Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #41 - Catamount Maple Wheat - Harpoon Brewery

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.24/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

"Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Session 41: Catamount Maple Wheat: This crisp wheat ale is warming and delicious. Mildly hopped to profile the distinct aroma and flavor of real Vermont Maple Syrup." Brewed three times to date, this limited release has undergone another slight recipe tweak in this incarnation. Date of 07/15/12 on neck of bottle. Purchased months ago on a discount at Smokerise Bottle Shoppe.

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber to a snifter. Served north of 53º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a creamy white head that recedes quickly, settling to a thin surface cover. Body color is, most appropriately, a maple-orange tone, transparent in tone with full relaxed carbonation. Head quality is less than expected for a wheat beer but the body looks pleasant, if not abnormally clear for a wheat ale. 3.25

(Smell) Maple, wheat must and booze. Biscuity german-like yeast tones with a faint trace low alpha grassy bitterness. Hints of clove and banana are most interesting additions. Maple syrup is most certainly the forerunner in flavor profiles with this beer, but it manages a decent balance amongst the alcohol, bitterness and spice. An enjoyable aroma. 3.75

(Taste) Maple and Caramel flavor up front with a hot, boozy midsection and a lasting semi-sweet maple finish. A bit sharp in places, especially between the center to the finish. This tastes much less like a wheat beer than it should, as it doesn't have much wheat flavor to it. Flavors of clove, cinnamon and banana seem out-of-place in combination with maple and amongst a general absence of malted wheat. Needs a touch of residual sweetness and a heavier wheat presence to balance out that maple and booze. Not the most drinkable beer; filling flavor and the maple finish is a bit cloying and sharp with alcohol. 3

(Mouthfeel) Slick, sticky mouthfeel with a low level of carbonation. Body is heavy for the style and medium overall. Alcohol presence is very high. Texture is nice although the booziness is relatively unpleasant for the beer and style. The body may need to be adjusted downwards and the maple character reduced a bit to avoid some of the alcohol's tone. Until then, it's a bit sharp and not the best in-balance. 3.25

(Overall) I liked the maple in the aroma, but it didn't carry over the best characters into the taste. The biggest problem was a general lack of wheat presence to balance it out and smother the booze and the maple. The recipe still needs a big change of balance. The maple, at times too dominant can manage to be reduced a couple of notes and the wheat and hops increased accordingly. That would make for a much more drinkable and balanced wheat ale. 3.25

Harpoon Brewery's
100 Barrel Series #41- Catamount Maple Wheat
3.24/5.00

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 01:24:05 | More by Jadjunk

schaffer9252

New York

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%

05-04-2013 13:59:26 | More by schaffer9252

Ivanhoes_Backpack

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%

04-30-2013 21:02:13 | More by Ivanhoes_Backpack

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%

04-27-2013 09:47:08 | More by Kelp

woodchipper

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%

04-20-2013 21:55:03 | More by woodchipper

Lare453

Florida

3/5  rDev -16.4%

03-24-2013 18:32:57 | More by Lare453

PStriedl

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%

03-16-2013 20:52:18 | More by PStriedl

st9647v3

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +18.4%

02-24-2013 22:44:24 | More by st9647v3

CesarLopes

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%

02-23-2013 20:20:50 | More by CesarLopes

Bito401

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%

01-06-2013 20:22:52 | More by Bito401

Kubrickx

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%

12-06-2012 18:11:09 | More by Kubrickx

Drunkelstiltskin

4.75/5  rDev +32.3%

12-01-2012 22:28:06 | More by Drunkelstiltskin

msnow34

South Carolina

3/5  rDev -16.4%

11-27-2012 02:52:29 | More by msnow34

401J

4.4/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer was truly special to me. Very well balanced, with tons of depth.

Malty, smooth, not overly sweet but definitely a presence of the maple syrup exactly how I wanted it to be. All of the charecteristics of this beer came through in a harmonious manner that left my palate yearning for more.

A work of art.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 13:01:56 | More by 401J

ThrewRedButter

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%

11-10-2012 19:40:29 | More by ThrewRedButter

sendbeer

Georgia

2.75/5  rDev -23.4%

11-03-2012 14:07:45 | More by sendbeer

bdub32689

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%

10-30-2012 14:37:44 | More by bdub32689

Mikeynas

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +11.4%

10-21-2012 00:06:16 | More by Mikeynas

Lantern

North Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -23.4%

09-19-2012 20:06:20 | More by Lantern

BigTrubble

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%

09-09-2012 02:15:49 | More by BigTrubble

kylehay2004

Florida

3.63/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A: single finger head, decent retention on a nice clear amber body.

S: fruits, mostly red apple, caramel, some candy sugar and syrup.

T: flavor is definitely unidimensional. the caramel and maple syrup kind of run together with mild toffee and barley notes.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation. Very very smooth.

Overall: how good can a beer in this genre really be. the aroma was promising however the flavor left much to be desired.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 00:41:48 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

3.4/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured with one finger of off white foam on top of a clear, golden brown body. The foam settles slowly and leaves nice lace.

S - Thick, malty notes of vanilla, maple sugar, bread, and spicy yeast.

T - Bready malt up front with some red apple yeast notes. Some odd sugar character in the middle and a finish of lightly fruity yeast and subtle spiciness.

M - A smooth,modately thick body with average carbonation, and a fairly dry finish.

D - Not bad, the aroma promises something like a well put together wheat wine, but the flavor is quite a bit more bland. Drinkable but kind of unremarkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 00:40:05 | More by nickfl

MacQ32

South Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours a pretty nice amber, slight straw haze. Solid finger+ of near white dense head, decent retention, strong lacing.

S - Smells of ripe apples, sweet caramel malts... a hint of maple at most.

T - Wheaty/ripe apple with a bit of maple sweetness, bubble gum, finishes slightly dry, slightly grainy qualities as well

M - Medium bodied or less, quite drinkable. Appropriate carbonation

O - If you like ripe/overripe apple flavored beer youll like this, but that alone dominates this too much. By far my least favorite harpoon brew to date.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 23:44:12 | More by MacQ32

superspak

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into pint glass, best by 7/15/2012. Pours fairly crystal clear copper orange color with a good 1-2 finger fairly dense off white head with good retention; that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of banana, molasses, caramel, clove, bubblegum, biscuit, toast, maple syrup, earth, and light herbal. Some nice and pleasant aromas with decent strength and balance. Taste of banana, clove, molasses, biscuit, caramel, toast, maple syrup, bubblegum, earth, and herbal. Lingering notes of banana, pepper, bubblegum, caramel, molasses, clove, earth, and herbal on the finish for a bit. Good flavor balance and decent complexity; no cloying sweetness. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and crisp mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a nice wheat ale. Nice amount of weizen type flavors with good balance, and very smooth to drink. Quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 05:44:47 | More by superspak

Davepoolesque

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%

08-25-2012 20:03:49 | More by Davepoolesque