Harpoon Brewery Harpoon IPA

**Aroma:** “Surprisingly malty nose with light caramel and toastiness. Mild paper oxidation. Faint hops aroma is earthy, like damp soil, but hard to find. Cloves, orange peel, toast, yeast, and hints of black pepper..” **Flavor:** “More hops in the flavor, offering an herbal blend of mint and marjoram, but the malt is far more forward— grainy with some toasty notes. Papery oxidation here, too, and mild bitterness. Hops flavor seems muddled and indistinct. Instead, I get a more saison-like quality with yeast esters and phenols. Cloves and even a bit of cracked black pepper, then a dry, bitter nish.” **Overall:** “Is this a session saison? The yeasty aromatics and avors seem more at home in a Biere de Table than in an American session IPA. I actually quite like this beer, but it works better as a generic Belgian-style table beer. Tartness when I swallow lingers on the back of the tongue. Very dry finish.”

“Light Earl Grey tea and wort aroma. The hop aroma is a bit muted, but the flavor delivers the hops and has a medium level of supporting bitterness. Clean and refreshing with medium-high carbonation and a semidry finish.”

**Aroma:** “Hops! Fruity passion fruit, orange, lemon, grapefruit, dank resinous in the background—if I didn't see the color, I’d expect an IPA. Some dark roast and chocolate sweetness sneak through once your nose is dead to the hops. Light tart note. As it warms, a slight molasses note starts to mix with the hops.” **Flavor:** “High hops flavor up front with bit citrus notes. Moderate chocolate with big roasty notes support the hops. Quite sweet up front. Sweetness slowly fades into a low bitterness. Toward the end, slight smoke note but big hops that continue into the aftertaste with a mix of roast. Dry, bitter hoppy finish. As it warms, the smoke turns into a burnt molasses note. Very fruity: passion fruit and pineapple. Finish is sweet and lingers. Rich chewy body that doesn’t come across as thick. Big pine and orange flavors from the hops. Chocolate from the malt gives it a chocolate orange flavor. The sweetness comes together with all the different bold flavors and finishes with a slightly dry finish.” **Overall:** “A nice balance of stout and hops, but if you don’t like hops, this stout is not for you. Strong flavors all around with a touch of alcohol warming in the background to fill it all out. Good balance of hops flavor and bitterness. This is a very different take on a stout—kind of a black IPA more than a stout. This beer tastes like a better, less sweet version of those chocolate-covered orange candy sticks, but with a heavy dose of pine richness. Very tasty!”