Harpoon Leviathan - Great Scott - Harpoon Brewery

DarkerTheBetter

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Looks pretty darn good, but I'm beginning to realize that's just one of the glories of the style. It's a beautiful, dark amber in the middle of my Leviathan glass that fades to orange highlights. The head is a thin collar of off-white sustained by a gentle rain of bubbles.

Smells of strawberry and distant molasses with the sandy dryness of peat. There's a touch of booze swirled in as well. Overall, it's surprisingly fruity.

Ack! The flavor starts out very dim and and smooth with a touch of fruity seltzer, but waves of peat and an entirely unsuited hop come in, confusing my palate. I'm not getting this at all. The aftertaste is the same, with two competing senses of bitter, hops and peat. Bleah. Either of the two alone would be nice, but together, they just compete. In the midst of all of this, there's a very solid and pleasingly sweet malt. If the hops were backed out of this, I suspect it would be quite remarkable. If I sip this one a bit quicker, the dissidence isn't so bad, but a bit of booze comes out.

Feels dense yet clean with a nice scrub of little bubbles. Nice. Considering this is 10.2%, the cleanness is much appreciated.

I think I may be being too picky with this one, but ultimately I'm just one enjoying it. And I had to get a 4-pack! If hoppy Scotch Ales are your thing, you may be in heaven here.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 17:34:29 | More by DarkerTheBetter

thampel09

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

05-24-2013 18:51:13 | More by thampel09

JandJMD

Maryland

4/5  rDev +4.4%

04-13-2013 20:42:23 | More by JandJMD

tbryan5

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +4.4%

04-12-2013 01:07:41 | More by tbryan5

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.99/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a clean but very deep amber in color, finger of white head which quickly dissipated, lots of visible carbonation bubbles. smells of caramel, barley, heavy sweet maltyness like a barleywine, slightly fruity/wood scents. the flavor has more of a fruityness than expected, some cherry/raspberry but mildly there. lots of wood barrel, sweet malt, caramel. a very booze heavy beer, letting its presence known by stinging your gums and leaving a nice warmth in your chest. full body, moderate amount of carbonation. this is a very nice beer both in general and for the style. one of the best beers i've had from harpoon.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 05:53:54 | More by facundoCNB

BGsWo22

New York

1.5/5  rDev -60.8%

03-20-2013 23:17:45 | More by BGsWo22

pquijal

West Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%

02-19-2013 21:54:47 | More by pquijal

Syraquse

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +11%

02-17-2013 21:45:13 | More by Syraquse

jhb138

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -21.7%

01-24-2013 03:33:11 | More by jhb138

Ecxeeder616

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

01-23-2013 16:43:25 | More by Ecxeeder616

ScaryEd

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

01-22-2013 00:44:17 | More by ScaryEd

TaylorK

West Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +24%

01-06-2013 07:15:09 | More by TaylorK

JasonL

4.25/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Now in used to the hoppiness of IPAs and Pale ales but I wanted to try a nice regular ale. Since im a fan of the harpoon brothers I wanted to try this.

Now I consider this ale more of a barleywine, because of it's high alcohol content, and also since its rich with a heavy malt presence. The first sip was rather a unique experience because I never tasted a beer quite unique as this. The smell was very sweet and the taste is very sweet. It has caramel and plum flavor to me and the taste lingers for quite some time. The mouthfeel is excellent as it is not overly carbonated, another note to it being a barelywine.

Overall this is a unique ale but very pleasant. Harpoon never seems to fail me as all their beers are made with such craft and dedication that you can taste it in the beer. Overall good experience.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 19:48:42 | More by JasonL

MSandahl23

Indiana

4/5  rDev +4.4%

12-30-2012 02:43:27 | More by MSandahl23

denimdemon

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

12-28-2012 03:49:52 | More by denimdemon

bonkers

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +4.4%

12-26-2012 13:15:45 | More by bonkers

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

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

12oz bottle poured into a large snifter.

A: Pours a crystal clear ruby red/brown color. the head is thin and white and dissipates fairly quickly. A thick blanket of spotty and clumpy lacing remains behind.

S: Fruity scents of raspberry and cherry. Hints of cocoa, bread crust, and a very subtle, vague spice. Faint kiss of smoke. ghost-like touch of alcohol. Grape skin.

T: Cocoa, mild crusty taste, grape skin. Sweet and malt-forward as it should be. Molasses and bread pudding. Warming, spicy alcohol toward the back end. Just the faintest whisper of campfire and smoke. Sweet finish of molasses, caramel, bread pudding, and fruits.

M: Thick, chewy, and a touch syrupy. Coats the mouth. Low carbonation. as bit creamy and smooth enough.

O: A good stab at the style. All the pieces are in place. An enjoyable beer, and a worthy entry into the Leviathan series.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 12:33:43 | More by ryan1788a5

DrunkinYogi

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

12-25-2012 02:50:05 | More by DrunkinYogi

Rekrule

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -28.2%

12-22-2012 04:58:00 | More by Rekrule

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep brown color with an orange tint on the pour. Short pale yellow/off white head with weak retention. Deep roasted malts, toasted nuts, dry scotch, mild hops and burnt brown sugar in the aroma. Sour apple and fermented fruit with some tough nuttiness on the first sip. Roasted malt and nut flavor persists through the body while other flavors of scotch and hops make their way into the taste. Crisp yet sour finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 04:36:49 | More by YouSkeete

DRyan

Texas

4.18/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 bottle, poured into a Ranger Creek tulip glass

A: Pours a deep wooden brown with just a splash of red with a very minimal off white head that doesn't stick around at all or lace at all
S: mmmm. toffee, vanilla, some malty sweetness, some alcohol, really it smells more like a barleywine than what I'm expecting, but in a very nice way (I love good barleywine!)
T: Opens with toffee, middle is alcohol potency, and ends with just a mild hop bitterness, one of the tastiest wee heavy's I've had
M: smooth and velvety, again more in line with a barleywine
D: Very drinkable. I've been trying to sip this bottle and it's almost disappeared in the last 1/2 hour even though I'm intentionally going slow!

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 00:19:28 | More by DRyan

VernonKell

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

11-15-2012 22:19:52 | More by VernonKell

CB_Crowe

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

11-07-2012 20:21:34 | More by CB_Crowe

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a small fizzy head that fades fairly quickly, over clear toasty wood brown colored beer.

Nose fairly typical scotch ale, some darker malts, brown malts, caramel, some molasses and toffee, toasty caramel reddish malts, light booze esters and fruits, and hint phenols, apple and nutty like fruit additions. As it warms big caramel and molasses like aromas come through, brown sugar, etc.

Taste starts with a nutty malt, some fruity esters from the booze as well as a touch of phenols, warming and slightly tingly booze come through quickly. Then malts set in, with plenty of brown malts, toasty reddish malts, lots of caramel, toffee, molasses, brown sugar, etc, and a little fluffy even. It has a nice nutty toffee flavor throughout, and a hint of fruity flavor from the booze esters with a light strewed apple fig like flavor. Finish is slightly bitter with more sweeteners, slightly drier but still fairly sweet, lingering nutty flavors, brown malts, brown sugar, toffee, caramel, etc, and a bit of the warming booze.

Mouth is med to slightly bigger bodied, fluffy carbonation, some warming booze.

Overall OK, not the best scotch ale around but not too bad either. Decent malts and sweeteners, plenty of booze warmth with associated esters etc.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 22:31:08 | More by jlindros

MightyMonk

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +17.5%

11-03-2012 22:07:45 | More by MightyMonk