Old Salt Ale
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

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From:
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
American Pale Wheat Beer
ABV:
5.1%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.49 | pDev: 15.19%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
25
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 27, 2014
Added:
Jan 01, 2006
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Brewed by the Harpoon Brewery exclusively for Legal Sea Foods, this is Harpoon's UFO with fennel added. Recommend serving at the restaurant is: the beer poured into a salt-rimmed pint glass, hence the name.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by drpimento:
Photo of drpimento
Reviewed by drpimento from Wisconsin

4.07/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This was a first. Never had a beer in a salt rimmed glass before. Oddly, it kind of worked. Served with some white head that mostly faded and some lace. Color is a hazy amber. Aroma is lots of grain crackers yeast. Flavor is like aroma. Good body and carbonation. Don't pick up any fennel. Finish is fairly short and like flavor except for the salt which lasts a bit. I'd drink more minus the salt.
Jun 21, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by KarateShow from Massachusetts

Aug 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by jongullotti from Massachusetts

Feb 19, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by rusty3335 from Massachusetts

Feb 08, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by mbs11 from Massachusetts

Jan 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of seskimo
Reviewed by seskimo from Maryland

4.34/5  rDev +24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This is a GREAT BEER especially with oysters!!! It has a wonderful fennel aroma and light drinkability. Can only get it on tap at Legal Seafoods in MA but worth the trip especially if you love raw oysters. Every time I go home I make it a point to stop by one of their many locations to get some and make sure you get it with the salt rim it makes all the difference!
Sep 30, 2010
Photo of mkuderka
Reviewed by mkuderka from New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
I was extremely happy to find a wheat beer with fennel, which seems like a very creative combination of flavors. The server spent a lot of time telling me that this beer was very different, almost trying to talk me out of ordering it -which I thought was a bit odd. I did not go for the salt on the glass.
The beer pours a hazy golden amber color with a very thin head. The flavors are light, predominately sweet wheat malt and a light hint of fennel that fades in and out with each sip of this beer.
As you would expect the beer has a medium body, not a lot of carbonation and is smooth and balanced. A delightful summer beer that is very drinkable; the hints of fennel keep you sipping and looking for the hints of liquorish flavor.

Serving type: on-tap
Jun 19, 2010
Photo of lordofthewiens
Reviewed by lordofthewiens from New Mexico

3.23/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Brewed by Harpoon for Legal Sea Foods. The bartender recommended a rim of salt for the glass. No, thanks. In a pint glass the beer was a hazy orange with a small white head and maybe a little lacing. Not much aroma, just a little sweet malt. I tasted some fruit, some bread, and a bit of late hops. OK beer, nothing outstanding.
Nov 27, 2009
Photo of atigerlife
Reviewed by atigerlife from Hawaii

2.64/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours opaque golden with a small white head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma is very light, hard to discern.

Taste is salty. Can't get past that taste...

Mouthfeel is light bodied and cleansing.

Overall, OK, but rather strange. Not one I would recommend to anyone.
Aug 01, 2009
Photo of Yeastcakes
Reviewed by Yeastcakes from Colorado

3.7/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Serving notes - on tap, cool (40's)
A - orange, light spices, no hops or malt
A - cloudy, opaque yellowish orange. Half-inch brilliant white head.
M - thick, very light carbonation
T - Oranges, sweetness is not too big and balanced with spices and other flavors. Clean aftertaste.
D - Very drinkable, a decent wit beer.
Mar 13, 2009
Photo of Hophead101
Reviewed by Hophead101 from Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
drank on 1.15.09 at the Boston Logan Airport - Legal Seafood. Supposedly only brewed for Legal Seafood.

A little hesitant to order, but figured what the heck, if this is one of the few places to actually get this beer, might as well try it.

Pours a nice hazy golden color, decent head to start, but left almost immediately. Unimpressed with the smell. It was very light in the nose. Some sweet acid like citrus, but had to work to smell it. A faint hint of some spice in there.

Taste first seemed like a light macro wheat beer. Ok for the style, but thin and slightly watered down. Flavor ok, just not much body. standard citrus malty taste.
Jan 29, 2009
Photo of Faulconerbrewing
Reviewed by Faulconerbrewing from Massachusetts

2.86/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Served on tap at the logan airport location with oysters.

A. Very light golden coler. Very mild head which quickly dissapeared.

S. Very little smell. Hints of anise but very subtle.

T. Salty. This beer was brewed to have the salty taste of the sea and it worked. Too much for my taste, but not bad with oysters. tasted anise with hits of lemon and salt.

M. Very crisp and sharp carbonation across the tongue.

D. Not bad if you're looking for something with very mild flavor. Didn't overpower the seafood i was eating. I wouldn't drink this on it's own, but might have one or two with some fresh seafood.

Overall, I was not overly impressed, but I think the beer was brewed to go well with seafood, and it hit the mark for that. Not something I'd drink without seafood, but the purposed was served. I don't see this being an overly popular beer.
Dec 06, 2008
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

2.53/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
On draught at Legal in Cambridge, where our server explained it as a hefe style beer, but rather then being a larger as they ususally are, Harpoon brewed an ale exclusively for their restaurant. Of course, he was misinformed, as all hefe's are ale's, but, like UFO, this isn't a hefe anyways, just a APWA...unfortunately for me, with fennel added, which I really wish he would have mentioned!! He offered the lemon and salt rim serving, but I declined. Served in a nonic, Old Salt is a murky gold with a small white head that leaves light lace.

Smell is very strong black licorice - at the time, I didn't know this was brewed with fennel, and assumed it was anise, which I didn't care for at all. Otherwise, some grainy wheat, a bit sweeter.

Taste is similarly overwhelmed by fennel, and grainy, with no real hefe ester's, just like UFO, it's a APWA, with a lingering, grainy finish.

Mouthfeel is dry and crip, with a medium body.

Drinkability was low for me. I don't like black licorice, and I don't like APWAs billed as hefe's, it was just not my style at all. It was an appropriate match for the expensive, sub-par seafood at Legal.
Aug 12, 2008
Photo of BDIMike
Reviewed by BDIMike from Ohio

3.34/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a cloudy golden color with a very thin white head that dissipates very quickly. It also comes with a salted rim and an orange.
There is little to no smell at all. A bit of a wheat taste is overpowered by a smell of black licorice.
The taste is a wheat taste, with a taste of the licorice/fennel at the end.
The mouthfeel is nice and smooth with a good thickness to it.
This beer is meant to be served with fish and it does do well against it, but the salt gets to you after a couple of these.
Mar 08, 2008
Photo of Hojaminbag
Reviewed by Hojaminbag from Colorado

2.93/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
On-tap at legal seafoods (this beer is brewed by Harpoon especially for legal).

A straw color with small white head. Some retention.

Smell's strongly of anise or fennel (black locorice), with hits of lemon and salt.

Taste is less strong of locorice, but that is still the main flavor. followed by a salty taste,slight wheatiness, and a finishing lemon touch. The flavor is actually fairly complex, I just don't like the anise dominanace.

Medium amount of corbonation and thickness, nothing special but not bad.

The anise makes this beer hard to drink, I finished one and had no desire to get another. Interesting to get if you're at a legal since as far as I know it isn't really anywhere else.

I did not look at the description of this beer before reviewing, and I guess I should say I'm not a huge UFO fan either.
Jan 30, 2008
Photo of BiereBlanche
Reviewed by BiereBlanche from Colorado

2.89/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Served on tap at Legal Seafoods in the Charles Hotel (Cambridge). Pint glass with salted rim and wedge of lemon, despite my request. I pulled the lemon out tried to wipe off all the salt that I could.

Appearance - Very similar to Harpoon's UFO. Served a very, very hazy dark-straw color, topped off by a light, white head that fell into a thick rim and faint top. Left some sticky retention along the sides.

Aroma - Not as well balanced as it should have been. The wheaty, bready aromas I was looking for were very hard to detect, unlike UFO. A lemon scent is fairly clear (though it might have been unduly aided by the large wedge); but the majority of the nose is covered by the special ingredients. I mistook the aroma, and thought it was dominated by sea salt, but upon reading the description, I can identify I was smelling the fennel added to Harpoon's UFO. The fennel comes through as black licorice, which is strong and covers most of the other aromas. The fennel aroma needs to be backed down to allow the rest more room to breathe.

Taste - Fortunately the taste is more balanced. The licorice flavor doesn't come through as much, but is present for the early flavors. The early flavors are affected by the strong, lingering aromas of fennel. Though I wiped mine off, I can understand how the salt rim might mixed in well with the licorice. The bittering is very light with no real hops flavor. Slightly wheaty, mostly citrusy aftertaste is pleasant.

Mouthfeel - Medium carbonation, mid-light mouthfeel. Smooth and nicely refreshing. It is a good addition for the type of food served at Legal Seafoods.

Drinkability - An interesting drink, and, as noted, refreshing and a good accompaniment. The fennel (licorice) is unbalanced in the taste and, especially, the aroma and covers some of the more typical wheat characteristics. I wish my drink had been served w/o lemon and salt, as I mistook the fennel and lemon wedge may have added citrus characteristics. Unique and worth trying, but I had trouble finishing one due to the aroma and will stick with other offerings.
Nov 30, 2007
Photo of Damian
Reviewed by Damian from Massachusetts

3.87/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Drank on-tap at Legal Seafoods, Boston, MA

I tried this at their Prudential Center location.

The beer poured a cloudy, pale mustard/straw yellow with amber highlights. There was no head but rather a thin film of white froth that quickly faded.

The aroma was rich and exotic. Anise was instantly recognizable along with spices, citrus and a touch of candy sweetness.

The flavor was bright and clean. Malt creaminess was noticeable up front before notes of anise and wheat appeared. A slightly sour, lemon smack came through on the back end and carried into the crisp, clean and refreshing finish.

Mouthfeel was medium bodied, creamy and slick.

This beer is quite a refreshing summertime treat. It is very similar to the UFO, except that the added fennel in this brew contributes greatly to the depth of both aroma and flavor. I am definitely glad that I opted for my pint without the customary salt-rimmed glass (or the lemon wedge) and I would recommend others to do likewise.
Aug 10, 2007
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.47/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Arrives at the table with a cloudy lemojn color and a modest head that left no lace. (My waitress asked whether I wanted a salt rim and I declined - what in the world is that about?)

Smell: Lemon and banana esters

Taste: Starts out with a lemony banana flavor that is prickly up ront; after the swallow, the banana becomes more pronounced. (I didn't pick up on the fennel, being unfamiliar with the brew at the time I ordered it.)

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate but prickly carbonation

Drinkability: Underflavored as a hefe (the style the waitress described it as being), but more appropriate as a typically boring American wheat
Aug 03, 2007
Photo of KCoemgen
Reviewed by KCoemgen from Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
Pretty much everything I wanted to say has already been said here. I had this on tap at the Legal's near the Aquarium. It's basically a UFO with a strong liquorice flavour in it. It was a novelty to have once, but I probably wouldn't get this one again. I think what really ruined it for me was the salt that was added to the rim of the glass, which my waiter said was "how most people like it", but I found it overpowering and unnecessary. I enjoy most Harpoon beers though and it's nice to see them experimenting a little.
May 24, 2007
Old Salt Ale from Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 25 ratings