Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

bottle: hazy amber with a frothy white head, aroma of citrus and floral hops, taste is hoppy, citrus, malty, mildly bitter finish, fairly well balanced DIPA which makes it a beer you can actually have more than one of in a night.

12oz bottle from Cloverleaf in Royal Oak. Pours hazy golden orange with white head. Aroma is heavy with sweet malts and hops with some caramel, citrus, and light tropical fruit. Flavor is starts with large dose of sweet malts followed by citrus and caramel. Finishes with bitter hops and light alcohol burn. A little cloying sweetness going on. While there is pletty of hop bitterness this one sort of leans to the sweet and malty type of IIPA. Full mouthfeel and appropriate carbonation. This is solid but not really my type of IIPA.

floral, citrus, golden, cloudy, very bitter, medium sweetness, light body, average carbonation, bitter. A pretty good IPA. I prefer mine a little sweeter and darker. But overall a good beer.

On tap at the Fort Worth Flying Saucer. Big hops smell. Bitter taste is not a good bitter. Very piney. Wasn’t worth the $7 pint.

12oz bottle. Pours cloudy deep golden color with a two finger white head that falls to a ring. Rocky thick lacing from top to bottom of glass. Smells of fresh wet hops with a slight hint of citrus spice. Huge hop profile, with a balanced malt backbone. Hops are resiny and quite bitter. The malt shows flavors of bread and caramel. Tons of citrus with some pine. Finishes with a bitter hop bite, and a little bit of alcohol. A pretty impressive Imperial IPA from Harpoon.

12-oz bottle. Aroma clean and citrusy. A beautiful clear golden orange color with a substantial white head. Nice looking beer. Surprisingly sweet with just a touch of alcohol taste. Typical hoppy aftertaste with grapefruit notes, but the sweetness lingers. Creamy, almost oily feel. A pleasant beer to drink. Approachable for those that are not "hardcore" IPA drinkers.

Reviewed 8/8/2009 (Draft at Flying Saucer, Houston, TX): Pours a reddish amber clear orangish colored body. White creamy head, lasting. Aroma of pine and some citrus, like grapefruit. Musty aroma, with some woodsy notes. Enticing. Not as strong. Sweet taste. Musty aftertaste, hops, pine and sweet piney aftertaste. Very sweet, almost sickly.

Slightly syrupy but imposing upon the palate. Decent mouthfeel but the brew itself feels rough around the edges and doesn’t seem to come together all that well. I liked it for sure, but it was missing that extra intangible which takes it to the next level. That being said, it is still a pretty good beer, although the the style brings high expectations. I did enjoy my time with it and will probably end up drinking it again. I would like to try the rest in this series.