDev +13%

12-05-2011 00:47:23 | More by nmann08

rab53

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

12-01-2011 07:02:06 | More by rab53

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +13%

11-26-2011 02:31:50 | More by Rochefort10nh

virinow

New York

3/5  rDev -15.3%

11-16-2011 03:49:22 | More by virinow

ElGallo

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +13%

11-16-2011 03:39:06 | More by ElGallo

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: Lots of small yeast particles float around in this glowing golden beer. A monster creamy sea foam cap rushes up to the top of the tulip and fades very slowly. Nice lacing sticks all the way down the glass.

Smell: Fairly sweet for a saison. Spicy, with a strong clove presence to go along with coriander and white pepper and some nice green apple, cherry, and white grape aromas as well.

Taste: Some crackery malt kind of contrasts with the sweet green apple, unripe cherries, and white grape flavors. A blast of spicy yeast yields an overly intense clove and coriander flavor, and the finish has a light, dry white grape flavor and a light herbal finish.

Mouthfeel: Especially for a saison, the body is quite full. The carbonation is creamy and smooth. The start of the sip is sweet, but it dries out just a bit by the end, although it stays sweet. A light sour salivating sensation comes in at the end.

Overall: The sweetness is a bit overpowering, and this is not really a style I feel needs to be imperial. It was an interesting beer to try though.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 03:51:09 | More by KickInTheChalice

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This Saison pours out as a nice muddy yellow color. The head was a little fizzy and leaves some lacing but not much. The smell of the beer was pretty good, there was plenty of spices in this brew. There wasn't a whole lot of farmhouse aromas coming off of it but it was a much more bright and lively Saison. The taste has some Belgian flavored yeast and hops in there which was nice but could have used a little more of a wild yeast I think. The mouthfeel was pretty good, plenty of carbonation. Overall it's a decent brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 21:13:11 | More by Knapp85

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Saison Royale smells like a strange hybrid of mulled wine, apple cider, and a Belgian Quad. The nose is ripe with aroma, including fresh apple cider, cinnamon and cloves, pear, white grape, orange, and lychee nut--in other words, almost everything you wouldn't expect from a beer.

On the tongue, the brew is potent and immediate, bursting with fruity esters such as berry, orange, apricot, and pumpkin, and spice notes such as coriander, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves. A thick brandy-like river of brown sugars and alcohol runs through this ester paradise, and toward the end of the mouthful the sugars peel back to reveal a rosewater and spice base, which continues into the aftertaste. There's also a fair bit of bitter hops in the brew to balance out the sugars, tasting like far more than the mere 25 IBUs would foretell. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is quite high; in fact, the beer feels more like a thick champagne.

Overall, this is a good beer, and well-made for its kind, with a nice balance of spice, sugar, and hops. I suspect some might be turned off by the enormity of the spiciness, but I suspect far more will appreciate its qualities.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 18:35:01 | More by jondeelee

secondtooth

Indiana

4.55/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sat on this one for a while, aging for well over a year in my beer cabinet. Pleased that it was quite delicious still!

Poured a cloudy yellow-golden, with massive carbonation. White suds, and sparse but ornate lace.

Nose was brisk and appealing. Buttered biscuits, tart fruit. Superb.

Flavor was a burst of deliciousnes -- more tart fruit, spices, and almost a lemon pepper and clove character. Amazing and complex. I got a little hops in there among the strong malts and spices.

This is a wonderful saison with a serious wallop (9% ABV).

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 05:13:41 | More by secondtooth

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

very hazy, and very cloudy dark amber color coming forward, much darker then I thought it would be for the style. Nice head, maybe two inches with some really great retention and a wonderful bit of side glass lacing. Lots of carbonation was visible streaking up from the bottom of the glass.

The aroma was a little bit light for me to be honest. Some nice notes of yeast, grain, with lots of breadiness in the middle, not nearly the funky farmhouse ale I was expecting it to be. Lots of light fruit notes with hints of peppery spice dominating on the flavor. Quick hints of pear, peach, maybe some apple, all in that general family. Nice touches of figs and light bread. Light feel on this, a little slick to be honest, but still not bad at all. Good carbonation and a nice smooth sipper.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2011 13:50:55 | More by mikesgroove

generallee

New York

4.38/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance: It has a hazy golden blonde body with yeast sediment floating around inside and on top of a tall frothy head. This thick head has a just off white color and a very slow fade. It hangs on well, keeping a small cap till the last sip. It also leaves some spotty lace patterns on the glass.

Smell: The aroma is full of lovely herbal hops and spicy notes wrapped around bready yeast.

Taste/Palate: It has mellow malty and yeasty character with a touch of pepper and ginger like spice notes. This slowly giving way to pleasant herbal hop notes that move across the tongue and brings a good balance of bitterness, spice and dryness to the finish. The palate is lively and easy drinking.

Notes: From the appearance to palate it all feels very well made. Overall I enjoyed it very much!!!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 19:55:22 | More by generallee

ngeunit1

California

3.9/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a clear bright golden-yellow color with lots of visible carbonation and a finger and a half of frothy white head. The head fades really slowly down to a ring around the glass leaving behind lots of white lace on the sides of the glass.

S - Aroma is a blend of sweet malts and some Belgian yeast. There is also some light lemon peel aroma and some spices beneath.

T - Starts off with some light sweet malts and yeast with some lemon in the background. Through the middle some more yeast flavors come through alongside some spices (coriander). The finish is a blend of some malts, some yeast, and the spices that linger nicely.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Does not feel heavy at all without feeling watery. The finish is nice and just a touch dry.

D - Very drinkable. The 9% abv is not really noticeable. The flavors are nice and well balanced. Maybe not a true Belgian Saison, but a very nice American take on it.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 04:03:27 | More by ngeunit1

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours brilliant gold with a bit of sediment haze and a dense white head that lingers.
Soft aromas of apple juice, spice and caramel malt, earth.
The flavour is characteristic saison, but subdued. Breadiness and soft spice without much noticeable bitterness or hops character. Extremely drinkable for a 9% ABV beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 01:08:20 | More by

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into dimpled mug. Pours hazy yellow with lots of fluffy white head. Aroma is very much saison-style, with bread and yeasty coming through the spices. Taste is earthy with a bit of lemon, bread, and some clove spicyness. Interesting beer. I can't say I was a fan of the sediments. Flavors flavors somewhat improve with more earthy and pithy fruits. Finish has some bitterness. Carbonation fairly high. Not a big fan at all.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 18:43:54 | More by CuriousMonk