Harpoon Brown

Brewed by Harpoon Brewery
Style: Brown Ale
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Dimpled mug

DECENT representation indeed. unpretentious and straightforward. malt flavors do produce a nice fruity tone. a touch if nutty. lively in carbonation sets everything off well. hearty drinkin’ day brew. mild hop burp is a plus. balance is fairly good it is refreshing and with a lively and decent body. also a fairly good and malty aroma.

Pours a deep amber, almost mahogany, into the glass, with a diminished head (from an initial tan fizz). The nose is of too-slight nuts and caramel... a bit weak. There is a mixture of indistinct malts on the tongue, with a semi-dry finish, somewhat nutty (against indistinct). The mouthfeel is light and bordering on watery. Carbonation levels are a bit lively. All-in-all, it lacks any real complexity or character, and "dumbs down" the session brew.

UPDATED: MAY 19, 2008 12 oz bottle: Brown "Session" Ale. I’m not too sure if I’d drink this beer over and over again, but Im not a huge fan of brown ales in general. This one was sort of light tasting - with some nut in the aroma and taste. Nothing great.

I’m not really a brown ale fan to begin with so I had low hopes for this one. I actually didn’t finish it but no knock on Harpoon - just really not my kind of beer.

It’s got a sweet dark reddish brown color and excellent clarity. A small head is formed which quickly fades out. The aroma is light with some floral hop notes. Its flavor is a wonderful mix of caramel, maple, brown sugar, with roasted and toasted malts. All of which are tempered with a pleasing hop bitterness that floats around on the tongue. Its medium body and soft carbonation give it a smooth mouth feel that is very drinkable. Well done!

It tastes like a weaker version of their Munich Dark. Not much taste, kind of fizzy. Some typical nut brown taste, but really light bodied and watery. Would not be that great as a session beer as the label says.

I thought this was a good brown ale. It has a very nice mouthfeel. Smooth and sweet. Caramel flavor with heavy malts. Harpoon is looing better with every beer I try.

Bottle: Brown pour with an off white film for head. The aroma is sweet, with a bit of caramel and brown sugar. Pretty boring though. Light mouth feel, with a restrained malt character. Sweet with a cheap caramel malt flavor and a bit of a metallic hint. Kind of lacks character.