Harpoon Leviathan Imperial Red Ale

Brewed by Harpoon Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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From notes. First reviewed 2/22/2011. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. A monster head is the most noticeable thing about this beer. Tan and frothy, it fills 4 oz. worth of space in my pint glass. A full amber color, brownish in the center is the color. Lots of particulate matter, including some not-so-good looking black flecks that rest on the bottom. I guess I am not drinking the whole glass. Generous lacing on the glass. This has a traditional red aroma. Nice caramel notes to go along with toasted bread, along with a burst of citrus zest. Some herbal aromas add depth. A tiny bit of booze hides in the background. The taste starts with some toasted bread, toffee sweetness, and a bit of spice. Next up are some herbal hops, grapefruit juicy hops, and a sweet and bitter finish. A little bit of booze never fully pokes through but is always present. The aftertaste is mostly clean, with a bit of herbal residue. The toffee and herbal hoppy character create a sticky feel. A high alcohol content and some spicy hops impart a light tongue tingling. The carbonation bursts in the appearance but is restrained in the feel to a medium level. The body is medium to full. Nothing about this beer really drove me to love it. The big body and semi-complex flavor made things interesting, but this is not my favorite red.

Bought from a local Canals to try more of the Leviathan series.

Poured from a bottle, bottled on 2-12-2010, into a pint glass. Pours a deep amber, slightly red. Pours hazy. Pours a rather small head, half inch, which is rocky but retains itself rather well.

Smells great, like a strong ale, no real strong alcohol smell from it. Hoppy, earthy, and citrusy scents are prevalent from this beer, with hints of butterscotch.

Tastes less hoppy than expected, malty and sweet, and earthy/piney. Hints of citrus/fruit.

Medium bodied, medium carbonated beverage. Lingers on the pallet for a decently long time.

Very drinkable beer, especially for a 9.2% beer, but that’s a bad thing for this, drinking a 4 pack of these in one night would be bad news!

(bomber 8/18/10). Clear amber color. Medium off white head. Moderate citrus hop and moderate sweet malt aroma. Flavor of the same, with moderate to strong bitterness. Long duration. Moderate bitter finish with moderate alcohol. Slick texture. Moderate carbonation. Fair lacing.

Draught @ Headkeeper: Served in a goblet. This one poured a clear, ruby tinged brown. There was a very small brown head that was gone almost immediately. Left almost no lacing. The aroma is nice but a little light for the style. Somewhat sweet aroma. Candi sugar, fruits and some caramel. Good taste. Fairly full bodied. Touch of caramel sweetness, plums, raisins, toffee. The alcohol was well hidden. Nice!

From notes: pours hazy red-amber with an ivory head. Orangey citrus aroma with a spice note underneath. Deep, with a medium-thickness in the body. Strong grapefruity hops taste that lingered into the finish. Underlying note of malt sweetness beneath it.

Big hops and lots of malt. A treat for hopheads in bitterness, without the frontal assault of a double IPA. Malted away for drinkability, the third of a litre was ust about right.

Old rating. Reddish amber pour with a thick beige head. Aroma of amber malt and crisp citrusy hops. Flavor starts with smooth caramel malt, then quickly turns to grassy hops with a citrusy finish.

A - Pours a hazy amber-brown color with a finger of frothy off-white head. The head fades down to a thin layer and ring around the glass leaving behind some nice lacing. S - Aroma is full of sweet roasted caramel malts. There is also some nice citrus hops and some spices alongside. T - Starts off with some sweet roasted malts and some citrus hops. There is a touch of alcohol flavor at the start too. Through the middle, some bread flavor and some bitterness come through that mellow the initial sharpness of the beer a bit. The finish is a mix of sweet and bitterness from the hops and malt with some alcohol flavor and bread flavor that lingers. M - Medium to medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. The Beer has a touch of a syrupy feeling. The alcohol feeling is also fairly present throughout. D - Pretty drinkable. The flavors are really heavy and there is some booze that make this a sipping beer. However, the flavors are good and decently well balanced and pretty strong.

Reviewed from notes. Served in a tulip glass. Pours a moderate amber color with a nice light-tan head plus a good dose of lacing on the edges of the glass as it goes down. The nose is really nice with some citrus, floral, and piney hops atop an amber-malt base. The taste is slightly-malty with a bit of toast. The dominant force is definitely the hops with some citrus rind and pine coming through. Good bitter finish with a tiny amount of malt backing. Drinks quite well. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 11-13-2010

Strong make aroma with a light amount of hops. Cloudy orange color with a medium white head. Bitter and sweet beginning with the bitterness building to the finish.