Harpoon Leviathan - Red Squared - Harpoon Brewery

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark amber in color with a frothy head and very sticky lacing.

Aroma is really interesting with a dank, spicy passionate fruit, and slightly grassy and earthy citrus mixing with a toasted malt. Interesting aroma for an Imperial Red Ale (in a good way), possibly because of the Galaxy hop and malt combo?

The toasted caramel malt struggles to surface but continually gets buried by citrus, light orange, passionate fruit, spice, earthy, and a bitter citrus finish with some floral character.

Heavy medium body and a little oily.

This is one of the more interesting reds I've had so far, the most addicting part of this beer is the unique spicy pungent aroma. This is not your typical red ale and if you're a hop fan I would say this is worth seeking out because it defies red/imperial red ale preconceptions.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 03:30:55 | More by jzeilinger

chefduff2

New York

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

05-01-2013 04:13:09 | More by chefduff2

BryanK

New York

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

04-11-2013 22:42:14 | More by BryanK

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

04-04-2013 03:02:43 | More by ejimhof

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

04-01-2013 13:19:25 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

BGsWo22

New York

1.75/5  rDev -57.3%

03-20-2013 23:19:02 | More by BGsWo22

animal69

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -2.4%

02-25-2013 04:13:01 | More by animal69

pquijal

West Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

02-18-2013 03:22:27 | More by pquijal

Seanniek91

New Hampshire

4.26/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Served from a 12oz bottle into a Smuttynose pint.

Appearance- Typical looking red. Cloudy/murky brownish/copper color with very thin white head. Decent lacing.

Smell- Tart cherry, caramel malts, piney hops, floral notes. Hop-forward red ale.

Taste- Malty first, then piney hops, then fruity (apple/pear?) hop flavors, goes out malty, then finishes with bitter hops. No booze.

Mouthfeel- Pretty carbonated. Smooth on the way down. No heat from the 9.20% though.

Overall- Imperial reds are more often then not, booze bombs. This is a nice refreshing hoppy red in the same vein as Hop Head Red from Green Flash.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 17:32:38 | More by Seanniek91

scottbrew4u

Pennsylvania

4.21/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours from a 12 oz bottle a brilliant, clear, amber color with a one finger, light tan head. Good lacing on the sides of the glass on this beer.
S: Rich caramel, and roasted crystal malt aromas with a toffee sweetness. Hops are fresh pine and peppercorn and tobacco.
T: Pine and zest of orange with a peppery spice hit first then a smooth caramel and toffee sweetness. The balance is good with malt richness and hop intensity.
M: Medium body with bubbly carbonation and some alcohol warmth.
O: Very good balance for a hoppy amber ale and very fresh tasting hops make this one impressive and very drinkable. A two thumbs up for this Harpoon ale! Hope they release this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 22:08:00 | More by scottbrew4u

tcsather

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-21-2013 03:55:34 | More by tcsather

kevdemers

Rhode Island

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

01-19-2013 03:15:19 | More by kevdemers

TcDub

4/5  rDev -2.4%

12-05-2012 20:14:47 | More by TcDub

WhitmansNiece

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

12-01-2012 12:53:24 | More by WhitmansNiece

tdm168

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Hoyt for sharing this bottle.

A - dark amber with a big, off white, frothy head that has great retention

S - citrus, caramel, a bit toasty, piny; this is a very hoppy aroma

T - citrusy, piny hops up front followed by some caramel and bread malty notes

M - medium bodied, well carbonated

This is a very, very nice amber ale. There's no debating that this is an "aggressively hopped" ale. Everything about this beer for me is delicious. I'm impressed. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 01:51:00 | More by tdm168

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a shaker pint: Two fingers of rocky head that retains well & laces sticky lacing over transparent, deep copper body with some light gold highlights.

Smells of deeply, bitterly citric hops, mostly orange & grapefruit, a slightly woody character, & some nicely toasty, caramel malt in the supporting role. Hops are forward but nicely rounded by the malt.

Taste follows with the smell, with a citrus character at the forefront, soon followed by a lightly bready, pie crust flavor that goes really nicely with the bright, hoppy bitterness. There's even a pithy kind of bite in the middle that wrestles pleasantly with the fruity & baked sweetness. A little alcoholic dryness emerges, warming & bearing up the flavors, giving some depth. Really well done.

Medium-full-bodied, hits bitter, then sweet, then dry, then a little warm bordering on hot. The combination of resin & sugar leaves a pleasant stickiness in the aftertaste.

Maybe this is just a case of "right-place-right-time", but this hit just the right spot: hoppy & bright, but really anchored by an assertive malt profile. Gotta give more time to some reds & ambers, I really enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 23:05:32 | More by OneDropSoup

ferrettman687

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

11-25-2012 06:21:28 | More by ferrettman687

dunix

Vermont

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

11-09-2012 20:46:57 | More by dunix

Danno48

West Virginia

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great, big, hoppy red ale.
Pours a bright red with a very nice n thick head.

Smells very floral and piney... More or less smells just like an IPA.

Taste is awesome. Great floral piney notes that aren't too bitter. The malt is much less pronounced.

Very light for an imperial. Does not cling.

I would say it is more of an IPA than a red ale from the flavor profile but it is great.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 04:02:10 | More by Danno48

Thomas_Picton

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

11-04-2012 01:28:03 | More by Thomas_Picton

Craftonly23121

Rhode Island

5/5  rDev +22%

10-31-2012 19:11:33 | More by Craftonly23121

SenorHops

Rhode Island

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

10-19-2012 15:44:27 | More by SenorHops

Thickfreakness

New York

3.8/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a deep mahogany cherry stain color. Fluffy orange/tan head that retains for a bit, and then leaves a ton of sticky, chewy lacing as it fades away. Very nice clarity.

S- Grapefruit, orange pith, subtle touches of caramel and honey, freshly dropped pine needles, pineapple and mango. Not as strong as I was hoping for. The nose is a little bit subdued, but what is there... is really nicely balanced.

T- Bitter citrus peel and pith, pine sap, pineapple juice, orange blossom honey. Really bitter right off the bat, but it sweetens up a bit after the swallow.

M- Not tongue strippingly bitter, but it's a bit like eating orange peel. Nice citrus/pine/sweet balance.

O- Nicely done if you're in the mood for a super citrus/bitter brew. Not as much depth as I was hoping for. No real sence of the alcohol. I found myself wishing it had a little more caramel and honey sweetness than piney citrus. Either way, I'll probably grab this again while it's around.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 18:26:10 | More by Thickfreakness

oberon

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a standard pint glass a clear deep amber with a 1/2 finger slightly off white head atop.Citric and resiny hops dominate the nose with a big sweet caramel malt base to balance it out.A big sharp citric hop blast at first sip with alot of sweet alcohol,it's sharp and resiny with alot of alcohol.It's everything you like in a big hopped up red big resiny/citric hops and caramel-alcohol to stand up to it.Awesome.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 22:11:02 | More by oberon

cestlavie

Yukon (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +15.9%

09-30-2012 22:47:54 | More by cestlavie