Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

From the Harpoon Brewery comes this monstrous DIPA. 10% abv and it currently rates as an A- overall on beeradvocate.com. So, obviously, an IPA lover like myself had to check out Harpoon's latest offering.

I cracked it open and poured it into my new Palm tulip glass. It sure smells like a dipa...

The beer is a beautiful, clear amber color with a nice fingers worth of off-white ipa head. The nose is of fragrant piney, grassy hops over equally fragrant sweet malts with hints of caramel. There are also some ever so slight wiffs of alcohol in the nose.

The body is lighter than expected. The first sip goes down smoothly - a mild piney, and slightly citrusy, hop bite upfront followed by an almost light body of sweet malts. Upon swallowing, the hops make a return engagement and leave a floral, piney taste on the back of the tongue that is resinous but not overpowering. It is in the final swallow that one notices the 10% alcohol. It is not strong enough to distract from the taste or the overall enjoyment of the beer, but it is noticable to a seasoned palate.

I don't consider this beer exceptional but I do consider it very good. I will objectively call it a Glass FULL. I say objectively because I am not a fan of the bigger, and sweeter, imperial ipas. To me a malty ipa is a turn off. But this one, while having a strong malt presence, has a light enough body to make the malt sweetness and high alcohol seem less noticeable. As far as Harpoon beers go, this might be their best offering yet, in my humble opinion. Cheers!

Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse

I picked this up because I had heard a lot of great things about this beer. As the packaging clearly states, this is a Bavarian hefe-weisse imported from Munich. Even though Franziskaner is now part of the Spaten/Franziskaner/Louenbrau Group, which in turn is now owned by Inbev, Franziskaner's history dates back to the 1300's in Germany. Franziskaner means Franciscan and the name comes from the fact there was a monastary across the street from the original brewery.

This hefe pours a golden yellow color and it is hazy with a lot of carbonation. My pour gave me over an inch of fluffy, off-white hefe head. It had a very strong nose of spicy banana and clove, also earthy with hints of citrus.

The body is nearly medium with surprising effervescence. There is some carbonation up front, followed immediately by a sharp, hoppy bite from the noble hops. Hefes are light but the body of this beer has as much weight to it as a hefeweissen can have. The middle flows along the tongue bringing a in hints of wheat, fruit and a light sourness.

Easy to drink yet complex in flavor and character, this is not a hefe to take lightly. The combination of the lively natural carbonation and the tartness make it a very refreshing beer, yet the complexity of the flavors and the substantial body make this a beer than can be enjoyed anytime.

There is no freshness date and I can't help but wonder how fresh this beer is. I would love to try this beer fresh from the brewery someday. If it's this good like this then it must be amazing when fresh.

I have absolutely no reason not to call this beer a Glass FULL. Are there better hefes out there? Sure there are. But this is a great one and a classic from a very old brewery. A must for fans of the style. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Cheers!