566. Pretty Things Once Upon a Time November 22nd, 1838 X Ale

Since we’re currently in a historical frame of mind, it seems appropriate to pull out this beer for the evening, part of a historical recreation project between Pretty Things and Ron Pattinson. As the label offers, “Once Upon a Time on November 22nd, 1838, a brewer brewed this very recipe in a now extinct London brewery. The veracity of this 174 year old X Ale is thanks to the private research of Mr. Ron Pattison, a resident of Amsterdam. In collaboration with Ron we present this beer with our Best Returns of the Day.” While I can’t add much to this besides my love of historical beer (although there is more below from both the bottle and the Once Upon a Time website that is interesting regarding the shifting history of this particular style), I will note that we’ve seen Pretty Things this way once before with Jack D’Or Saison Americain. We haven’t seen Ron Pattinson before, which is, well, a crime against humanity. But then again, I do live in Dayton.

X Ale pours a cloudy straw with a thin white head that hangs around moderately; the nose is lemon, earth, and mustiness along with a fair amount of yeast esters. Flavors open with bright lemon and light gumminess, leading into herbal bitterness and pith. In the background, there are buttery toast and bread crust hints rounding the whole. Malt flavors are sweet and bright, continuing on into the finish with herbal and mineral bitterness to the front and bready malt to the back, along with a touch of herbal lemon. The texture is a bit coarse, mainly from the bitterness, but it is still bright and pleasant, just a bit rough. The carbonation is medium to bright, which helps accentuate some of the hop and malt flavors, and the body has some heft and substance. We’re not sure we’d ever position this as a mild—or even mild-derived—if we weren’t told so by the bottle: it tastes much more like a farmhouse saison or something in the rustic vein. But in many ways, that’s the point behind a project like this: charting the transformation of beer and style parameters. Still, a delightful and enjoyable beer, one we’re happy to have to gotten the opportunity to try, specifically as this beer helps to clarify the importance of the evolving elements of style that most people do not readily grasp. And that’s saying a whole mouthful. So thank you, Ron Pattinson, for all you do.

From the bottle: “Mild was a hugely popular style for more than a century (1800-1900s). Here, we have released two Milds side-by-side, which represent beers from opposite ends of that period. Over those years, Mild changed considerably: something these beers amply demonstrate. Though bearing the same name, X Ale, in character they could hardly be more dissimilar. The 1830s saw the beginning boom in Mild ale brewing, which in 30 years became England’s favorite beer. This beer, 1838 X Ale is a typical London mild of the era: bigger and more robustly hopped than modern versions. Brewed from 100% pale malt and Kent hops, this is a straightforward, uncomplicated beer, much like the working classes who first drank it. The color is also much paler than you might expect. From this original form, Mild was to undergo many transformations, culminating in the second beer in this series, February 22nd, 1945. Drink them side-by-side to compare how this beer style evolved.”

From the Once Upon a Time website: “Our new releases in March 2012! Two X Ales from the same London brewery, 107 years apart: these beers were brewed and sold as the ‘same beer.’ But they weren’t the same beer at all! This side-by-side release allows you to taste history in a very direct, beat-you-about-the-head kind of way. The beers are whoppingly, fantastically different. There’s no way you would think they are connected by the same brewery, brand name and style. Isn’t history wonderful? Ron Pattinson once again provided recipes and brewday documents for these beers. The 1838 Mild (X Ale) is 7.4%, golden and very hoppy: if you tried our 1832 XXXX Mild ale, you could certainly see this as it’s little brother. The 1945 Mild (X Ale) is 2.8% and more of a mild-as-we-know-it. Dark, weak, grainy. It’s a fantastic way to get yourself into a World War II rationing frame of mind (Note; we recommend drinking this a bit warmer than the fridge). All in all, these beers drunk either alone or side by side demonstrate brewing history in action, and even more wonderfully, they reflect the massive changes that occurred in London between 1838 and 1945, the intimate relationship between working people and their beers, and the passion and creativity that brewers throughout the ages have applied to their craft. We are honored to re-brew these beers, and we give Ron our heartfelt thanks once again for making it possible. Prepare for some time traveling from the comfort of your pint-glass-accompanied armchair! Cheers!”

ABV: 7.4%
First brewed: November 22nd, 1838
This batch: February 13th, 2012

And yes, this beer was a year-plus old. Not that it tasted like it.

(6/7/2013)

542. Harpoon Leviathan Baltic Porter

It’s been a while since we’ve tried much from Harpoon; in fact, I’d forgotten this particular beer was hidden away in the basement. But I bought it and socked it away a couple of years ago, hoping and waiting for a day just like today, when Elli proclaimed that it was time to sample some delicious older beers. And the circle has now come complete. Previous examples of Elli’s maritime fixation include Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #32 Pott’s Landbier, 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. That’s a lot.

Leviathan Baltic Porter pours a crystal clear rich molasses brown with a light tan head; there are a fair number of garnet highlights peeking through this beer, and the nose is rich in chocolate—both lighter cocoa and darker rich chocolate—mixed with dark fruit, specifically raisin and fig. Behind that, there is also molasses and caramel. Flavors start with caramel and dark chocolate, followed by raisin and cocoa in the middle. The fruit flavors drop in the finish, leaving a mix of chocolate and cocoa, with the cocoa lingering the longest. As the beer warms, molasses and brown sugar flavors emerge, both in the front and in the finish, and the carbonation develops a bit more bite as well—it was initially a bit sluggish when it came out of the bottle, but gets lighter on the tongue as it warms. The fruit flavors also recede with warmth, giving the beer a creamy, rounded, and chewy mouthfeel. As well, there is no discernible alcohol heat or warmth, which enhances the sipping character of this beer. All in all, it would appear that the time spent in the basement has served this beer well. While it is not quite a Baltic Porter anymore—the lighter lager characteristics in the finish are buried under layers of chocolate and dark fruit—it is still a very good and very enjoyable beer. Here’s to more lurking creatures from the depths...

From the bottle: “Dark fruit and bittersweet chocolate notes meld into a spicy finish of this hearty brew made with de-husked roasted malts and a lager yeast.”

ABV: 9.5%
Bottled: 11/13/2009

(11/18/2012)

401. Pretty Things Jack D’Or Saison Americain

Here’s another special treat I brought back from Brooklyn. We invited Jeff over to try this, because, well, that’s what we do. This is our first beer from Pretty Things, which is described on the label as “Good Time Artisanal Beers brewed in Massachusetts.” They’re based in Cambridge, but describe themselves as a “gypsy brewery.” Harump. I’d being having good times too if I got to travel around and brew at other people’s facilities. And just in case all of you out there were wondering, we’re also available for any such brewing chicanery you should need. All you need to do is ask...

Jack D’Or pours a lightly hazy gold with a thin white head; the nose is lightly acidic and slightly candy malt sweet. Flavors start with faint hints of malt sweetness and graininess that quickly fade into the dry and lightly bitter middle. The finish is minerally and even chalky with a touch of lingering bitterness, but other than that rather clean. Jack D’Or has a dry and minerally mouthfeel; the bright carbonation further dries out the beer on the palate, leaving not much besides the initial touch of sweetness, some bitterness, and the chalky/mineral components. The nose is sweeter than the body; with the addition of the yeast from the bottle, there is a bit of softness and breadiness that is added to the flavor profile and mouthfeel. As well, as the carbonation mellows, a small amount of chewiness emerges, although there is still quite a bit of the chalky and minerally components to close out the beer. A good saison, especially as an American version, although it is not one of the very best. Still, Jack D’Or is drinkable and certainly enjoyable.

Contemplating beer.

From the label: “Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project is a husband & wife venture based in Cambridge, MA. We brew our own beers in other people’s breweries. Our beers are inspired by fun times and happy days. Here’s to that! Cheers from Dann & Martha.”

Bored with beer.

From the Pretty Things website: “‘Jack D’Or’ is a simple table beer, or ‘Saison Americain’ as we’re referring to it. We are not trying to coin a beer style–we’re just having fun. At PRETTY THINGS we don’t brew styles per se. Instead, we re-imagine everything and leave the style numbers in books on the shelves where they belong. What that means is that while other people might be able to put our beers into a category, we have a hard time with it! Our beers are first and foremost creative beasts, not ‘types’ of beer. Jack D’Or is the kind of beer Martha and I like to drink before, after and during a great meal. Heck, we’ll drink this sort of beer any time. On our honeymoon in France and Belgium we stashed quite a few cases of Wallonian beer into our trunk. Every night after setting up our tent we’d cook lardons and lentils on our camp stove and enjoy fresh ‘saison’ under the stars. Inspired by some of our favorites saisons like Saison DuPont, but also DeRanke’s XX Bitter, De Dolle’s Arabier, and local table IPAs like Smuttynose, our Jack D’Or starts off with North American Pils, Vienna, Wheat and Malted Oats (among others) and is hopped with a combination of four hops, finishing with Palisade and Nugget. Fermentation-wise we use a blend of three yeast strains to give Jack D’Or its refreshingly dry character. Finally, despite all of the spicy flavours in this beer it contains no actual spices–only malt, oats, sugar, hops and yeast. One more time: there are no spices whatsoever in Jack D’Or! We reserve the right to make this beer better on a batch-to-batch basis, but we promise to keep you up to date with any changes that we make. That said, revealing too much of what we’re doing takes away some of the fun, so we’re not going turn this beer into a set of numbers and raw materials on here either.”

ABV: 6.5%
Bottled: June 2010
Batch 16

(8/6/2010)

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)

385. Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #31 Single Hop ESB

It’s been a while since we hit up Harpoon—which means it could be about time to revive the over-used references to Elli’s love of all things whaling and maritime/nautically-related. Because nothing says love like salt water, blubber, and Moby Dick. Ahem. This is beer features the latest addition to Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series. It also marks our eighth beer from Harpoon, including 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. So pass the bottle and twist the cap...

Single Hop ESB pours a deep burnished copper with a thin ivory head that hangs around like that little brother who would never leave you the fuck alone. The nose is a mix of biscuit and grainy malt aromas with a touch of fruitiness to accompany the malt. There is also something of a molasses and/or treacle and/or dark caramel toffee creaminess that lurks underneath all of this, but is hard to specifically isolate—hence the equivocation. Flavors start with a dry grainy biscuit flavor; the middle has low levels of earthiness coupled with more of the graininess and some mild cola flavor (the same as you’d find in a mild brown) followed by some light spiciness. The finish is lightly bitter—just a touch—with some light fruitiness and creaminess, closing out with some graininess reminiscent of rye beers, but without the rye flavor. I’d call the final touch just a bit of dirt, but that seems not to capture what we see as something positive in the finish. Single Hop ESB has a medium body with a flat, clean, British mouthfeel that still carries a bit of creaminess. The carbonation is low to medium, and plays more of a rounding role on the palate than anything else. The lingering grainy browness does help push this into the realm of British beers, even though the label informs us that the beer uses Delta, a new American hop (well, and the ESB style is decidedly British). Good, drinkable, and certainly quaffable; Elli said she’d wouldn’t necessarily chose this beer, but then again, she wouldn’t complain if this was what she got served. I’ll give it about the same—it is good across the board, but it does need a little something more to push it into the exciting category.

From the bottle: “Hopped entirely with Delta—a new American hop varietal—this Extra Special Bitter has a unique earthy/fruity hop taste and a rich malt body.”

From the Harpoon website: “The 31st offering from the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series is the Single Hop ESB, brewed by Harpoon brewer Charlie Cummings. Already excited about crafting an Extra Special Bitter, Charlie jumped at the rare opportunity to brew this beer using one hop varietal, Delta, exclusively throughout the process. The Delta hop is a brand new American-grown hop developed by Hopsteiner. In fact, the Harpoon Single Hop ESB is the first beer in the world to be commercially brewed using the Delta hop. A cross between Fuggle and Cascade hops, Delta hops yield an unrestrained earthy/floral aroma and taste that compliment the rich flavors of traditional British malts and yeast. The recipe for this beer is a nod to the beloved Harpoon ESB, which was last brewed in 2002. However this version uses imported ingredients, except for the domestically grown Delta hops. Only a portion of the batch was filtered, leaving the full spectrum of flavor and aroma of this special new hop to enjoy.”

ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 38
OG: 14.8 °P
Brewed: 3/26/10

Bottled: 4/9/10

(7/20/2010)

255. Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #30 Island Creek Oyster Stout

More Harpoon! We’re back on that Harpoon tip—this is our seventh from the boys in Boston. We’ve had 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.

Island Creek Oyster Stout pours a deep brown with red highlights, and has a scrimshaw/whale tusk color head. That’s right, we’re giving you more beautiful maritime references with our Harpoon beer. The nose is roasty with a slight mineral tang, and the beer starts with light roasted and chocolate flavors before moving into mineral and low levels of saltiness in the middle. The finish is dry with a return of some of the roastiness, and is accompanied by a light chalky alkaline chocolate taste that lingers on the palate. Island Creek Oyster Stout has a medium body with some creaminess and tanginess as a part of the mouthfeel. The carbonation is medium, and helps smooth the beer across the body. The roasty flavors do increase with warmth. Island Creek Oyster Stout is an excellent and interesting beer across the board. We’d like to know exactly how many oysters went into the beer, and at what time intervals. We’d also like to know who got to eat all those oysters at the end of brewing. Damn. That would be delicious. So who’s gonna make the next oyster stout?

From the bottle: “This smooth stout is brewed with freshly harvested Island Creek Oysters. The roasted notes of the stout blend beautifully with the mineral flavors of the oysters.”

We figured that this beer needed some old-timey photos, so we went with the sepia tones...

From the Harpoon website: “The idea for the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Island Creek Oyster Stout came after years of enjoying locally harvested oysters over freshly brewed pints of beer with our friends from Island Creek. Stouts have long been paired with oysters, though seldom brewed with them. This is our take on the age-old tradition.

Brewed by Harpoon brewer Katie Tame, using Island Creek oyster farmer Skip Bennett’s revered Duxbury Bay oysters, this beer has a rich body and smooth mouthfeel derived in part from a combination of roasted barley and chocolate rye malts. The roasted malt notes blend beautifully with the briny, mineral flavors of the Island Creek oysters. An addition of hops adds some bitterness to balance the malt sweetness. This, the 30th installment of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, is best enjoyed with a plate full of Island Creek Oysters.

We hope beer and oyster lovers have as much fun drinking it as we had brewing it.”

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 35

OG: 15° P

Brewed: 1/21/2010
Bottled: 2/5/2010

(3/12/2010)

109. Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #28 Glacier Harvest ’09 Wet Hop

Our sixth beer from Harpoon. I’m calling a moratorium on maritime references, at least those of the Moby Dick variety. I’d take the pirate maritime slant, but Disney’s about killed that one forever. Thanks, Disney, for riding another one into the ground. I'll take my pirates as conceived by William S. Burroughs, thank you very much. Not quite the family friendly tales ala Disney, hmm? In that vein, how about I replace Melville with some good ol’ fashioned Edgar Allen Poe maritime references? After all, Arthur Gordon Pym is always a hoot.

Glacier ’09 Wet Hop is a redux of Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series #24 Glacier Harvest ’08. The labeling is the same, the write up on the website is the same, all the described calibrations are the same, but this beer ain’t the same one as offered last year. Maybe the soggy, wet summer affected the hop harvest that much—we’re not fully sure. All we know is that this one lacks some of the definitive hop qualities and characteristics that defined last year’s offering. But I might be getting ahead of myself...

Glacier ’09 Wet Hop is a clear reddish copper color with a creamy tan head that borders on rocky, and laces the glass nicely. The nose is bready and toasty with no real hop aromas—the closest thing to it is some graininess and low levels of a lager-esque aroma. The front opens with a dry, toasty malt flavor that moves into a slightly grainy middle—there is not much in the way of hop bitterness, although there are some low levels of astringency at the end of the beer. Besides the astringency, the end is pretty clean, with some of the malt returning. Glacier ’09 Wet Hop has a soft medium body with medium carbonation and some bite in the final third of the beer. As it warms, the body does get thinner, and there is some warmth on the palate that is not from alcohol later on in the beer. Ultimately, this beer strikes us as more of an Oktoberfest than a fresh hop—we’re not sure how or why to explain this, other than to observe that the hop profile on this beer was almost non-existent, and certainly not in line with any of the fresh hop beers we’ve ever tried. It’s a good beer, but if this is supposed to be a version of #24, Harpoon has failed miserably. And they are too good of a brewery to do that. So where does this leave us? Hell if I know. Our guess is either Oktoberfest in the wrong bottle, or this year’s version of Glacier ’09 Wet Hop just sucks as a fresh hop beer.

From the Harpoon website: “For the 28th session of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, we’re celebrating this year’s hop harvest with Glacier Harvest Wet Hop beer, a pale ale made with fresh Glacier hops. Wet hop beers are brewed using fresh, ‘wet’ hops instead of traditional dried hops—hops contain about 60% moisture when they are first picked. Typically, when hops are picked they are quickly dried and refrigerated to increase shelf life and make them more consistent for brewing. Freshly picked wet hops, however, need to be used within hours of harvest or they will begin to degrade rapidly. Wet hops retain more of their natural aroma and volatile flavors that dissipate when dried. This gives wet hop beers a fresher hop flavor and aroma than that of beers hopped with processed hops. This yields an immersed, intense hop flavor in the beer. Harpoon brewer Ray Dobens, creator of the beer, added a heroic dose of fresh hops the day of the harvest. The hop flavor and aroma from this copper-colored ale comes from a generous late addition of freshly harvested ‘wet’ hops.”

ABV: 6.7%
IBU: 38
OG: 16° P

So I haven’t been able to find any of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #29 to sample, which kinda chaps my hide, as it was Ginger Wheat, a beer that is one of my favorites. I’ve brewed Ginger Wheat more than any other beer—probably something like 20 batches in total. So any o’ you Harpoon hombres out there reading this that want to hook me up with some of that sweet sweet Ginger Wheat, your karmic numbers will be peaking, let me tell you.

For this meeting of the BJCP class, we all traveled to Cincinnati to participate in the Cincinnati Malt Infusers Oktoberfest Home Brew Competition. We all either judged or stewarded (I was a steward). Participating was a good way to get a sense of how beer judging runs.

(10/17/2009)

99. Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #27 Helles Blond Bock

Our fifth beer from Harpoon. You can call me Ishmael.

Harpoon’s Helles Blond Bock starts with a bready malt nose. The dull gold color and ivory head go well with the soft creamy mouthfeel. In terms of the flavor profile, Helles Blond Bock begins bready and sweet with some crispness in the front before moving into a sweet middle with some light carbonation bite. Finishing crisp and dry, there is also some light hop bitterness that lingers briefly. There are some caramel flavors that develop in the front of the beer as it warms, rounding the beer across the palate. Overall, and enjoyable and interesting beer.

From the bottle: “This German-style Bock balances bready malt sweetness with delicate hop bitterness; light-bodied, clean, and satisfying.”

From Harpoon’s website: “The 27th offering of Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series is Helles Blond Bock. This light amber beer has a bready aroma, creamy smooth mouthfeel, and a clean, lingering sweetness at the finish. Brewer Jaime Schier set out to create a beer with a robust body that was light in color and delicate on the palate. Jaime combined Pale Ale malt, Munich malt, and Black malt to give the beer its intense malt flavor. A German Bock yeast accentuates the malt character, yielding a slightly sweet aroma. German Noble hops add a touch of bitterness to balance the malt. This Helles Bock recipe comprised the most malt per 120-barrel batch ever brewed at Harpoon. Enjoy it on a warm, sunny day, with a big basket of pretzels and mustard.”

ABV: 7.4%
IBU: 15/30
OG 17.1° P

I also participated in the Trolley Stop’s monthly beer tasting (on the solo tip—some one wasn’t up to beer mayhem this evening): tonight’s line-up included Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere, Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest, Bell’s Best Brown, Heavy Seas Great Pumpkin, Rogue Dead Guy Ale (which is a Maibock—I still find that shocking), Two Brothers Heavy Handed, Bell’s Java Stout, Bell’s Double Cream, and Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale. Gots to love the Bell’s heavy line-up. I voted for the Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere, but as usual my wishes went against the crowd...

(10/7/2009)

90. Harpoon Octoberfest

Our fourth beer from Harpoon—besides the Leviathan Saison Royale, we’ve tried the Glacier ’08 Wet Hop and the IPA. I think I am about out of cheeky maritime references, especially ones with an Oktoberfest-inspired twist. I’ll keep thinking about it, though...

Harpoon’s Octoberfest has a dry sweet malty nose. The rich maple color is vibrantly clear, and it has minimal head and head retention. Starting dry, crisp, and nutty on the front, Octoberfest opens cleanly before moving into some malt sweetness with toasted notes and some carbonation bite in the middle, and finishing dry but not completely clean—it ends a bit too sweet. It doesn’t have that distinctive “I’m a lager taste” to it at the end; there are also some slight sour notes mixed with lingering hop bitterness in the tail end of the beer. Overall, the beer has a clean, smooth mouthfeel with decent bite from the carbonation, but the first half of the beer is much better than the second half.

From the bottle: “Harpoon Octoberfest features a malty, full-bodied taste and deep garnet-red color. We brew this marzen-style beer with festivals in mind. Celebrate with us. Prosit!”

From the Harpoon website: “Octoberfest beers are brewed with festivals in mind, and Harpoon Octoberfest is no exception. The Marzen style dates back to the days when refrigeration did not exist, making brewing in the summer impossible. The term Marzen refers to the month (March) when the last beer was brewed before summer. This beer would be lagered (stored) in ice caves until brewing resumed in the cool air of October. At this time, kegs of Marzen were tapped and enjoyed at harvest festivals. In 1810 at the wedding of Bavarian Crown Ludwig to Princess Theresa von Sachsen-Hildurghausen, the entire city of Munich celebrated with Marzen beer and the Octoberfest tradition was created.

The character and complexity of Harpoon Octoberfest comes from the malt and hops. When looking at a freshly poured Harpoon Octoberfest, you will notice the garnet-red color with a firm, creamy head. The beer’s color is from a blend of Munich, chocolate, and pale malt. The thick head results in part from wheat malt added to the grist. The hop aroma of this beer is not overpowering but it is present. Tettnang hops add a subtle spice nose that blends with the malt character. This beer is full-bodied, smooth, and malty. Willamettehops are used to provide a gentle bitterness and to balance any residual sweetness present from the malt. The finish is soft and malty with a mild bitterness.”

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 30

OG: 14.5° P

(9/28/2009)

86. Harpoon Leviathan Saison Royale

“Can someone say over-carbonated? This looks like one of my beers.”

Our third beer from Harpoon Brewing (first and second)—Elli does love her some nautically-themed beer. Especially one that involves the ancient art of whaling.

Leviathan starts with a monster white head, and we do mean monster—the yellow straw color took a little time to develop out of the large pillowy head. There was a sweet fruity candy nose, with apple, banana, and pear aromas along with some clove and general spiciness to it. Leviathan has a tart, slightly sour, and metallic opening; the sweetness in the beginning was more of the candy variety. The middle has a pleasant spiciness; some slight yeastiness emerges at the end, as does some sharp sourness. There are also more of the metallic flavors from the start that linger in the dry finish. Leviathan has a phenolic, slightly tart mouthfeel; there is a decent amount of sharpness on the palate. The carbonation bite hits in the middle to end of the beer. Overall, a very dry beer, and not a very coherent beer—there is a bit too much going on to create a balanced beer. Aging might help improve the flavors by allowing them to better marry, but the already high carbonation levels also leave this one something of a ticking time bomb—the tradeoff between improved flavor and exploding glass is a mighty thin line to balance. The metallic flavor also makes this taste more like a Belgian golden ale than a saison. Elli’s comment halfway through this one was “I want my old Harpoon back.” I guess fancy ain’t always better...

From the bottle: “Brewed with a unique blend of spices, Leviathan Saison features lots of fruity esters and spicy acidity. The finish is dry with delicate Noble hops notes.”

From Harpoon’s website: “Belgian Saisons were traditionally brewed to slake the thirst of 19th century farmhands. Our Saison Royale uses authentic ingredients with a nod to that tradition while staying true to our own craft brewing roots. German Pilsner and North American Pale malts are paired with Vienna malt, making up the hearty malt bill for this brew. It is hopped with British East Kent Goldings and finished with Hallertauers from the Tettnang growing region in Germany, adding a spicy, clean hop finish.

We fermented the beer with a Saison yeast strain to provide the spicy, earthy character familiar to the style. To accompany this character, we added white pepper and Rosemary during the brewing, which adds depth and complexity to this celebratory brew. The result is a truly complex and rich Saison, with a noble hop character and a spicy finish. Fit for a king, better enjoyed with friends.”

ABV: 9%
IBU: 25
OG: 19° P

(9/24/2009)

54. Wachusett Green Monsta Pale Ale

Green Monsta Pale Ale is from Wachusett Brewing Company in Westminster, MA. And as the label and website attests, it is a BIG Pale Ale. We hope those at Wachusetts don’t take this the wrong way, but it was not as big as we thought it would be.

Green Monsta has a bready, hoppy nose, and a reddish copper color with a creamy off-white head. Beginning with a dry malt and biscuit flavor and moving into sweeter maltiness with reciprocal hop bitterness, Green Monsta then finishes oddly: it is kind of sour or something, almost like the biscuitness returns to drown out the hop bitterness or there is some sort of lager finish going on. Either way, we weren’t sure what to make of it. The mouthfeel is smooth and medium bodied with a medium level of carbonation. All in all, it works, but we still feel let down by the promise of it being a BIG Pale Ale, and then getting this. You can call us lame for being suckers and believing in the advertising, but the truth is the reality still hurts when one’s hope is crushed. Khan!!!

From the Wachusett website: “A BIG PALE ALE with an awesome balance of Belgian malts with Fuggles and East Kent Golding hops.”

ABV: 6.4%

IBU: 53

(8/23/2009)

21. Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #24 Glacier Harvest ’08 Wet Hop Beer

Harpoon Brewing is located in Boston, MA. For all of you who were wondering, Boston is also home to the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial. And if you don't remember Glory, you should probably be beaten with a rubber hose. Beer and history--does it get any better than that?

Glacier Harvest ’08 Wet Hop has floral hops notes in the nose, but not much in the way of malt sweetness. The head is creamy and white, although somewhat limited. Glacier Harvest has a nice balance of malt & hops in the body: the light malt beginning blends well into the floral and citrus flavors, which then lead nicely into the smooth bitter finish, with the bitterness lingering nicely on the back of the tongue. Resin flavors increase with warmth in the middle of the beer, and the beer gets sweeter across the palate as it warms; malt characteristics also emerge in the nose as the beer warms. Carbonation is somewhat low to minimal, but it works well with the beer; while the initial mouthfeel is rather non-descript, the low carbonation allows the beer to roll over your tongue to develop flavors rather than just using the bite of the carbonation to build contrast within the beer. While warmth does help some of the characteristics of the beer, we do think it is better overall when first opened.

From Harpoon’s website: “Brew Date: 8/12/08
Packaging Date: 8/26/08

For the 24th session of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, we’re celebrating this year’s hop harvest with Glacier Harvest Wet Hop beer, a pale ale made with fresh Glacier hops.

Wet hop beers are brewed using fresh, ‘wet’ hops instead of traditional dried hops—hops contain about 60% moisture when they are first picked. Typically, when hops are picked they are quickly dried and refrigerated to increase shelf life and make them more consistent for brewing. Freshly picked wet hops, however, need to be used within hours of harvest or they will begin to degrade rapidly. Wet hops retain more of their natural aroma and volatile flavors that dissipate when dried. This gives wet hop beers a fresher hop flavor and aroma than that of beers hopped with processed hops. This yields an immersed, intense hop flavor in the beer.

Harpoon brewer Ray Dobens, creator of the beer, added a heroic dose of fresh hops the day of the harvest. The result is a copper-colored ale with a pleasing blend of fresh hop flavor and sweet malt.”

ABV: 6.7%
OG: 16
IBU: 38

And yes, for all of you wondering at home, our drinking this now means that we forgot we had a bottle of it buried in the basement. You're already so over yourselves...

(7/21/2009)

5. Harpoon IPA

My favorite offering from Harpoon Brewery, located in Boston, MA. Elli first had this beer on Martha’s Vineyard back in the day, and has carried this beer fondly in her heart ever since. But that’s only because she’s into whaling and maritime culture. Go figure. Later, when she reads this trite prose, I will be getting smacked, so have no fear about justice being served.

Harpoon IPA is a pale, tan color, with a slightly bready but also sweet nose that is accompanied by some slightly resinous hoppy notes. It has a dry start with a little sweetness in the middle and a smooth finish. The hop presence is well balanced with the malt body, and has pleasant bitterness in the middle and at the end combined with floral and resinous hop notes on the palate. Very drinkable—Harpoon IPA is an excellent session beer. Now, all I need to do is to find someone who regularly carries this beer in Dayton to make my wish a reality.

From Harpoon’s website:
“Hops: The pronounced hop aroma and the deep copper color make an immediate sensory impression. Northwest Cascade hops are used generously in Harpoon IPA. The aroma is floral, distinctly different from the herbal, spicy, or “cut grass” aromas of other hop varieties.

Malts: Harpoon IPA has three malts. One adds a toasted flavor and another a malty flavor. Along with the third malt, a 2-row pale, there is an abundance of fermentable sugar to be converted into alcohol, which accounts for the relatively high original gravity. These sugars ferment fully creating 5.9% alcohol by volume and leaving no residual sweetness.

Beer Character: The high hopping of Harpoon IPA is not only noticeable in the nose but especially in the finish. The lingering bitter finish of this beer is not harsh or astringent, but crisp and pronounced. This is created, in part, by dry hopping – a technique that involves adding fresh hops to the conditioning beer to provide a fresh hop aroma.

This beer is floral, medium body with an aggressive, clean hop finish.”

ABV: 5.9%
IBU: 42
OG: 15.5° P

(7/5/2009)