Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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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.

This was a very hop filled beer, permeating both the aroma and taste. It had a bitter finish.

Pours a nice orange amber with a medium creamy white head. The aroma is citrus, grapefruit, and orange. The taste is hoppy and dry with pleasant notes of citrus and just a hint of honey-like sweetness on the finish. Nice brew. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Not a bad DIPA. Overall though I wish for a bit more body. It is indeed a maltier DIPA among DIPAs, but it seems to settle for the middle ground, i.e., in my opinion, if you’re going to be DIPA, either go for a weak or a strong malt backbone. In between seems oddly weak. Still, not bad.

Bottle. Pours an orange color with a firm head. It is surprisingly clear for an imperial IPA. The aroma has strong citrus hop character. The taste is bitter hops that mellow slightly after a few sips. The alcohol flavor is well hidden. Decent overall.

Bottle sample at a tasting at Ariel’s. Thanks DSG. Clear amber-copper with white head. Salt, evergreen, grassy aroma, surprisingly sweet taste at first and then bitterness. Velvety texture, lively carbonation. Good.

Bottle shared at a tasting at Ariel’s place. Clear deep golden. Aroma of resinous and piney hops, malt and quite a bit of alcohol. Sweet flavor with chewy malt, a bit of honey hints and bitter hoppiness in the alcoholic finish. Medium-bodied.

Nicely balanced. Alcohol well hidden for 10%. Very clear beer. Aroma is more malty than hoppy, but has a good hop bite, nice..... ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Burnt orange in color with a rather full head and lots of carbonation. Citrusy aroma with a heavy bitter taste and a long astringent finish.

Originally reviewed: 8/1/09. Pours a murky dark burnt orange with a big frothy off-white head on top. Excellent retention as this rests comfortably for most of the drink. Nice lacy sip rings present. Smells very powerfully of pineapple and sugar cane. Very sweet smelling. Big citrus nose, with some slight lemon zest finish. The mouth is slightly slick, but with a good carbonation level to back it up. Not too crisp or thin. This is pretty well-balanced DIPA. I’m getting plenty of citrusy sweetness, but it is well complemented by a deep hop bite. Finishes slightly on the harsh side, with some charred wood, and plenty of bitterness. This beer has some attitude for sure. I wish the rest of the Harpoon line could keep up with their Leviathan series. Highly recommend.

12 ounce bottle from a good friend. Pours dark clear amber with a small biege head. Aroma of hops and citrus. Taste is piney hops, citrus, caramel, and malt. Lots of hops. Hides the alcohol well. Very nice.