100 Barrel Series #19 - Pêche
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

100 Barrel Series #19 - Pêche100 Barrel Series #19 - Pêche
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From:
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
ABV:
5%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.58 | pDev: 15.08%
Reviews:
38
Ratings:
43
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 24, 2012
Added:
Jun 02, 2007
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
The Harpoon Pêche is reminiscent of the peach lambics Rich and other Harpoon employees enjoyed on their trip to Belgium. As you pour this hazy golden colored beer, you will immediately notice the fresh peach aroma rising from your glass. A high carbonation level assists in releasing the aromatics of this crisp, sparkling ale. The five malts used to brew this beer blend nicely with the fresh fruit added during fermentation, creating a sweetness that is full but not cloying or candy-like. This sweetness is balanced by the tart acidity in the finish of the beer. The combination creates an incredibly refreshing experience. This is a perfect beer for the summer and can be paired with a variety of cheeses and deserts, or simply enjoyed on its own.

15 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 24, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by EvanWilliams from Illinois

Dec 23, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Roy1586 from Massachusetts

Nov 17, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Dec 06, 2011
 
Rated: 3.75 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 01, 2011
Photo of jpaltan
Reviewed by jpaltan from Texas

3.97/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled opened with a bit of a pop which gave hints to the giant head that poured into my glass. I had to wait some time to let it die down. Color is straw colored. Smell is all peaches and a bit tart. Actually has a real nice nose to it. Beer is quite tart and a bit sweet. The peaches are present, in the front, a slight hint of hop bitterness comes at the end to round everything out. Actually has a pretty nice flavor going on, nice and light, refreshing. Mouthfeel is thin, and dries a little bit. Wished it finished drier and think it would benefit from that. Champagne level of carbonation.
Jun 25, 2009
Photo of number1bum
Reviewed by number1bum from Pennsylvania

4.07/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Another one from mymrnngjckt. Thanks Kevin!

This one took patience to pour...big fizzy and foamy off-white head wanted to explode on impact. Color is actually peach-like, as it's not quite orange but it's not really yellow. It's a bit cloudy and the head recedes to a fizzy lace and leaves bubbly stick on the sides.

Smells like fresh, sweet peaches that have been soaking in booze! Mmmm, me likey.

First splash of flavor in the palate is mildy sweet peaches, followed by some tartness and a bit of alcohol. Interesting that a beer that's only 5% displays the alcohol so much, but not in a bad way. Tart and sour flavor puckers the mouth a bit, as does the aggressive carbonation. Very simple, yet straightforward, clean and refreshing taste.

This one is a winner for me. Certainly lambic-esque in many ways, even though it's not because it doesn't use Belgian yeast. As far as fruit beers go, this is one of my favorites.
Feb 04, 2008
Photo of erosier
Reviewed by erosier from Connecticut

3.72/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A nice golden yellow color with a pure white head. The aroma is of palce malts, a few hops, and peach. The taste is of the pale malt base along with the hop bitterness and followed with a tart peach that intensifies in the aftertaste. I was expecting a sweeter peach flavoring but this was still good a refreshing surprise. The mouthfeel is good with the right amount of carbonation and it is very drinkable.
Jan 21, 2008
Photo of deltatauhobbit
Reviewed by deltatauhobbit from Maine

3.58/5  rDev 0%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Pours a hazy yellow and with lots and lots and lots of foam. Not sure what's going on here, but even with a slow pour, it would top out the glass and I'd have to wait a while for it to go down enough. Certainly too much head going on, even though it left some good lacing each time.

The smell is quite sweet, very tart with a smell of, you guessed it, peaches. A great smelling fruit beer.

Taste is pretty much indicated from the smell, tart and peachy, hardly any bitterness.

Every taste made my mouth explode with foam, much like how it poured out, it pours in. Way too carbonated, detracts from enjoying it. Maybe some time will calm down the carbonation... or make it worse, who knows.
Jan 05, 2008
Photo of Boto
Reviewed by Boto from Connecticut

3.91/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bomber: I got a shot of foam out of the top of the bottle when I opened this one. It pours with a large, white frothy head. It is a clear, pale golden color with some constant fizziness. So far, not good. The aroma is a different story, however. Slightly sour peach aroma, with some mustiness to it. A definite improvement over the appearance. Somewhat of a peach flavor, with some carbonation lingering on the tongue. Slightly bready. A nice, lighter beer for a hot day.
Nov 20, 2007
Photo of WanderingFool
Reviewed by WanderingFool from Massachusetts

2.82/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Harpoon's Peche pours a hazy straw yellow with a BIG white head. The foam fills the glass on the gentlest of pours. Once in the glass a very active carbonation persists until the end. The aroma is all peaches.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer is very fizzy. The flavor is earthy with lots of peach flavor and some peat mixed in. Dry finish with some tartness that lingers when gone.

An interesting beer with an odd flavor. If you like peaches this one is for you.
Nov 04, 2007
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Another in the 100 barrel series made its way into my house, and I wanted to get this one tried before the good cold weather and heavier brews start to set in. This poured a very vigorous and active light golden yellow with an enormous fizzy white head on top that had tons and tons of carbonation. There was literally seltzer like chains of bubbles streaming up from the bottom of the glass to replenish a head that would not die. After finally settling down it left a very decent looking ring of lace down the sides. The smell was light, but very pungent. Huge aroma of peaches and tartness overtook you. Lots of yeast in the smell. The flavor was quite light and bright. It had a very full bouquet of peaches right up front and a touch of a sour grape not to the finish. The finish itself was long and dry, very good follow through with the flavor. Extremely light feel and tons of carbonation made this very nice session ale. Not too sweet at all as I thought it might have been, I actually picked up a lot more taste and bitterness then I thought I was going to. Overall this was a decent peach lambic. It was better then the first 100 barrel series I had, but this is still a bit disappointing as I thought it could have tasted a bit fresher and had a little bit more kick in the flavor. Still a better then average brew and definitely worth a try.
Nov 02, 2007
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.24/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Appearance: clear yellow in color with a short 1/2" head that falls apart immediately. Plenty of carbonation bubbles rising from the glass bottom.

Smell: peaches, peaches, and more peaches.

Taste: the peach flavor is dominant here, while the malt levels are a bit light. Very dry and a bit of tartness near the end. No real bitterness here, just a one dimensional beer that is quite bold but not complex.

Mouthfeel: crisp and dry from start to finish. Short but pungeant peach aftertaste. Light in body.

Drinkability: interesting for a one time try, but this is just a bit too strong on the peach flavors.
Oct 12, 2007
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

2.6/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
light Orange soda colour. Peach and mold. I smell the peach nicely. Some initial fizzy head. Drying aftertaste. But the peach with mold secondary is not for everybody and severly hampers drinkability. This is fairly fresh. Above average carbonation may disappear over time. A bit of fruit sugar there, taste natural, but too earthy.
Oct 07, 2007
Photo of mvcramer
Reviewed by mvcramer from Massachusetts

3.76/5  rDev +5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
I didn’t enjoy this beer. I did not get the sweet peach notes that I expected and the flavor was fairly bland. Nice fizziness to it and a color consistent with a peach lambic, but overall this one was lacking on multiple fronts. I wouldn’t try it again.
Sep 01, 2007
Photo of BuckSpin
Reviewed by BuckSpin from Maine

4.06/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Presentation: A *carefully* opened 22oz bottle in a tulip stem

Poured briskly, alive, full of energy & snap. Beautiful peach nose, not overly sweet or sugary, faint grass, slight pineapple & grapefruit rind. Malts are strawlike, dry, yeast are a tiny bit rancid with some sour qualities. The malts grow more dough like while the peach quality gets warmer, thicker but not any more powerful, like smelling overly ripe room temperature, kitchen countertop fruit....more pit than fruit.

The head is reminiscent of a Duvel - an insanely thick, sculpted 4 fingers of faint lemon tinged winter white foam laced like clouds in big, billowing patterns, slowly settling to a fat finger's worth of lunar landscape. Subsequent refills only restore it...most appealing eye candy. A warm, hazy, somewhat brassy, golden honey amber hue, syrupy, a steady parade of bubbles rising fiercely thru it.

I am surprised at how unpeach & unsweet the initial tongue is! Nicely dry and crisp with a soft, understated, back of the palate crunch, its semi-sweet with a very coy fruited sweetness that reveals itself as "peach" slowly. There is a steeliness to the malts, a little rocky, that adds a very nice overall balance to the brew. I must admit I was not expecting this level of complexity, unsweetness & was fooled by the title, but I am not complaining. This is nice.

The last repour yields a very clouded tulip full of yeasty goodness. Its very thick & semi-opaque now. The nose grows sweeter as it gets darker with a summer corn silk quality and late August fields, the corn quality carrying thru to the palate. Growing more bitter & less dry, the malts rise on the palate, getting deeper with a slightly burnt aspect. The corn sweetness continues to pervade the warming ale with a great example of how to be sweet but not sugary. Its nice to enjoy a sweetness that is not sugary.

It finishes bittersweet, a little claylike, somewhat slated but not obnoxious, clean, fading away with a smooth yet subdued sweetness of peach & freshly picked corn that is not filmy.

Its a damn shame that the circumstance surrounded the secondary bottle fermentation of this will deprive a lot of beer lovers from enjoying it. I am very impressed. Its a beautiful example that fruit beers do not need to be sweet or sugary. Refreshing, it would pair nicely with a salad, seafood, chicken, a lighter cheese. I am glad I got the chance to discover just how complex this beer is. If you have the chance, its definitely worth enjoying. One of the better surprises of this year.
Aug 28, 2007
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

4.12/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I try not to review too many similar styles in a row, but this will be my third fruit beer today. First cherry, then pomegranate, now peach. I decided to drink this bottle of Harpoon Peche now because of the recent message from the brewery that bottles are exploding as a result of bottle conditioning run amok.

Rich goldenrod with no more carbonation than your average Belgian beer. An extremely gentle pour has created an attractive crown of alabaster foam that features a wonderful melted rockiness. Small clumps of sudsy lace adhere to the glass.

I don't care for peaches, but that doesn't stop me from recognizing the quality of this nose. Peche smells more like fresh peaches than any peach ale I've ever run across. In fact, if blindfolded, I probably wouldn't be able to tell if I was smelling fruit or beer. Simply brilliant.

There's definitely no shortage of flavor. As a result, the taste score is where I have to fight my bias against this particular fruit the hardest. How one feels about peaches will determine how one feels about Harpoon Peche. As far as 'natural versus artificial' (a question I tend to address in every fruit beer review), the flavor here is unquestionably natural.

My favorite fruit beers are those that are sweet and tart in equal measure. This one follows that blueprint to a 'T'. The best part is that neither is overdone. I'm at a loss when it comes to describing the other members of the flavor profile because there really aren't any. Peche is simply well-brewed, pale malted, peach-flavored ale. A Belgian yeast strain might have added complexity, but things are fine without it.

In spite of all the bubbles, the beer doesn't feel overcarbonated. It's nicely expansive in the mouth, with a silky creaminess that matches the flavor profile like hand in glove. Think 'peach fuzz' and you'll be close. Well done yet again Harpoon.

I had no idea that this 100 Barrel Series offering would be this good... especially considering my anti-peach bias. The brewery needs to figure out the problem that led to exploding bottles, correct it and start releasing Peche on a year-round basis. Get it before it's gone.
Aug 24, 2007
Photo of GratefulBeerGuy
Reviewed by GratefulBeerGuy from New Hampshire

3.35/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
22 oz bottle> flute glass

AP: Whoa...major flow of bubbles, very lively and active. A yellow-straw color that is really clear and vivid creates a 2" light and pillowie, sudsy foam-white that appears to have excellent retention.

Nose: Sugar coated raspberry and peach, much like a canned fruit cocktail.

Flavor: Very light malted wheat with currents of sweet and tangy fruits, mostly peach and raspberry. Finishes sour and tart from a nice yeast that gives this fruit beer some balance.

Feel: Light body, crisp, lively and ...yeah very light.

DA: Not too shaby.
Aug 16, 2007
Photo of jdhilt
Reviewed by jdhilt from New Hampshire

3.01/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Explodes out of bottle with a five+ finger white pillowy head that fades slowly leaving a ton of lace - took 17 minutes to pour. Cloudy amber color. Ridiculous amount of carbonation and light-medium bodied. Musty peach nose. Flavor is a weird musty hay/peach, balanced, clean finish. $4.90 for a 22oz bottle from Tully's Beer and Wine Wells, ME.
Aug 12, 2007
Photo of ppoitras
Reviewed by ppoitras from Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
22oz bottle purchased as a single from Julio's, Marlboro, MA. Gold foiled cap.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 4" off-white head over the 2" of slightly cloudy golden brew. Rocky head lasts and lasts, with plenty of lace. Aroma is pervasive of peach.. Taste is peach from beginning to end. Hard to fault, since that's the name, but you wish there a bit more beer character here than just the light sweetness underneath. Mouthfeel is a bit prickly and gassy, but drinkability is pretty good for the thirst quench, once you get by or accept the PEACH.
Jul 31, 2007
100 Barrel Series #19 - Pêche from Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 43 ratings