3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle. Sunburst orange and very good head retention. Big fruit aromas lead by grapefruit and pineapple, then melon and strawberry, backed by astringent pine needle and vinyl shower curtain. Full-flavoured and highly quaffable, not over-bitter so some creamy malt and fruitiness still shines through the bitter haze. A well-made IPA.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Tap - Nice copper color, tan head and good lace. Mild hops on nose, bright fresh hop notes and malt flavor. Good, fresh beer but no IPA.
1.9 AROMA 3/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 3/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 7/20
Earth to Harpoon: We need more hops! This one is for sure a maltier East-coast IPA.
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Appearance is a translucent copper with a thick white head of foam. Aroma is hoppy and citrusy. Taste is versus light bitterness. Silky smooth body and a lingering bready hop note. Interesting beer.
2 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 7/20
Granted, the only reason I drank this beer was because the restaurant bar was out of Bell’s Two Hearted. I’ve never willingly drank Harpoon IPA, only when its the best available choice, a situation that occurs with alarming regularity around Charleston. And the bubbly, bland, drastically under-hopped pint before me only goes to remind me why I avoid this IPA. No, this pint isn’t the worst bottle ever, and I’ve become much too jaded to be surprised by this beer’s popularity. But come on, Harpoon. This IPA barely qualifies as a Pale Ale.
2.8 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
This is the kind of beer that gives the east coast a bad name. It’s called an IPA, but there is close to no hop flavor or aroma. On the west coast this would just be called a pale ale, and as such it isn’t terrible. It’s clear, clean, and easy-drinking, and I generally liked it, but it wasn’t an IPA.
3.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
On tap at Flying Saucer: Nice malty citrus aroma. Bright copper orange in color. Decent malty flavor with a trailing medicinal bitterness which is tolerable. Overall, it’s not offensive and easy to drink a number of in a session.
2.6 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
Bottle. Pours orangey copper with a large creamy, white head that leaves some good lacing as it dissipates. Aroma is spicy, floral hops, dish detergent, and some other odd, sort of chemicalish notes. Flavor is hops forward. Strongly bitter without much hop flavor except for grapefruit. Also noticed more of the chemically, dish detergent flavor. As it warms, more bready malt emerges. Medium mouthfeel. Not one of my favorite IPAs.
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