Who’s number one? A tricky question, to be sure, but if you ask the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, they would answer “Harpoon Brewing.” Founded in 1986 at the start of the American craft brewing revolution, the fledgling company was granted the state’s first brewing license since the repeal of prohibition, Mass. Brewing License No. 1. Ever since then the company has been at the forefront of the craft beer movement, producing an expanding line of beers for thirsty consumers.
The company was founded by two young men named Dan Kenary and Rich Doyle, college friends who discovered a passion for beer while backpacking together through Europe. Their idea was to bring the variety and quality of European-style beers to the US market, and after a few years getting their MBA’s, they set up shop in their current Boston brewery.
At any given time, Harpoon brews 12 to 13 different varieties. With 10 year-round offerings and a rotating lineup of seasonal and specialty beers, the total brewed in any given year jumps to around 20. If you have drunk only one beer by Harpoon, however, odds are good that it was the India Pale Ale.
Representing 60 percent of all sales by the company, the IPA is Harpoon’s signature beer. It avoids the knock-you-down hops load that has become popular among many IPA’s, with a floral aroma and nicely balanced malt sweetness that is even better from the tap.
The newest addition to their year-round roster is the Belgian-style Pale Ale. It’s brewed with Chimay’s traditional trappist yeast from – you guessed it – Belgium, giving it a lightly fruity, berry character. Don’t let the word “fruit” scare you away; this has nothing to do with the Barbie-doll bottled beverages that have infiltrated the market. The Belgian pale is an excellent beer with a smooth body and rounded flavor, and it is definitely worth checking out.
Less popular than the previous headliners, the Harpoon Munich Dark is nonetheless a favorite among the brewery staff. This pitch-black beer has lots of roasted flavor, and the finish leaves a distinct taste of coffee at the back of the tongue.
Another distinct line of beers produced by Harpoon goes by the name of UFO. Short for “UnFiltered Offering,” the UFOs are bottled along with the yeast and protein sediment that results from the brewing process. This results in thicker, cloudier beer than normal, with more yeasty flavor and a bit more sweetness. These four beers represent Harpoon’s love of traditional brewing styles, which largely developed without the process of filtration.
The UFO Pale is medium-bodied ale with mellow bitterness and light malt. It has a lingering finish of delicate hops flavor, and when compared with the IPA and Belgian-style, it really shows the diversity of what a pale beer can be.
The Hefeweizen, a German-style wheat beer, is not particularly complex. It has a big taste of yeast and wheat, but not much else to distract from these basic building blocks of beer. The Hefeweizen isn’t bad, but with a wide variety of reasonably-priced imported wheat beers on the market, it isn’t the best example of the style.
The last two items in the UFO line are White and Raspberry, and neither fare quite as well as their aforementioned counterparts.
While the white is complex and light-bodied, it finishes with a taste of artificial sweetness reminiscent of Fruit Loops, and for many tasters this is an instant turn-off.
The Raspberry, to its credit, tastes remarkably like fresh berries. Although nominally a Hefeweizen, its crispness and fruity taste lean towards the Belgian Lambic style. If that’s what you’re looking for, UFO Raspberry is a high-quality fruity beverage, but it is really only a “beer” in a loose sense of the word.
One beer that may come as a pleasant surprise to the casual drinker is Harpoon’s Chocolate Stout. It is brewed not only with chocolate malt, but also local Baker’s chocolate to give it a nice cocoa flavor. This beer is thick, dark and slightly bitter, and without too much sweetness it isn’t chocolaty enough to make you think you’re having dessert. Those who want a real cacao kick would be advised to try Sam Adam’s Chocolate Bock instead, but if you have never had candy in your stout before, this is a good place to get your feet wet.
For every change in the winds, Harpoon, like many other craft brewers, concocts a seasonal beer to fit the weather. The Winter Warmer is the current seasonal, a medium-dark offering for the cold New England months. It is the second-oldest winter beer in the US and boasts a robust profile of nutmeg, cinnamon and caramel, giving it the impression of a spiced apple pie.
In addition to the usual six-pack beers, Harpoon also makes two lines of specially-crafted brews for limited release: the Leviathan line, which comes in four-packs, and the 100-Barrel Series, which are sold in 22 oz. bottles only.
The Leviathan beers, like their sea-monster namesake, are big, wet and powerful. While a different batch is brewed every three to four months, there are certainly common themes, including a nine percent or greater alcohol content and ambitious amounts of flavor. The current iteration is the Leviathan Imperial IPA, whose massive hops profile is drinkable only because of a heavy backbone of malt sweetness. Because of the stiff bitterness this beer may not be for everyone, but those who have a real passion for hops would do well to track it down.
The final category is the 100-Barrel Series. As the name suggests, each batch of beer in this line is a unique creation, and only 100 barrels are ever produced. Each brewer on staff is given his turn and allowed to create a new recipe from the ground up, with plenty of freedom to experiment. The current session on the market is an oak-aged Dunkle, a creamy autumn beer, and currently in the pipeline is a maple-wheat style brewed with real Vermont maple syrup.
Just like the brewing traditions of Europe that inspired them, the beers produced by Harpoon cross a wide range of flavors and styles. Some are steeped in history while others are entirely new creations. While this may be a guide, there’s only one way to find out what’s right for you: spear yourself a cold pack of Harpoon and try it out for yourself. Your new favorite beer might be waiting.
Bottom’s up.
Andrew Sheridan can be reached at [email protected].
