Monday, April 29, 2013

HARPOON IPA @harpoon_brewery


A week ago I made a pilgrimage to Attica, IN to realize my dream of owning a Toyota Land Cruiser.  I found one in damn near mint condition so I tapped the war chest and went and bought it.  While in Attica I stopped at a small liquor store to see what beer that had with the hopes that something from 3 Floyds would be eyeing me from the shelf.  Sadly I didn’t find any 3 Floyds but I did pick up a 6 pack of HarpoonIPA!

Boston Massachusettes Harpoon Brewery started brewing this beer as a summer seasonal in 1993.  There were some great IPAs out in the Pacific Northwest, but no local IPAs on the east coast.  They wanted to have a local IPA, so we brewed one.  People absolutely loved it, and so they made it a year-round beer, and it’s now their bestselling beer and their flagship.

Since its introduction, Harpoon IPA has remained unique in its ability to balance hop bitterness with a strong malt backbone. Dry-hopped with Cascade hops, it has a floral hop aroma and a finish that is bitter (it is an IPA after all!) without being harsh or astringent. Combined with a malty sweetness and the fruity esters of our proprietary yeast, those hops create a beer that is wonderfully hoppy but clean and refreshing enough to enjoy a few of - and we hope you do.


Beer Advocate rates Harpoon IPA an 82 which is about average.

This was actually a very smooth IPA.  It opens up with hints of floral hops but not to the extent of say Lagunitas Brown Sugah, or Zombie Dust.  The hop profile isn’t overwhelming either.  As it warms up Harpoon releases more malty favors giving way to a nice hop-bitter finish.  At 5.9% and 42 IBUs I would say it’s a nice smooth everyday IPA.

Cheers!

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