Harpoon Ale
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

Harpoon AleHarpoon Ale
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From:
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
4.9%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.52 | pDev: 13.64%
Reviews:
194
Ratings:
412
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 01, 2022
Added:
Sep 20, 2001
Wants:
  11
Gots:
  61
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mschofield:
Photo of mschofield
Reviewed by mschofield from Massachusetts

4.42/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Cask - dry hopped with Centennial
Cloudy copper amber, with a thin off-white head, leaves partial webs of lace.
Caramel, toasted malt, and a great punched up floral hop aroma over the bottle/draft versions.
Floral, toffee, caramel, apple, buttery, and a citrus-grapefruit note.
Medium-full feel, nice and smooth from the cask, cask and dry hopping work well for this Pale.
May 18, 2004
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by LAM01833 from Massachusetts

Aug 01, 2022
 
Rated: 3 by Arg914 from New York

Dec 19, 2021
 
Rated: 3.63 by O-Meg from New York

Jun 27, 2019
 
Rated: 3.52 by KMcGrath from Massachusetts

Dec 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.6 by JohnDon from Texas

Oct 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Nov 21, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Poured into an English pint glass, the appearance was a semi-golden bronzed sort of copper color to it. Some transparency in it’s body and has a finger’s worth of white foamy to bubbly head. Quick dissipation. Sliding lace. The aroma had some bready malts with citrus in the background. The flavor takes the prior mentioned aromas and adds a dry woodiness to it. Nicely blended aftertaste with a smooth dry finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fair sessionability about it. Good carbonation. ABV felt right. Overall, good for what it is.
Jun 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.65 by IBUBrew from Vermont

May 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by BabaBeer from California

Mar 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by Nichols33 from Massachusetts

Jan 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.91 by nebula1999 from Connecticut

Dec 31, 2016
 
Rated: 2.84 by emptyglassagain from Massachusetts

Dec 19, 2016
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

3.65/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle poured into a pint glass
Best by 10/18/16

A- pours a clear golden-amaber color with a small foamy white head that has short retention before leaving just a thin ring around the edge

S- crisp malty nose with some light fruity hop aromas, maybe a hint of caramel

T- crisp toasted malt throughout, with light highlights of fruity hops, just a hint of caramel sweetness, crisp toasted malt finish

M- medium body with low carbonation eventually produces a foamy mouthfeel and a crisp finish, super drinkable

O- a perfectly fine pale ale that sticks to the status quo, and one that I could easily drink several of
Oct 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3 by timmynyc from New York

Sep 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by bacher468 from Pennsylvania

Sep 10, 2016
Photo of ThisWangsChung
Rated by ThisWangsChung from Maryland

3.38/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.38/5: Not a bad everyday drinker at all; nice English bend with a gentle kiss of Cascade hops
Sep 07, 2016
Photo of Damian
Reviewed by Damian from Massachusetts

1.94/5  rDev -44.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2
Drank from a 12 fl oz bottle
Enjoy by 10/15/16
Served in a pint glass

Brilliantly crystal clear, deep amber appearance. The body was capped by a near two-finger tall, tight and creamy, off-white crown that quickly fell to a thin cap. Minimal lacing.

The nose was very malt forward. Loads of dense, biscuity malts. Somewhat doughy. Quite sweet. There was a generic fruity quality and a bit of steeliness as well. No hop presence whatsoever.

The flavor profile mimicked the aroma but had a slight hoppy quality. Caramel and biscuity malts dominated. Very bready. Fairly sweet. Some hops kicked in on the back end. The hops were citrusy and tried to fight their way through all the malty sweetness, but they ultimately came up short. Hint of orange perhaps. The beer finished with more near cloying malty notes. Malt extract came to mind.

Light and fluffy mouthfeel. Fairly airy. The liquid contained a spritzy, large bubbled effervescence.

I happened to get one of the cool retro bottles of this with a nice message from 1986 about the origins of this "first beer in decades to be brewed and bottled right here in Boston." That aside, something about this just seemed "off." Though American pale ales have changed (improved) considerably in the last 30 years, I still expected something more akin to a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale than an English-style malt bomb. I feel bad slamming a classic offering by a brewery for which I have tremendous respect but, for the style, this beer is pretty terrible.
Aug 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.21 by swierczt from Connecticut

Aug 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.82 by Dools9 from Massachusetts

Jul 24, 2016
Harpoon Ale from Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 412 ratings