Harpoon ESB

Brewed by Harpoon Brewery
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Serve in English pint

Draft… Mostly clear, burnt orange ale with a small, wispy, white head. Decent retention. The nose is toasty, biscuity and grassy. Light to medium-bodied with a mildly creamy mouthfeel and tickling carbonation. The flavor leans bitter, but not by much. Pleasant, minerally hops lend to a crisp, moderately bitter finish. Thirst quenching, but lackluster.

Draught. Reddish brown pour. Small thin head. Some spice and bitters with a mildly phenolic finish.

Tap at the Saucer. Dark orange to almost reddish appearance. White head. Small aroma. Some amount of sweet candy on the nose but not much else. Flavor is immediately dry and bitter. Almost a smacky bitter; lingers on the tongue for a length of time. Slight sweet finish. Unimpressed.

Copper in color with a small white head that faded quickly. Fairly average across the board. Some detection of hops and malt flavors, but all-in-all pretty bland.

Draught > Gingerman. This was noted as Single Hop ESB on their sheet so I hope this is it. I’m pretty certain it is. Anyway, I guess this brewery just doesn’t do it for me. All their beers seem very average which is frustrating b/c I’d like to like them as I think they’ve got potential which is why I keep trying them but am ultimately not surprised that there are far better slections on the wall. So, this guy was thin and weak w/o head and leaning more towards an IPA than an ESB. Couldn’t detect the malty backbone that I look for in ESBs yet are still pleasantly bitter. Again another Harpoon beer that is one and done.

Nice copper pour. Nose and taste of caramels, breads, toffee and dough. Rated 6/8/02

To say this is an easy drinking beer would be spot on accurate. An appearance of rusty orange, a nice size upon pour with about a 5 minute melt time which left decent lacing. Mouthfeel is light, soft and clean. Aroma is sweet, perhaps some caramel malts along with a low-level bitterness that’s somewhere between "where is it?" and "I think I smell something". Taste is clean, refreshing although not very bitter, but it is slightly hoppy. It’s mostly malty sweetness that’s present. Overall, I’d say it’s a decent session beer. Clean finish, nice taste but nothing to blow you away.

Good session beer. Not quite up to an average ESB. Light copper color with a nice head and lace. Taste is a little too sweet for my liking but it does not linger or leave the palate bitter after having more than one.