Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #28 - Glacier Harvest ’09 Wet Hop Beer - Harpoon Brewery

jujubeast6000

Texas

3.73/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Reviewed 1/12/2010 (Bottle Session 28):

Pours a burnt orangish amber color body, small whitish head, diminishing. Hoppy dusty aroma, green. Some frutiness, maybe citrus. nutty fruity taste. Not hoppy. Biting aftertaste, acidic. Light pale ale, not as hoppy as the aroma.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 03:32:02 | More by jujubeast6000

Kelp

New Hampshire

3/5  rDev -16.7%

04-27-2013 09:48:07 | More by Kelp

brheuer

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

03-24-2013 21:24:32 | More by brheuer

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

10-13-2012 23:49:43 | More by t0rin0

Davepoolesque

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

08-26-2012 19:29:37 | More by Davepoolesque

jongullotti

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +11.1%

02-19-2012 20:48:50 | More by jongullotti

THECPJ

Delaware

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

02-09-2012 19:24:46 | More by THECPJ

rab53

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

12-01-2011 06:59:09 | More by rab53

brandoman63

Illinois

3/5  rDev -16.7%

11-29-2011 15:30:37 | More by brandoman63

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Served in a tulip glass. Pours a moderate copper-amber color with a white head. Touch of lacing on the way down. The nose is citrus hops with a bit of a caramel backing. The taste is far too much caramel and bread, especially for a wet-hop beer. Those flavors overwhelm the citrus hops that are there. Feel is nice with a very mild bitterness. Drinks well enough, but I wouldn't think that this is what they intended it to be, and I had this quite fresh.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 23:39:08 | More by Thorpe429

bminor7

New York

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 from Savemore. Reviewed on 11/18/2009.

A - copper, sudsy head. some lacing

S - caramel sweet. banana. not much hop aroma

T - bitter component, followed by a harsh alcohol note from time to time. like a maibock in terms of bitterness

M - strong carbonation, good viscosity

D - not very good...i have not been impressed by the 100 barrel series so far...

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 23:01:06 | More by bminor7

claspada

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: A slightly hazy, copper-orange; capped by a two fingers of off-white head that leaves great lacing.

Aroma: Glacier hops, wonderful. Mild, floral and slightly fruity hops over a caramel malt body.

Flavor: Mildly bitter hops up front with a slightly grainy, biscuity caramel malt backbone balances everything nicely. Biscuity and mildly bitter in the aftertaste. A great balance of hops and malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, smooth, with good carbonation. Dry in in the finish, maybe from an English yeast

Drinkability: Easily quaffable, this wouldn't be a bad choice for a session, if your an average beer consumer

Overall: I hate when people expect every specialty/limited edition beer to be over-the-top ABV or malty or 1000 IBU, etc. Why can't a beer just be above average like this one was, a great example of a single hopped English Style Wet Hopped Ale, it's a tasty and sessionable, period.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2010 17:22:28 | More by claspada

Arenbeer

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber into a snifter glass

A- Poures a golden orange with a a fluffier tan 1 finger head that leaves a good amount of lacing as it goes down.

S- Sweet citrus hops up front, with caramel malts and a slighty fruity backround. Not sure what though.

T&M- Smooth caramel malts hit the tounge first but finishes with nicely carbonated earthy hops and a slight yeasty flavor but not to bad. Also leaves a citrusy orange taste in the mouth at the finish that I am really liking. Medium bodied and really smooth overall. Not to much carbonation and only a slight bitter ending. The alcohol comes out a bit in the smell and the taste as it warms but not enough to throw me off but definitely apparent.

Overall this so far is probably my favorite of the 100 barrel series, they really hit the nail with this one making it a solid and some what sophisticated APA.

SkÅL!

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2010 21:05:51 | More by Arenbeer

beer2day

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Pours fairly bright orange gold. Nice 1-finger head with very good retention. I still have ½ finger 2/3's of the way through my class. Pretty nice lacing, too. Very active carbonation.

Stale toast and pine resin mainly come through. Not much fruit at all. What is there is a faint whiff of pear. Interesting.

Slight bite of sour apple on the hit, but that fades quickly. Get a touch of apricot in the finish, but very faint. Really not much taste here at all. Decent PA finish, but I'm not terribly excited about it.

The bright spot of this beer is the body. Good, creamy texture that would have gone very well with a nice hoppy profile. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Very easy to drink, but there's really no point in doing so.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2010 02:18:03 | More by beer2day

BeerMasterD

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thnx to ARenbeer for a glass of this.
Poured from a Bomber bottle into a pint glass. Poured a lightly cloudy honey color with a good 2 finger frothy head riddled with bubbles and lacing down the glass. Light citrus and hop nose with some caramel, the smell of this brew had me snorting beer, it waz awesome and i couldnt quite put my nostril on some of the aromas, but i liked them. Tasted hops, malt, very balanced and lightly fruity. The mouthfeel waz light-medium and slightly warming. This had me drinking quickly and wanting more. Overall i waz pleased and i am glad to have tried this limited edition brew, i could drink this all day.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2010 10:19:30 | More by BeerMasterD

alleykatking

Indiana

3.23/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from 22oz bottle. Got in SS09 BIF from ballewblake. Thanks again for everything Blake!

A- Pours a light coppery amber color. Hard pour gets a two and a half finger tan blob of a head. This stays around for a while leaving some nice light lacing on the sides of the glass skirting on the way down as I drank it.

S- Nice citrus hops still in the front end of the nose. There is a light caramel malt backbone to this as well. Sadly there is some light oxidation that comes through the ending of the aroma. Not really distracting but a little annoying.

T- Nice citrus hops come in the front of this rather nicely. They are not quite so in your face but it works for the beer. The malts work in the middle with a light sweetness and some bready qualities. There is a light alcohol presence in the middle to end of this beer. The ending sadly is almost ruined by oxidation. Big metal and bitter hop bite in the tail end of this one.

M- Medium mouthfeeel. Carbonation is good for the style. Metal and light sweet citrusy hops are left on the palate with a metallic taste dominating the aftertaste. Sort of creamy in the mouth as I was drinking it.

D- This beer without the oxidation I feel would have been at least a point better on almost all the scale ratings. I would love to try this beer again if they make it. I think if it was not oxidated this beer would have been a lot better (of course) but more enjoyable to what I think of as the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 05:36:25 | More by alleykatking

jwc215

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours light copper with a frothy creamy head that thins and stays. A second pouring has lacing retention (more than the first).

The smell is of tropical/citric fruitiness but with a metallic (dirty penny) touch.

Bitterness strikes me as more than 38 IBUS (though not that much more). Fruitiness waves in and out but there is an aspirin-y, metallic (dirty coin) taste as well. It does have bready (sweetbread?) and a toffee-like sweetness balancing it. Finishes with a minerally dryness.

The feel is light-side of medium. It has an almost airy texture, with tight-bubbled carbonation (that is not fizzy). Flavor coats palate long enough to be satifactory.

The alcohol is very well hidden, and this one can "disappear" quite rapidly if not being mindful. Not crazy about the mettalic character, though it's not strong enough to put me off from it. Glad I had a chance to try it - a hoppy, though balanced, APA!

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2010 23:45:59 | More by jwc215

FenwaySquid

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 22 oz. brown bomber bottle, no dating except for the obvious one on the label, poured into a Duvel tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a relatively clear copper color, some carbonation bubbles rising inside. The head formed 2-3 fingers thick and faded quickly into a thin layer that retained throughout. Nice color.

Aroma: Hops, lots of them. Mainly floral and earthy aromas, but a little lemon as well. Very inviting.

Taste: The hop flavors dominate throughout, just not as strong as I thought they'd be. Some caramel malts come through in the middle, and the finish is a mix of sweet caramel dominated by citrusy hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, smooth and creamy. The carbonation balanced nicely.

Overall: Like I said, not as strong as I thought it'd be. If you're looking for a hop explosion, you're going to be disappointed. What you get instead, though, is a nice hoppy American Pale Ale with some decent flavors that smells excellent, so stop complaining and drink up.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 00:44:31 | More by FenwaySquid

ZimZamZoom

West Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pint glass.

Bright clear copper color, with a thick, gooey tan head. Interesting patterns left behind on the glass as the head fades.

Aroma has a very nice fresh hop character. Grassy hops, earthy malts, a caramel sweetness. This is all nicely balanced. Taste..an interesting spicy hop flavor, some alcohol, almost medicinal in quality. Finishes rather quickly with a mild hop bitterness but more of a lasting bite from the alcohol flavor. Not a lot of malt going on, some low end sweetness is detected.

Rather thinner than expected, carbonation is right on, but the watery feel is not too enjoyable.

Hey this is a decent beer to drink, but not really what I expected for my first venture in to the 100 barrel series.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2010 19:25:43 | More by ZimZamZoom

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: When held to the light appeared a medium pumpkin orange with a vivid transparency. A ivory colored spongey head sits atop with fair retention while leaving a respectable sheet coating behind. Visible effervesce was moderate composed of micro-bubbles rising a steady showering rate.

S: The hopping was fresh, no doubt about that, but overall was very light in delivery as well. Wet lemons and honey suckles notes come to mind here with a noticeable toffee-caramel sweetness. While there was a nice marriage between the hops and malts, it did little to convince me this was an apa, and wished it had just a little more ummph to it.

T: The initial flavor was spicy and sweet loaded with semi-dry tropical fruit of pineapples and passion fruit with noticeable hints of apple-citrus. The palate was backed by a generous portion of sweet caramelized grains while the finish finds a blend of oranges, and lemons to go out with a citrusy-caramel chew ending that was both wet hop wise but tart. Again a nice marriage of hops and malts here makes for a smooth transition of flavor never causing a hesitation between sips.

M: The mouthful had a sharp carbonation with a tight bubbly feel. Smooth creamy finish with a wet offering of fresh hops and a smooth tart fade of citrus and tropical fruit lining the tongue.

D: Drinkability was smooth, perhaps its selling point. Never over the top, smooth in character and transition this provided a nice mixture of sweet grains and wet hops that made this a nice laid back drinker. AT 6.7% abv a bomber feels about right here.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 14:05:06 | More by beerthulhu

Boppar

New Hampshire

3.48/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from into a large red wine glass.

A: Deep golden brown. Two fingers of foamy off-white head with plenty of soap bubbles. After a couple minutes, this transitioned to some pretty spectacular lacing.

S: Stunning. Hops. But hops as I have never smelled them in a beer before. The only time I have ever smelled hops this strongly has been in my (admittedly limited, although no less enthusiastic) home-brew efforts. Big, wet, earthy hops complete dominate the scene for the first minute or two. After a couple minutes go by, the hop intensity drops off dramatically, and it smells predominantly of brown sugar, pine, biscuit, and malt. By the end of the beer the smell is only a ghost of its former self. I originally gave this one a "5" in my notebook, but by the time I was done I decided that a "5" would not have have died off.

T: Fairly disappointing given its smell and appearance, which is to say that it is a completely bog-standard APA.

M: Rich, creamy, silky.

D: Again, completely average for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 02:29:27 | More by Boppar

Duhast500

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz. bottle into a stemmed glass.

The color is a clear gold with a tint of maroon in it, clear, with about three fingers of white foamy head. Some really nice lacing on the glass.

The smell is deep floral hops. The flavors are pretty earthy and mellow but quite present. Some hint of rye malt in the background.

The taste is very hoppy with some nice floral feel and a mix of slight fruity flavors. There are little hints of lemon that is a bit sweet but is balanced by the bitter hop flavor.

This beer has a nice mellow feel that is nice to have from a pretty hoppy beer. The bitterness is set back and does not coat your tongue with a layer of bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2009 06:11:34 | More by Duhast500

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.03/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on 11/7/2009. 22 oz. bottle. Pours a clear amber with a thick white head. Aroma is quite malty with some iced tea notes. Flavor again has the iced tea notes with sweet, sugary malt. Hardly any hop notes really. Just very sweet, malty, and bland.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2009 04:02:15 | More by LilBeerDoctor

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber pours a slightly hazed light copper/dark gold color with a 3-finger, creamy light tan foam. Excellent retention and superb lacing. Topogrophous head forms a nice looking mesa in the middle of the glass.

The glacier hops smell somewhat earthy and a little bit citric. Malts are there and provide a good backdrop for the hops to shine. Smells like a hoppy American ESB...clean and fresh.

Delicate hop flavor comes through nicely. I dont know about everyone else, but I expected something of a hop bomb upon seeing the label 'Glacier Harvest 09 Wet Hop', but I am happy to see that it is a nicely balanced pale ale with a terrific hop flavor. It is so easy to drink, a bomber of this could disappear pretty quick, I like it - reminds me a bit of the tasty Mirror Pond PA from Deschutes. I am very happy to see the Harpoon 100 barrel series in Tx and look forward to getting more in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2009 17:27:13 | More by twiggamortis420

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I like trhe style for drinkability, and this is my 4th in 24 hours. Lacey, derived from grapefruit colour. Very mildly hop flavour. Mouthfeel average, understated carbonation. A nice, mild drinkable bitterness. Enjoyable and something I could drink frequently.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2009 03:55:16 | More by northyorksammy