Harpoon Imperial IPA (Leviathan Series)
By
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
It’s hard to imagine the same brewery that came up with last night’s ho-hum Brown “Session Ale” could create such an in-your-face beer as tonight’s Imperial IPA from the Harpoon Leviathan series.
So instead of imagining, let’s trace how it happened.
Back in 2005 and with the help of guest brewers Jason and Todd Alstrom — the guys behind BeerAdvocate.com — Harpoon brewed a strong, dark wheat “wine style” ale called Triticus — part of their 100 barrel series.
Last summer, Triticus resurfaced when Harpoon released the big beer as the first of its new “Leviathan Series”. The Series is billed as “an exploration in brewing big beers for adventurous palates” and an excuse to “experiment with stronger flavors and bigger beers”. They’re still limited release brews; each beer in the Leviathan Series will be brewed in 120 barrel batches.
That means it may be too late for me to grab a bottle of Triticus, but I when I found a case of Imperial IPA last month, I nearly threw myself at it. Buying just one bottle was almost physically painful. Even now I’m wondering if I should have bought a whole case and cellared it until next January . . .
Harpoon’s original IPA is my “old standby” beer, a default answer to the question, “What will you have?” Or at least it was, until I started this one a day with no repeats challenge. I haven’t had an IPA from Harpoon since January 1st – and tonight’s Imperial IPA is my chance to get another fix.
A hiss eased from the bottle when I cracked the top, and the Leviathan slithered out looking like sunset seen through golden straw — not amber, not gold, not yellow, but some beautiful mix. The frothy head couldn’t hide the citrus-like smell of the hops, or the aroma’s undercurrent of caramel malt.
The taste is of Harpoon IPA, but all grown up — strong, mature and confident. The bitterness of this 122 IBU beer leaps out as pine and citrus, with floral qualities and hop oil on the tongue. That bitter rush is toned down — but just barely — as malt pushes through. The malt can’t hide the bitterness, but it keeps the hops from overwhelming your tongue. The result is a bittersweet finish, mellowing into an oily, hoppy bitterness mixed with a light caramel malt.
According to Harpoon:
Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA will challenge your senses and your palate. As the vibrant aroma rushes out of your glass you will notice the blend of piney and tropical fruit notes. At first sip, this big beer starts with a powerful hop bitterness up front and an aggressive hop flavor and character throughout.
Leviathan Imperial IPA is brewed with tons of pale malt and just enough caramel malt to provide a sweet malt body to balance the hop intensity. We used copious amounts of a variety of hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo at various points during the boil to create a complex hop flavor and clean lingering bitter finish. We then fermented the beer with Harpoon’s own versatile proprietary yeast. Finally, we dry hopped at a rate of over 1 lb a barrel to produce this beer’s massive aroma.
I really like this beer. It has a 10% ABV, but I was so caught up in all the flavor that I barely noticed.
If this Imperial IPA is still around next year, I may have a new favorite Harpoon beer.
Ah, the magic of IPA Monday!
Related posts:
- DFH 120 Minute IPA
- Southern Tier Mokah Imperial Stout
- Mayflower IPA
- Great Divide Titan IPA
- Brew Free! Or Die IPA
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...
