3/2/2024 0 Comments Harpoon beer tourThe oldest continually operating brewery in Massachusetts, Harpoon was founded in 1986 under the name “Mass Bay Brewing Co.” as part of Rich Doyle’s senior project at Harvard Business school. Inside, I don a pair of OSHA goggles and queue up behind a raucous group of discordant accents while our tour guides, Matt and Alex, strain against the deafening roar of the kegging plant to our left. In spite of the clearly marked trail, I manage to veer off course to a loading dock and inadvertently bump into Merrill Allen - Communications Manager at Harpoon and brewer of the Kettle Cup 2014 winner, Citra Victorious - who kindly directs me to the visitor entrance. A tall black fence hugs the perimeter and wrought iron Harpoon logos adorn the tips. The air is warm and humid, the sunlight dirty and diffuse. I exit the Silver Line at Northern Ave with a gaggle of neon-cloaked runners, most of whom are hobbling stiff-legged down the curb and clutching bags from the Sam Adams brewery tour. Harpoon is tucked back amongst wharf detritus and plumes of geometric architecture in the northeast terminus of South Boston. ![]() ![]() It is the day after the 118th Boston Marathon, and I am on my way to the Harpoon Brewery. Save for the numinous keening of aggrieved children, the incoherently rhotic crackle of station names, and the occasional robotic sputters of pre-recorded PSAs instructing us to say something if we see something, all is quiet. Way to go, guys! For more information about the brewery or scheduled tours, visit their website at mood on the Red Line is hushed, stagnant, and meditational, with serious signs of climatological schizophrenia in the patchwork of clothing scattered throughout the cab: Octogenarians of varying ethnicity stitched up tight in heavy winter coats pearloid legs with fresh razor burns jutting out of seasonally premature daisy dukes compression sleeves stretched taut over impossibly brawny calves and descending into battered running shoes. In 2014, Harpoon became an employee-owned company with the introduction of an employee stock ownership plan, a major point of pride for the entire organization. In fact, in 2000 they purchased a second brewery in Windsor, Vermont, to keep up with demand. We asked each other, ‘Why not do that in New England?’” The result of this initial desire has won them overwhelming approval from the locals and beyond. They were not just manufacturers of a product they were part of the social fabric. As they’ve stated on their website, “We learned to appreciate how much local brewers meant to their communities. This is an important component of the brewery and pub lifestyle that the founders witnessed while experiencing European traditions abroad. Harpoon has always been focused on positively impacting their local community. Upon returning, they partnered with George Ligeti and hired brewer Russ Heissner, and by 1987 their first beer was sold as the brewery debuted on the Boston waterfront. Before starting the brewery, the founding team of Dan Kenary and Rich Doyle traveled throughout Europe in search of various beer and brewery styles upon which they would model their own (“product research” we think they called it). Harpoon Brewery was founded in 1986, quite early in the US microbrew renaissance. For pairing options, try grilled pork or chicken with a fruity BBQ sauce (perhaps with a dose of citrus or pineapple juice), a burger topped with sharp cheddar and caramelized onions, teriyaki glazed chicken breast with grilled pineapple, or spicy buffalo wings. Hop bitterness comes through moderately firm, combining with a bit higher of an ABV than many other similarly-styled hazy IPAs, providing plenty of bite to dry out the moderate dose of residual sweetness from the rather robust yet pillowy malt contribution. Juicer certainly lives up to its name as well as the expectations we have for a New England IPA. ![]() The story continues on the palate where we get layers and layers of juicy tropical and citrus notes. Look for lots of luscious tropical fruit notes to take center stage on the nose, evoking pineapple, mango, and passion fruit, bolstered by soft citrus tones and touches of melon and stone fruit. ![]() Pouring a hazy golden hue with a persistent head of off-white foam, Juicer presents a good appearance and a good aroma. This hazy IPA from Harpoon uses a relatively new technique called “dip hopping” in which (in a very small nutshell) hops are added to cooled wort prior to fermentation, and the process can dramatically increase perceived fruity and tropical hop expression while limiting more resinous and piney notes.
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