Harpoon IPA - Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

ckollias

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a pub glass.

A: Pours a clear golden hue with a white 2-finger head that quickly dissipates into a wispy lace.

S: Nice hoppy aroma that is crisp and clean.

T: Crisp hoppy flavor that is slightly bitter and tart. Finishes in the dry side of sweet.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Solid ale – very balanced and well hopped!

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 23:27:40 | More by ckollias

Treyliff

West Virginia

3.13/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A- Golden straw color with small white head.

S- hoppy, but doesn't seem as hoppy as most ipa's. A little more malts than expected as well.

T- grassy and citrus hops with a bit of sweet grain.

M- average carbonation, very drinkable.

O- This is an good IPA, its very drinkable but seems to lack enough spicy hop kick in the smell and taste department. however, because of this, you could easily drink a few.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 00:32:54 | More by Treyliff

Gmann

New York

3.05/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly hazy golden straw color with a short wispy white head that settles into a sparse cap.

The aroma is of a floral hop with some orange and apricot scents. The malt is bready with a honey sweetness. Smells more malty than hoppy.

The taste is of a sweet honey malt with some cereal grains. The hops are grassy with some citrus. A slight hint of asprin towards the end.

The feel is moderate with tingly carbonation. Pretty balanced between the sweet and the bitter; finishes slightly dry.

Definition of an average IPA. Its quite drinkable but the flavor is just ho hum.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 22:59:05 | More by Gmann

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

Ilovesuds

New Hampshire

4.13/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep golden color with a fluffy, sticky head of foam. Pleasing citrus nose. Taste is grapefuit, pine combined with earthy notes. Terrific balance with this beer. Great sudsy mouthfeel. Always has been my "go to" beer of choice. It never disappoints.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 21:52:03 | More by Ilovesuds

happy4hoppybeer

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Having had their rather excellent Leviathan Imperial IPA, I thought I'd try this when I saw it was available on-tap at my local bar.

From notes:

Light golden orange, with moderate fluffy white head. Average retention. Very little lacing.

Some sweet smells of fruits, some very sweet malt, and some citrus. Hops are present, but under-served.

Sweet fruits, and overly sweet malt, a little citrus here, and then some hops somewhere in between. Some grains, and breadiness is apparent. Medium body, maybe a little on the thin side, high carbonation.

Rather disappointing as an IPA. The hops are not very well-served, overemphasized sweetness and grains, thus not as hoppy as it should be. And at only 5.9% ABV, it's a rather weak one.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2011 17:20:08 | More by happy4hoppybeer

MattSweatshirt

Texas

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

12 oz bottle into my Lil Wayne pint glass. The go to pint glass.

Gold color, most of the head dissipates, not much lacing left.

Floral hop smell, some sweet laffy taffy type smell. I might be too far gone to be reviewing this but that’s what I got from a cold bottle from the fridge. It goes away after warming for sure just leaving a hoppy smell.

Not much hop flavor popping in my mouth that I expect from an IPA. Good but not all too exciting. Fairly malty.

A good beer for sure but its lacking as far as IPA’s are concerned.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 06:51:35 | More by MattSweatshirt

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap poured into pint glass. I have had this so many times...from a can, tap, bottle, and even at the brewery. This beer, for me anyway, is a solid IPA. Its always good and available at most restaurants and bars who at least try to expand beyond Macros...
Its hoppy, but not overdone. Light, refreshing, and easy drinking.
Its up there as one of my go to IPAs...especially cool that it comes in a can, for festivals and concerts...

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2011 16:24:37 | More by DrinkSlurm

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to my good friend Jay for supplying this to me. Poured into a beer mug.

A: Typical IPA body. The body is a somewhat cloudy amber color, and it has a two-finger slightly off-white head with good retention and lacing.

S: It's weird...and not the pleasant kind of weird that I get with the Ranger IPA, either. A bit funky, but a nice scent of up-front, piny bitterness.

T: As the nose dictates, the hop bitterness is upfront and spicy, but the bready malts help keep in check. About what I expect from an east-coast IPA.

M: Shockingly silky overall, might be one of the smoothest IPAs I've ever had. Medium-bodied overall with somewhat high carbonation, and easy going down, too.

O: Not groundbreaking, but it's enjoyable and nicely balanced - qualities I look for in an IPA. Great introduction to the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 23:33:42 | More by ThisWangsChung

KarlosT

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Good generic everyday IPA. The IPA's are definitely an acquired taste. This seems to be in the middle of the IPA's in term of hoppiness/bitterness. But this is probably a good starter IPA to get accusomed to this beer style.

I find there is no after taste, which makes this IPA particularly clean and fresh.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 01:31:28 | More by KarlosT

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

At All Star Bar attached to Romeo's Pizza (Yarmouth, ME):

In a pint glass:

A: clear, bubbly, and light gold in color, white frothy head with good sticky lacing that doesn't last

S: floral, citrus, and some grassy pine, subdued malts come out as it warms

T: mild citrus hop flavor, malts come out as it warms

M: medium, somewhat sticky coating the mouth and tongue, sessionable, sticky finish, no aftertaste

O: pretty good American IPA, maltier than most AIPA's, but hey I'd come back to it

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2011 01:00:24 | More by kangarooAdam59

darylvelez

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +26.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is my favorite beer. I could drink it everyday, if it weren't for becoming an alcoholic. I love local beer, and this is the best in the Boston area. Deep malty color, medium body, great hoppy taste this is my IPA standard and furthermore standard beer. Long live Harpoon IPA!

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2011 00:16:02 | More by darylvelez

Gtreid

Florida

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

12 oz. bottle poured into a tulip.

A: Light orange color. The pour left a finger and a half of eggshell white head, that didn't leave much lace.

A: Decent hop aroma up front, some sweet citrus consiting of orage, pineapple, and tangerine. A bit of pine sap as well. Additional notes of caramel sweetness.

T: Pretty sweet at the begining. Nice hop and malty flavor in the middle, but does not finish well. Not as bitter as I would like.

M: Medium body and good levels of carbonation.

O: Pretty fair beer. There are much better ipa's out there, but this one's not bad. Would have again. Skal.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 22:43:56 | More by Gtreid

bushbeer75

Michigan

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

12 oz brown bottle

Harpoon IPA poured a clear copper color producing a 1-finger white head that formed “start and stop” lacing around the walls of my glass mug. The nose was dominated by citrus hops with flora hops taking a secondary role. The flavor of grapefruit citrus controlled the taste with a medium lingering bitter after taste. Mouth feel is medium, crisp and clean.

Overall, Harpoon IPA is a solid IPA that doesn’t overpower you with bitterness. The IPA is worth ago if you enjoy the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 18:42:12 | More by bushbeer75

Dhgirl

Florida

3.23/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass
Has a light golden hue with a frothy white head present. Provided an adequate amount of lacing.
The aroma is sweet and mildly hoppy.
This IPA has a light and refreshing taste.
Mouth feel is simple with a luminous carbonation.
Overall this is a great IPA to enjoy on a summer's day poolside.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 19:48:09 | More by Dhgirl

hdelavega

Florida

3.68/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured to a tulip glass.
Pours a light golden yellow, an aggressive pour yielded a fizzy 2 finger head that didn't last very long but left some pretty nice lacing.
The aroma is has a nice citrusy, grassy hop to it, there is a sweet honey like body to the aroma as well.
The flavor is pretty typical of a simple IPA. Hoppy with a bit of malt to support the bitterness. Pretty transparent. Mouth feel is nice and light with bright carbonation and a pretty clean finish.
Overall a nice clean simple IPA.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 02:47:07 | More by hdelavega

mattsdenney

Tennessee

2.93/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from 12 oz. bottle. Best by date 12/15/11.

A: Clear, bubbly, light gold in color. Massive frothy head with good sticky lacing. I prefer my IPA's to be cloudier and slightly darker in color than this appears.

S: Floral, citrus, and grassy pine. Smells crisp.

T: Mild citrus hop flavor. Grassy flowery after taste. The taste isn't bad but it is very underwhelming. Tastes weak and watered down. No bite, hop presence more at a level of an average pale ale or golden ale. The lightness in color is always a dead giveaway!

M: Somewhat sticky and frothy. Smooth and slick. Nice consistency.

O: Well I thought for sure that this would better represent as it seems to have been around forever. I am however disappointed overall. The weakest IPA I've ever had in terms of hop presence. Can think of countless other IPA's that are <6% abv that provide a better experience related to this style. Shouldn't have bought a sixer. Oh well.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 23:02:38 | More by mattsdenney

Samp01

New Jersey

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

Pours a nice clear golden hue with a small off white head with nice lacing. Earthy piney hops, some spicy grapefruit hit the senses followed by some nice malt and yeast. Taste of earthy piney hops, some nice citrusy grapefruit notes and some nice malt and yeast. Palate is a nice medium to full body, and good carbonation. Finishes with an earthy piney hoppiness, some spicy grapefruit tones balanced by some nice biscuit caramel malt, some yeast and a bit of a nutty flavor. Overall a nicely balanced and drinkable IPA.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 21:30:12 | More by Samp01

Crossmd

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured 39 degrees Fahrenheit into a shaker pint. Best by 10.15.11(yikes.)

Pours a hazy orangy-gold with a half finger white head that dissipates relatively quickly.

Smells of some sour candied orange, a hint of wheat grain maybe? Not well projected at all.

Tastes of a clean citrus hop attack that dries down almost immediately, leaving just a hint of wheat in the back of the palate. Almost acts initially like it might go the way of cloying, before amazingly almost cleaning up completely. Really pretty drinkable for this reason though, and one that means that I would imagine this would go really pretty well with food. Not especially memorable, and not something I'm going to jump at the next time I see it.

86.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 22:17:44 | More by Crossmd

MrTopher

California

2.15/5  rDev -40.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A – Pours and almost clear yellow color, similar to an adjunct lager. There is a small white head that develops, but then disappears quickly and leaved no lacing as all.

S – I get a faint bready malt and mild hop character, but it’s hardly there on the boarder of non-existent.

T – Am I drinking an IPA or am I drinking a lager? This beer has hardly any hop character and hardly any malt character. It is like drinking some adjunct lager. It is a clean and crisp beer, but as for flavors I got some mild malt on the bready side and a very small hop character that has a mild citrus to it. Huge let down.

M – Good on this end, it was well carbonated maybe a little overly carbonated for my liking. The mouth feel was very thin.

O – This was a huge let down, then again I don’t know what more I was expecting, but they could have added more flavor to this than they did, it was just hanging there without anything giving it life.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 18:42:13 | More by MrTopher

troysoy2

Pennsylvania

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

Appears to be a nice IPA, but nothing special pops out in particular. It has a good copper color, the head, half a finger dies down quickly to a dusting on the surface of the beer. Not much lacing to speak of.

It smells of sweet hops, with a little malt presence to balance it out. Citrusy, a hint of grapefruit. The smell isn't terribly strong, but it is pleasant.

Grapefruit, lots of grapefruit. It's not really all that bitter though, so it almost captures more of the sweet side of the grapefruit taste. The mouthfeel is foamy, with a lively sense of carbonation. Not the slightest bit syrupy.

Overall, this is a pleasant brew. The sweeter taste than many IPAs means that this may be something to turn to if you're looking for a nice, easy-drinking, sessionable IPA. Sadly, with so many IPAs out there, Harpoon IPA may fall to the wayside. Good stuff, just nothing about it really screams "unique".

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 06:53:57 | More by troysoy2

jtierney89

New Jersey

1.5/5  rDev -58.7%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a hazy orange with about 2a fingers of head that retains pretty well, lots of citric hops on the nose. Some critic and biscuits sweetness up front but it finishes with a citric bouquet of hops that rounds it out nicely. Decent carbonation and light to medium in body. Decent ipa but nothing really stands out about. Could make a good session ipa if the hop bitterness didn't build so quickly and in a bad way.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 17:48:14 | More by jtierney89

gabedivision

New York

3.25/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle to a Brandy Snifter.
Best by 1-11-12(pretty fresh)

Pours a pretty crystal clear copper orange with a half inch finger head that thins to a slimy lace. Fruity hop characteristics on the nose met with sweet bready malts, nice peach or orange picked up in the hops, and light and subtle alcohol like sugar on the end. Bitter hops flood the tongue, but do not over take it, the mellow malt smooths it out on the end, leaves a slightly bitter finish. Light-Medium on the body creamy and smooth, very easy to drink. Overall; This beer is a nice and easy session IPA, it doesnt have a dominate hop presence and thats what does it in for me. I need more hop out of my IPA than what this gives me, considering that, back to the drawing board.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 03:55:37 | More by gabedivision

rmalinowski4

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass while dining at Red Robin in Rochester NY.

Appearance is a crystal clear bright yellow. There was minimal head with some lacing on the glass.

The smell was bready malt and some floral citrus smells in the background. The malt is the dominant smell.

The taste is clean and crisp malt followed by a lingering bitterness. There is no citrus to be had, just crisp malt and bitter hops.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with very nice carbonation, I am mesmerized watching the bubbles rise up in the glass.

Overall, this is a decent IPA. Good malt backbone, very nice carbonation and mouthfeel. The only down side are the hops. Just too bitter and not enough citrus or aroma.

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2011 16:04:47 | More by rmalinowski4

BigMike

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Light copper orange in color. A thin khaki colored head that goes away quickly. Slighty hazy.

S: Light floral and citrus on the nose. Nothing that really jumps out at you.

T: I got to the end of the glass and forgot i was even drinking a beer. This thing just kind of went by uneventfully. A slight bitterness on the finish is the only lingering flavor. The initial floral notes are gone before you know it.

M: Light bodied. Decent carbonation.

Overall: Nothing special going on here. A non offensive IPA thats pretty easy to drink and would be at home on a hot day.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2011 19:11:31 | More by BigMike