Arctic Ale
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

Dark brown color. Thin, beige head. The aroma of raisins and brown sugar, and malt. Sweet, malty taste with notes of dark fruits and candies. The bottle was too big for me. It should be shared because closer to the end, sweetness seemed very annoying.

 

On-tap 1/18/2017 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a snifter glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a short beige head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains chocolate, dark fruit, bourbon, molasses, roasted malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with rich flavors of bourbon, molasses, dark fruit and chocolate. Then a hearty roasted malt character comes in along with some alcohol sting. The hops presence is very mild but complementary and brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Viscous and a little smooth, medium-to-heavy body, light-to-medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: A little tasty, goes down ok, slightly filling, very strong kick, good representation of style, this is a decent big beer to sip on for a while.

2016 Vintage

Looks like an imperial stout, very dark with a nice khaki head. Smells like a slightly aged English barleywine with some stout poured in there. Tons of dark fruit and a powerful alcohol note on the nose. The taste was very similar. This beer is also very sweet and I'm sure it can withstand years in a cellar. I'll probably not seek it out next year.

second attempt - dated march, 2016 and consumed at cellar temp in december.

poured cola colored with a tan head and no lacing.

smelled sweet - cherries and bourbon. maybe a touch of vanilla.

taste was as the nose, with molasses in the aftertaste. lots of molasses.

mouth was viscous and lingering.

overall, a good beer for a winter night.

 

look: Very dark ruby, not quite stout dark, but damn dark. Impressive tan head on the pour that subsides to a ring after a time.
smell: Drak fruit semi sweet candy. Inviting.
taste: Much like the nose though taking it to a new level. Delicious. No trace of alcohol. This is as drinkable/quaffable as it gets.

Poured into an impy nonic a deep dark chocolate brown with a bit of deep reddish hue,a full finger tan colored head atop.Big dark fruit and bittersweet chocolate really stood out in the nose along with a slight medicinal note.The flavors of raisin and prune are no joke they really hit ya,underneath some chocolate and vanilla make for a sweeter finish not to mention the booze .If you like raisins,prunes, and sweet cherries this beer is for you,I enjoyed it but it got to be a bit much for me by the time I hit the bottom of the bottle.

From the 650 ml. bottle dated March 2016. Sampled on June 14, 2016.

The pour is a deep dark brown to nearly black with a small, quick lasting tan head but that is to be expected for 13%!

Complex and big aroma of dark roasted malts, dark fruit, red grape, Bourbon, wooden barrels, some booze, mild chocolate and a low to no hop profile. OK, maybe earthy.

Bold body.

Big roasted malt forward taste with an alcohol burn to warm the innards. Same dark fruit character in the flavor. Little ot no bitter finish. This is definitely for malt lovers. Drink responsibly.

 

This beer poured a deep black color with a thin tan head. The aroma was mostly alcohol with some malt and a sweetness that comes through. A bit of black cherry is in there as well. The flavor is very boozy, malty and slightly sweet with some cherry flavor. The mouthfeel seems thick and syrupy. Overall this beer is a bit too sweet and boozy for me but I do taste some complexity of flavor which is just overpowered by the booze.

 

 

 

A: The beer is nearly jet black in color. It poured with a short tan head that quickly died down, leaving only a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of dark fruits are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of dark fruits—black cherries seem to stand out in particular—along with some hints of dark chocolate and black licorice. Only a faint amount of bitterness is perceptible.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. A touch of warming from the alcohol is noticeable in the finish.
O: This beer drinks nowhere near something that is 13.% abv and does an excellent job of hiding any traces of alcohol from the taste. The aromas and flavors of dark fruits make this a little more resemblant to a quadrupel than an American Strong Ale.

Serving type: bottle

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Harpoon modified tulip glass.
A - Dark and mysterious, thin cap is supported by a gentle carbonation trail.
S - A bit fusel alcohol in the nose, dark fruits, and a bit of toffee, with time it opens up.
T - Strong malt base, a bit of bakers chocolate powder, and interestingly an earthy hop note.
M - Viscous, heavy in body, the palate is fully coated, an oily linger of fig, and molasses is never ending.
O - A very big effort by Harpoon, very good version of a strong ale. Should cellar well.
Cheers

 

 

 

Pours very dark brown with minimal khaki head that disappears quickly. The nose is somewhat muted but there are lots of dark fruits , figs, plums, cherries and slight chocolate. In the taste, the dark fruits come through and you get a slight warming sensation from the alcohol. The back end has the chocolate, like cocoa. The mouthful is medium. Very drinkable and delicious beer . Didn't know harpoon was capable of beers on this level.. I will definitely look for there seasonal bombers more.