Harpoon IPA - Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.73/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Radiant amber with a hint of orange peel when backlit with morning sunshine. The polished ivory crown is truly gorgeous. It's thick and rich and sticky and is beginning to lay down an impressive amount of lace. Although lighter than most IPAs, this is good looking beer.

I'm a sucker for a Cascade-hopped APA or IPA. This one smells more like the former, but that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying each and every sniff. Given the color and the nose, I'm betting that caramel malt wasn't used to any great extent. Good.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to acquire a bottle of Harpoon IPA. I know the brewery considers it to be their flagship beer, but, beyond that, I don't have any preconceived notions. And the conclusion is... yeah, not bad. My worries about a lack of IPAness in the nose apply equally on the palate. Time might have passed this offering by since 'generously hopped' isn't a phrase that applies in any way, shape or form.

The flavor profile is on the simple side (no crime in that). Pale malt, with a hint of something more earthy and toasted, provides ample backing for what has to be considered a barely acceptable amount of citric hoppiness for an IPA in 2007. There's plenty of bitterness to go around, although it's still on the left side of the bell curve for the style.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, the mouthfeel is APA-like (light-medium and briskly carbonated without being overly busy). Simply put, this IPA should be thought of as an American pale ale. It makes more sense that way.

Harpoon IPA might have been the 'be all and end all' at some point in the history of the craft beer movement, but it's no longer on the cutting edge. The good thing is that it has retained enough sharpness to be enjoyable (on occasion) to hopheads and to be a good introduction to those who wonder what 'all this fuss about hops' is about.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2007 13:43:16 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Grabbed a pint of this one at the mellow mushroom in Columbia tonight. Not a very good tap list, so I had to go with a standby. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 04/18/2009.

The pour was decent with a nice amber color and a moderate head of white on the top. Even color and a nice carbonation throughout the session. The aroma was nicely balanced. Light pine hops, hints of bready malts and a light touch of caramel on the nose. Well balanced but nothing really jumping out at me. Smooth, even flavor here with the first sip identical to the last. Light caramel flavors that have overlapped with nice touches of hops. Light to medium body and an easy sessionability made this one easy beer to put down.

Overall very solid and a good choice. Again while nothing spectacular it was a more then decent beer to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2009 16:38:31 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Served in a tulip glass. Pours a nice copper color with a white head and some good lacing on the way down. The taste is malty with some pine and floral hops seeking to balance. The flavor is mostly malt with a bit of bread and some light floral hops. A bit of bitterness and a good body. Drinks well enough, but not too fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 23:33:57 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a very clear honey color with a frothy head that leaves some lacing behind

Smell: Nice grapefruit floral tone with some malt in the background

Taste: Starts with a nice caramel malt flavor that is joined, mid-palate, by some grapefruit hops; the finish is well-balanced

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Walking the tightrope between and APA and an IPA, the Harpoon is an extremely well-balanced and drinkable beer

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2006 02:50:16 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a clear, coppery body with a full, white head. Splotchy lacing on the way down.

Smell: Aroma of lightly toasted malt and fresh-cut flowers with a far-off note of sliced grapefruit.

Taste: Pale malts, a hint of toast, a touch of sweetness. Medium 'pop' of cleansing hop bitterness. Flavors of flowers and citric grapefruit. Crisp finish with a light, lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A standard, basic India Pale Ale, but quite easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2008 06:01:20 | More by ChainGangGuy

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Much better on tap than in the bottle. Looks more creamy with more body, active carbonation, and clarity. Smells pine-ey, hoppy, mildly sweet, and very citrusy. Tastes much more citrusy than through the bottle. More crisp and refreshing. Just more alive. Mouthfeel is a good blend of bubbly and creamy. Crisp and mildly dry in the finish. Less metalic, tin-ey, and thin than the bottle. This suddenly became a good beer. I recommend this beer--but only on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2005 13:34:17 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice medium gold color with a medium head that leaves some lacing,aroma is assertively hoppy and zesty.The taste is hoppy for sure but there is a sweet balance there in the finish.I think this an above average IPA that is very drinkable and goes good with spicey food.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2003 20:40:12 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A solid inch or more of bright white foam rests gently atop a slightly hazy, golden-amber body. The head retention is good, and some very nice lace is left throughout the entire glass. Bright, fresh, and floral hops greet you in the nose as soon as it's poured! Very nice! A medium body combines with a very fine-bubbled carbonation to leave it lightly crisp on the tongue. Floral hops and a sweet grainy malt swirl in a kaleidescope of flavor right off the bat! Rich, exciting, sweet, hoppy, fruity, and finally, bitter in the lingering, drying finish. It's exceptionally well-balanced with a bitterness that reveals itself increasingly with every sip. What finesse!

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2003 13:19:45 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a flared flute glass at Bliss.

Another Thursday, another tasting at Bliss. This offering pours a clear golden straw topped by a finger or white foam. The nose comprises flowers, light grapefruit, orange zest, and very light lemon zest. The taste brings in more of the same, along with a mild contingent of caramel in the background. The body is a hefty light (or light medium...whichever y'all prefer), with a light moderate carbonation and a nearly dry finish. Overall, a pretty nice IPA, nothing outstanding, but something easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 02:22:08 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear light amber in color and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a thin off white head that died down, but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of grapefruit hops in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of citrusy hops (grapefruit stands out in particular) along with some hints of caramel malts. A moderate amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: Nothing stands out about the taste of this beer compared to other India Pale Ales but it is a very easy-to-drink beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 01:55:54 | More by metter98

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Color is a nice apricoty hue, head is nice and white. Aroma is quite nice, fresh and fruity, abounding in sweet associations, with orange on top, followed by peach, apricot, melon, cherries. I keep searching, and I keep finding. Great aroma!
Hops are plentiful on the palate. An entire garrison is deployed upon the tongue, but it swiftly subsides. Taste is ultimately very smooth and mellow, but less complex than I'd prefer in a hoppy IPA. Smelled great, tasted blase. Oh, well.
I do thank Uglyradio for sending it.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2003 20:11:16 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a golden color with a thin white lace head. The aroma is good. It has a nice light maltiness to it along with a mild addition of citrousy aroma hops. It seems to be a bit dry and refreshing. The taste is good. It has a nice pale malt core along with a super bitter hop bite. It goes down smooth and finishes dry. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a fine IPA. It is a bitter tasting brew with a nice hop aroma.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2004 00:33:06 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.15/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bere is orange with a one finger head, completely clear, moderate to low carbonation.

Aroma is mildly fruity with a mild pine backbone.

Beer is medium to thin in body and tastes like sulfur with some moderate bitterness on the backend. The overall feel of hte beer is OK, the drinkability is fine but this is clearly a bargain basement crappy IPA for the masses from Mass. I am unimpressed and will continue to overlook this particular IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2011 03:18:08 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

3.83/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a copper/burgandy color with a tan, two-finger head. Left some lace.

S - It smelled of a good deal of hops. A a toasty malt aroma.

T - It tasted of bitter hops bite, very grassy. It also had a good sweet maltiness.

M - It was crisp and sharp. It was a medium-bodied brew.

D - This is a very nice IPA. An impressive beer for their flagship brew.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2007 22:58:56 | More by zeff80

MasterSki

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On-tap at the Abbey Pub; went with this when I heard that Daisy Cutter was out. Served in a pint glass.

A - White foam settles to partial cap, thick collar, and splotchy lace. Transparent dark golden body.

S - Even though Harpoon says this uses US-grown hops, I'm wondering if they're American variants of English strains like Willamette or Cluster. There's a very earthy, grassy, and tea-like vibe going on here, along with fruity ale yeast, and a touch of toffee malt. I get perhaps a touch of grapefruit or lemon in the periphery. (Upon consulting Harpoon's website, this is dry-hopped with Cascade, but there's no info about flavor hops).

T - The taste has a bit more citrus and lemon zest. There's a bready and lightly sweet toffee malt backbone, followed by moderate herbal bitterness and tea-like astringency; perhaps a bit of aspirin in there as well. More hoppy than I expected, but on the bittering side rather than the flavor side of things.

M - Fairly zesty carbonation, more grainy than your typical IPA, medium body, with a dry and slightly gritty finish. Some mild alcohol warmth comes as a surprise.

D - This was better than I was expecting, especially if you frame it as a transitional IPA between English and American traditions. Still, the bitterness and astringency gets a bit fatiguing and the flavor is a bit dull in general. I'd drink it again if I was really desperate (like I was last Wednesday) but there are much better options available virtually everywhere in Chicago.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2012 05:23:08 | More by MasterSki

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap 2/23/07 at The Celtic Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The smell is faint, but has a good floral hops content, with a mild background of caramelized malt and citrus.

T: It starts out with a good hops burst as an IPA should. The thing with this beer though is that I find the hops taste has much more of that “cut grass” flavor than any other beer that I’ve had. There’s a decent caramelized malt backbone and a slight citrus sweetness. The after-taste is of course hoppy and pleasantly bitter.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, dry and clean finish.

D: Tasty, goes down ok, good kick, slightly filling, good representation of style. The first time that I had this beer I didn’t like it at all, but since then it has grown on me, which is fortunate for me as a hophead, because it’s the most common IPA in the area on-tap.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2007 16:22:14 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out with a nice looking golden color with a thick looking white head on top. The head leave some scattered lacing on the glass with a decent retention. The smell of the beer was hoppy, with a nice amount of malt on the nose too. The taste of the beer is hoppy but not hard to handle, it's a subtle IPA. The mouthfeel is crisp and clean feeling. Overall it's a good social IPA, where you can drink this on a regular basis and not get too sick of it.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 19:42:04 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured golden with a 1" white head. Some lacing & minmal head retention

S: Floral hops

T: Floral hops combines with fruittyness up front. Slight cirtus/lemon hops. Finishes fruitty dry & zesty

MF: Medium bodied with good carbonation & balance

Drank too easy, a good ipa with a bit of English influnce IMO

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2006 05:07:22 | More by russpowell

emerge077

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

BBD: 6/10/08

Poured a light, dull amber color, visible streams of carbonation, sizeable head. Soapy texture to the foam, with some lacing.

Aroma was a little faint, honey and vague noble hop, like a Helles.

Tasted fine, sort of mild. Lower bitterness, herbal & floral notes mostly. Lingering hop taste. Label says "highly-hopped" yet it's not very bitter at all. Feel is a bit prickly, not bad, sort of middle of the road. Easy to drink and certainly thirst-quenching. I'll revisit this review with a fresher bottle in the future.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2008 23:55:26 | More by emerge077

Gavage

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a golden yellow color with a one finger head that falls quickly. No lacing develops.

Smell: citrus and hop bitterness are detectable.

Taste: grapefruit citrus, a biting bitterness, and a hint of overripe pears. Malt is a touch on the grainy side too.

Mouthfeel: crisp from start to finish. Medium bodied. Aftertaste is long on the bitterness and citrus.

Drinkability: pretty decent drinking beer. Several of these can be quaffed in a session. This is a beer that I revisit a few times over the year, but it is not a staple IPA in my house.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2006 14:11:44 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap and in a bottle at a local bar...I asked the bartender to just place the two next to each other without my looking. I tried each and prefered the bottle. I have tried both before - and tried it on tap at other places. I thought it was my imagination, but the bottle is better. The tap isn't BAD, but lacks the fresh crispness that the bottle has.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2006 02:23:33 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A nice, solid, and affordable IPA. I picked at a 12 pack at Wegmans for $13. Its a touch light in color and head, but has great lacing. Smells of citrus and grapefuit. Tastes of biscuit malts and citrus hops. A nice kick of bitterness, but nothing you cant handle. Easy to drink and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2006 18:59:57 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a serving of Harpoon IPA at the satellite brewpub in Windsor, VT.

Appearance: The ale is a deep yellow, almost orange color with no haze. There is a bit of head, but nothing to get excited about.

Smell: The ale has a very strong citrusy hop aroma that dominates the nose.

Taste: The hops are strong here, adding a very pleasant bitter flavor. The malt body is incidental, providing enough balancing to prevent the beer from being a bomb.

Mouthfeel: The hops are crisp and clean and provide a truly good flavor kick.

Drinkability: The ale is very drinkable with a firm hop character that is spicy without numbing the tastebuds.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2006 03:21:35 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears a golden copper tone with an off white mother of pearl tinted creamy full head while leaving some nice residual lacing. The aroma is slightly citric, but predominantly a nice floral hop aroma with a good bit of malt sweetness balancing out the over scent of this beer. Can't say the aroma is amazingly memorable, but I can say this is a nice pleasant go to at this point very solid brew. The taste flavor is a mellow creamy balance of malty goodness blended with a floral bitter hop profile, I can tell that this beer is a little dumbed down from the guidelines of a typical IPA not getting the hop satisfaction that any true hophead is yearning for. Like I said not a failure but not a favorite at the same time. Mouthfeel is lighter in body with a nice chewy texture to it, not thick and cloying chewy just some pleasant and welcoming body to this beer. Overall what can I say no off flavors maybe lack of some hop bitterness, but overall a dangerously drinkable well made beer in my book.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2003 21:04:27 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a crystal clear amber with a nice crème head. Nose is hops with a strong leaning towards very live tree evergreen tree needles. Flavor is hops all in the mouth. But it certainly isn't obliterating my palate. It stays smooth and even, and after a long time, I get a rather earthy aftertaste that some might say was dirty. Feel has a lot of carbonation that goes over the tongue. This is drinkable yes. Seems like the tail end of it could use more balance or rounding out, but overall it is still a good IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2008 06:05:57 | More by RblWthACoz