In this beer blog, we are going to sample the first beer on this blog from Harpoon Brewery.  It is their Leviathan IPA.  I have been meaning to get around to write reviews on this brewery.  I am a fan of their IPA.  Harpoon Brewery was born in 1986 by Rich Doyle on a piece of paper while in Harvard Business School.  He teamed up with Dan Kenary and George Ligeti to start brewing their beers.  Harpoon Brewery brews several different beer styles and cider. They are best known for their IPA and Hefeweizen. Let us get into this beer.

It has a clear copper color with a nice white head.  The aroma has some tropical fruit notes.  The taste has some tropical fruit notes with a nice malty backbone.  The aftertaste is a bitter hop finish.  It is not over overpowering.  It is a sipping beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Massive and complex hop additions yield a powerful bitterness that is steadied by sweet malt backbone in this colossal IPA.

Here is a description from their website (www.harpoonbrewery.com):

We welcomed the challenge of brewing a 90 IBU Imperial IPA that would showcase glorious American hops while maintaining a multi-dimensional character. Bring on the hops!

Description

This Imperial IPA is brewed with loads of pale malt and just enough caramel malt to provide a sweet malt backbone to balance the hop intensity. We used a mix of our favorite American hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo to create a complex hop flavor and lingering bitterness. Harpoon’s proprietary yeast lends fruity esters, while dry-hopping at the rate of over one pound per barrel produces this beer’s massive aroma.

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Clear, yellow/orangey in color
• Aroma: Tropical fruit hop
• Mouth feel: Full-bodied
• Taste: Tropical fruit hop
• Finish: Dry, bitter finish