390. Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #32 Pott’s Landbier

More Harpoon and more 100 Barrel Series. We’re chalking up Harpoon beers like we were writing up one of those big boards that hang in restaurants—you know, the ones where everything is written in chalk? Anyway, this is beer number nine from Harpoon, the most recent in a long line of beers including including 100 Barrel Series #31 Single Hop ESB, 100 Barrel Series #30 Island Creek Oyster Stout, 100 Barrel Series #28 Glacier ’09 Wet Hop, 100 Barrel Series #27 Helles Blond Bock, Octoberfest, Leviathan Saison Royale, 100 Barrel Series #24 Glacier ’08 Wet Hop and their IPA.

Pott’s Landbier (as opposed to the reciprocal Pott’s Fieldbier) pours a clear amber with light tiny bubbles in the glass and a creamy ivory head. The nose is grainy and fruity with possibly some melanoidin—it is very reminiscent of an Oktoberfest beer, which it may be, although it doesn’t say anything about that in the bottle (well, unless “amber-hued lager” equals Oktoberfest—either that, or a bock). Flavors start lightly sweet and grainy, with caramel and biscuit malt flavors dancing lightly in the background. The middle has less sweetness and more biscuit than the front with some fruitiness and bitterness that runs on into the finish, which is characterized by a light graininess and bitterness, couple with a touch of creaminess and some classic German-esque lager flavor (we’d call it patented German lager flavor, but the patent rights have expired). The body is medium with a grainy and dry mouthfeel—it is slightly tacky on the palate, although there is a fair amount of a residual malt component to it. Carbonation is light, but brighter on the palate in the final third, creating a crispness in the finish. Pott’s Landbier is marked by the malt characteristics; while the label notes the “spicy hop character,” this strikes us as much more malty that hoppy—there is a bit of bitterness, but no real spiciness, at least nothing more than a regular German-style lager would have. Which is, by proxy, pretty minimal. Nonetheless, Pott’s Landbier is a smooth, easy drinking beer.

From the bottle: “A collaboration with our friends at Pott’s Braueri in Oelde, Germany, this amber-hued lager has a smooth body and spicy hop character.”

From the Harpoon website: “This beer, the 32nd in the series, has was inspired by our friend Joerg Pott of Pott’s Brauerei in Oelde, Germany. Pott’s master brewer, Peter Wienstroer, collaborated with Harpoon’s Todd Charboneau to brew this beer. The origins of this beer go back to 2003 when a group of German brewers, including Rainer and Joerg Pott of Pott’s Brauerei, took a tour of American breweries that included Harpoon. A few years later in 2007 Joerg joined the Harpoon staff for the summer months to learn more about American craft beer. During Joerg’s 3-month tenure at Harpoon, the idea of brewing a beer together was mentioned often, but the timing never quite seemed to work out–until now. Pott’s Landbier, or ‘country beer,’ is a traditional session lager with a decidedly malty backbone made up of a blend of German and North American malts. The smooth malt character is tempered by the German bittering hop Magnum, which lends a clean, crisp balance. This beer is finished with more German hops for a spicy herbal palate and aroma. Fermented with Pott’s proprietary lager yeast–and imbued with over 240 years of German brewing tradition–this is just the beer to quench your summer thirst.”

ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 30
OG: 12° P

Brewed: 5/18/10

Bottled: 6/14/10

(7/25/2010)