Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

Brewed by Harpoon Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Bottle. Clear deep golden/copper color with a rich lasting offwhite head. Malty fruity aroma at first, peach, pine apple, hay, mango, pine, perfume, very nice bitterness growing stronger and stronger, grapefruit, woody, nice notes of caramel. Malty fruity flavor, peach, grass, citrus, biscuits, pine needles, plum, pineapple, some warming alcohol, mango, perfume, woody, caramel. I’m so impressed to see all flavors coming together, this beer never gets extreme, still it keeps bringing new flavors all the time. Malty finish with grapes, mango, pine, caramel and a growing bitterness. Lovely!

Bottle at The Nook. Pours clear copper with an average, creamy white head, medium retention with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toasted), heavy hops (floral, pine, citrus), and average esters (apple/pear) with notes of peach and pineapple. Flavor is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toasted), heavy hops (floral, pine, citrus), and average esters (apple/pear) with notes of alcohol, peach, pineapple. Full body, medium warmth and carbonation, low creaminess with a dry and biting finish.

Bottle thanks to porterhouse. Pours with a medium, slightly yellow head over a hazed golden body. Pervasive aroma. Pine and citrus tang (orange), light grain, caramel, light honey. By far the best smelling beer I have seen...well smelled...from Harpoon. Taste is nice with sharp citrus hop notes, and some lingering caramel sweetness followed by a long, bitter citrus finish. Good! Medium to light carbonation, thickish/viscous mouthfeel. A very solid beer from, in my experience, a not so solid brewery.

On tap at Kinsale Irish Pub, Boston. Clear amber colour. Moderate white head. Good strong hoppy character throughout. Lots of floral, leafy notes. Developing grapefruit and bitter orange peel. Relatively light mouthfeel for a DIPA and the alcohol isn’t too hot or intrusive. A very satisfying beer without quite hitting the high spots.

Gold pour. Damn this beer is nothing but pure hops in the aroma and on the tongue. Bitter harsh and a hop lovers dream. too much for me.

Leviathan is an apt name: this beer is a powerhouse. The high alcohol content and robust flavor make this a beer for the strong-willed.

A 330 ml., just enough for a person. Big hop IPA, really nice, and the booze, like a hop whiskey. Cloudy golden colour with noticeable whit head, and som lace. Very smooth drinking, a remarkable mouthfeel for a DIPA with such booze and hops. WHy? I get the hops first and foremost. What a delivery. Must try.

Bottle shared by SamGamgee: Pours a transparent deep golden with a spotty-lacing wispy white head. Aroma of piny resiny hops with a light caramel sweetness and peppery alcohol. Body starts with a nice fullness and sweet caramel malty balance with a clean citrusy flavor hop presence and a crisp, bittersweet finish. Hides its alcohol very well and is very drinkable.

My Bottom Line:
Juicy citrus blooms within pale malt sweetness while resinous hops progressively sink their bitter teeth in this balanced and very successful Double IPA.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam laces around the transparent light golden amber.
-This may not be the most compelling of I2PA recipes, but it is flawless and flavorful. What more can you want?
-Alcohol is barely apparent in the flavor profile, which is appreciated.
-The powerful citrusy component is redolent of dried grapefruit.
-The grain bill does not contain much caramel malt, an absence which I like in this style because it tends to let the hops express themselves better.
-This is very drinkable for its size; the effervescence and silky mouthfeel help a lot.

Bottle.

Bottle from Capone’s that I just poured. The pour is chill hazy dark straw toward copper, with 2-fingers of uniform, vanilla-milkshakey white head. Nose is juicy fruity hops, citrus, with piney and funky notes. Nice nose on this. Tastes very hoppy, somewhat dry, with a definite juicy hop profile, some caramel malt (but not quite enough of a malt bill), and some peppery, mango, and scotchy notes. Smooth, crisp, and dry, this one is very good, but I get some late plasticy flavors (that I get, sadly, wth all Harpoon beers) and fusel flavors, that I am compelled to lower this rating a tenth or so. Not world class, but very good nonetheless.