In the name of research, YOTB traveled all the the way Boston just to confirm that San Diego is the superior craft brewery town. Ok, that’s not true even a little. I found myself in Boston on a girls weekend celebrating a besties graduation from Boston University. What else would four girls in Boston do but spend the afternoon at a Beer Hall? That’s what they call them there, not breweries or tasting room…Beer Hall, and I like it.
While Boston is loaded with craft breweries including the grandfather of craft beer, Samuel Adams, tasting rooms aka “beer halls” aren’t as common as they are on the west coast. In San Diego, even if you’re just a garage door operation you have some sort of tasting room available to the public. In Boston, it seems like the best way to flavor the local craft brews is at the pubs throughout the town. However, judging by the line to get in, Bostonian’s would probably welcome a few more beer halls.
Harpoon is an impressive operation situated in the Seaport District on the water amongst the fishing companies dock’s. The Beer hall was at capacity when we arrived at 2:00 in the afternoon so we waited in a 10-15 minute line. While standing in line the bouncer announced the 5:00 tour was the only tour with space still available. The 1 hour tour cost $5.00 and includes a beer tasting. Based on how quickly the tours fill up, they must be worthwhile. Alas, our time in Boston was limited so we chose to forgo the formal tour and opted for the self guided tour of their tap list.
The line to get in when we left at 5:00 pm
The beer hall is an expansive room with a gift shop on one end and a massive bar running the length of the hall. The decor is rustic-contemporary with a wall of windows that allows the daylight to pour in and flood the hall. One side of the hall is outfitted with picnic tables that at 2:00 on a Saturday afternoon are packed shoulder to shoulder with beer lovers. The opposite side of the bar is standing room only and this is where we staked our claim.
The ordering process is intimidating for first timers and out of towners such as ourselves. No printed tap lists are available so deciding what to order is a task in and of itself. The bartenders are extremely friendly and helpful but they’re busy people with lots thirsty patrons to tend to. Our bar tender gently guided us to the three taster flights that Harpoon offers. There are three different pre-set flights available with four beers per flight for $10.00 each. There is no option to build your own flight but its probably for the best given how busy the Hall was. Beer is also available by the pint and for growler fills.
This YOTB outing was truly a collaborative effort between myself, Julie, Whitney and Candi. I’ll do my best to represent all contributing parties in the reviews below. I’ll also try to be brief in my reviews as we have 12 different beers to get through. I hope your comfortable.
Taster Number 1: UFO Beers – Unfiltered offerings
Left to Right: UFO Big Squeeze Grapefruit, UFO White, UFO Raspberry Hef, UFO Hef
UFO White, American White Ale, 4.8% ABV – A lemon yellow beer with a clean taste and not nearly as much sweetness the other beers in this flight. It’s a light, crisp & refreshing wheat beer that cries out for an orange slice. This was Julie and my favorite of the UFO flight.
UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen, 4.8% ABV – Wow, now that’s raspberry. This was not the beer for me. Personally, I like my beer to taste at least a little bit like beer. This Raspberry Hef could easily be confused for crystal light and won the “Loser” title by a long shot.
UFO Hefeweizen, American Hefeweizen, 4.8% ABV – Candi’s favorite! She could drink this beer all summer long, and she just may have it we didn’t move her back to San Diego. This Heff has a solid white head that clings to the glass. It’s Harpoon’s most award winning beer and is traditionally served with a lemon. I don’t blame Candi for drinking it all summer. I just hope she shares with me.
UFO Big Squeeze Shandy, Grapefruit Shandy, 4.5% ABV – Peach in color and almost no head. Another beer that drinks like a glass a juice but this one was less offensive. You can absolutely taste the grapefruit on the finish but this beer is much more drinkable than the Raspberry Hef. It’s a fun and festive beer that according to Julie has great party value (and trust me, she would know). This was this was the first taster from the flight to be emptied and was Whit’s flight favorite.
Overall the UFO flight was too sweet for me to drink on a regular basis but I wouldn’t baulk at a UFO white on a hot summer day.
Tasting #2: Harpoon Flight
Left To Right: IPA, Amber Ale, Summer Ale, 100 Barrels
Harpoon IPA, New England-style IPA, 5.9% ABV – Based on this IPA alone, New England Style IPA basically means the exact opposite of a west coast IPA. Hops do not jump out of the glass and punch you in the face. I can hear the west coast IPA drinkers now “What is this? Bud Light? Where are the hops!?” While the hops may be subtle this is still a great IPA. It’s a translucent golden color with a lingering head and the finish is smooth like butter. It’s an easy drinking, well rounded beer with floral aromas and citrus and pine cascade hops. This one was definitely a crowd please, assuming it’s not a crowd of hop heads. If you’re buying Julie a beer in Boston, make it a Harpoon IPA, this was her champion.
Harpoon Ale, Amber Ale, 5.0% ABV – This ale is not distributed and is only available in the tasting room and that’s probably for the best. There was nothing special about it. Whit was able to pick up coriander on the nose but beyond that no other flavors jumped out. While it may not be a memorable beer, it’s a drinkable one. You could easily put 2 or 3 back and not get tired of the flavor. I suppose it’s good to throw a standard Ale into the mix when you have a Raspberry Hefeweizen running amuck.
Harpoon Summer Beer, Kolsch Ale, 5.0% ABV – This beer flew under the radar and did not illicit a big response from the group. It’s light-bodied and highly carbonated. If someone filled my pint glass with this beer I wouldn’t be mad at it but I probably wouldn’t ask for it by name. It’s a beer that you’ll like but you won’t fall in love with.
Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, ABV unknown – The 100 Barrel Series is a limited edition creation and you guessed it, they only produce 100 barrels. Unfortunately my notes don’t tell me much about this beer and neither does my memory. Perhaps I was distracted by the pretzel…
Try the pretzel
Tasting #3: Specialty Flight
This is where it starts to get fuzzy. Whoever was in charge of keeping my notes (oh, that’s me) slacked off and failed to record ABV & type of beer. In my defense, Harpoon did not provide a tap list with these pertinent details and as mentioned earlier, the bartenders were buzzing around so getting all the details for the third flight was too tall an order.
Left to Right: H2, Kitchen Sink, Smokey Chip Amber, Midnight Soiree
H2 – A beer that garnered no love from the other girls but I wasn’t mad at it. However, Whits scrunched nose and puckered face said it all. There is an earthy flavor contrasted by a lemon/honey nose and no heavy after taste that makes this beer complex but not popular with the ladies.
Kitchen Sink – The combination of color, carbonation and syrup flavor had us all believing this beer was a watered down coke. Of course it wasn’t really, but the black licorice flavor and the brown sugar smell had our imaginations going. If we’re being technical I guess I’d call this one a first cousin to a brown ale.
Smokey Chip Amber – This one is true to its name. Smoke, smoke and more smoke. A smooth beer with a prominent white head that coats the glass, this one tastes like smoke and smells like bacon. This may not be a beer you drink by itself but pair it with a tri-tip sandwich and you have a yourself a winner. Just don’t share it with Candi or Julie because they were not pleased with it.
Midnight Soiree – Ah yes, saved the best for last. This was by far and away my favorite Harpoon beer. This beer was made for Nitro. It’s a dark black stout with lots of vanilla flavors. It’s just begging someone to drop a dollop of vanilla ice cream in it. Whit immediately ordered herself a pint ($8.25, kind of steep by west coast standards but worth every penny) and it was good to the last drop. This beer definitely won the YOTB stamp of approval.
Harpoon is the perfect place to spend a afternoon. The vibe is fun, the service was friendly and prompt, and there is a beer for you on tap I’m sure of it. Our favorites were the UFO White, Harpoon IPA and Midnight Soiree but with such variety available there’s something for everyone. In case I wasn’t clear, I’d stay away from the Raspberry Hefeweizen, but that’s just me.
Personally, I believe in quality over quantity. I’d like to see Harpoon eliminate the gimmicky beers (ahem* Raspberry Hef * ahem) as well as the forgettable ones and just focus on the beers they do well. I’d also like to see them providing a tap list. Maybe it’s the printer in me but there’s a lot to be said for ink on paper. All in all we had a great time – great beer and great naps afterwards. Put Harpoon on your “must-do” list next time your in Boston.
Bottoms up!
-Amatece
Year of the Brew.2 