Whats the consesus on Harpoon?

They're okay. They don't do anything wrong. They've never wowed me with anything. If I'm stuck somewhere with bad beer selections, it's their IPA or Boston Lager. Coin toss. The real "meh" of New England brewers is probably Shipyard.

 

As said above 'meh.' Even Leviathan I found to be 'meh'

 

Is beer. They've been successful for a long time, which you can't do without having some people like it. Never a first choice for me, but if you're buying I won't turn it down.

 

I think their Leviathan IPA, when fresh, is delicious.

Of course, finding it fresh in Texas is a real challenge, lol.

 

I think this is the reason they are never talked about. There really isn't much to talk about when it comes to them. They don't make anything terrible, they don't make anything great.

 

They've hit on a few offerings, and I generally like the vibe they've cultivated in the Northeast, which has built a nice brand loyalty for them. Harpoon's UFO series is great for the casual beer drinker and the Leviathan beers are certainly big enough for any craft beer enthusiast to enjoy. The 100 Barrel Series can be hit or miss, but at least they've been known to mix it up.

Overall, I'd put them in the upper echelon of "Gateway" craft breweries. They have a nice selection of different styles that are very good, but for the aficionado they might fall a little short.

 

I have had a few of their Leviathan beers via trades and they were pretty good. Nothing mind blowing and probably nothing I would trade for again. However, I would pick up other bottles to try if they were sold in my area.

 

The IPA is very unspectacular.

 

I think that their Leviathan and 100 barrel series have some great offerings. 100 barrel series have some great beers as well, though I am sad that they did not release their wet hop ale this year. The IPA is a great long time New England staple beer that is a great session beer and convenient in cans..

 

I love that the IPA is available 99% of bars around here that don't carry craft. I appreciate that and think it is a good beer for what it is. I also enjoyed the Rye IPA much more than I thought I would. Tee only other beer I can think of that I'd have again is the czech pilsner. The rest of their beers I've had are middle of the road ro below average at best.

I appreciate what they do, and hope they keep doing it. I think if you go in without an expectation that thier beers will blow your doors off, that's when they are the best.

 

I think the Leviathan IPA is a really good, easy to find example of an east coast DIPA. All other things equal, I'd take it over DFH 90 Minute any time.

 

they always bring some bangin' beers to beerfests, and can make some oddballs. Their kriek pale ale (I think that's what it was) from a few years ago rocked.

I like 'em, and buy the IIPA fresh when I see it.

 

it bothers me how popular this brewery is. there are so many other great breweries in new england that deserve the kind of distribution that they get.

 

Harpoon is fairly run of the mill, but I'll enjoy their IPA from time to time. I've really liked some of their 100 Barrel Series beers too...particularly the Oyster Stout.

 

I liked their Oyster Stout a lot too. Harpoon does make some good brews from time to time, but for the most part as far as what I've tried from them, I think they're average compared to other craft breweries.

 

They're one of the rare breweries that have made a wheat wine. I haven't seen it but I know they brewed it. That's all I have to say about Harpoon. ..

 

I like their IPA on the golf course.

 

Their Leviathan Red Squared that they put out a few months ago was an excellent Imperial Red that I thought was just as good as Lagunitas'. Not sure how it'd hold up now, but it was superb at release.

 

So you're saying they don't deserve to be one of New Englands most popular breweries because their beer doesn't meet your beer geek standards? Keep in mind, most people that buy craft beer are not beer geeks/advocates/snobs/whatever and everything Harpoon makes is sure as hell going to have more flavor than Bud Light. They've been around longer than most breweries and they've invested a lot of time and money to build the brand they have so as far as I'm concerned, they deserve every bit of that distribution.