12/27/2023 0 Comments Harpoon beer highThough based in Boston, Harpoon has a long history in Vermont. “They would compete in our backyard, and we would work to compete in theirs,” Fulham said. That overlap has of course led to some friendly competition over the years, though Fulham said he and Kenary always “respected each other.” “The Fulhams had been in the investment for a long time, and they were kind of ready to move on,” he said, adding that Harpoon had the brewing capacity to absorb Long Trail - and the companies’ retail footprints overlapped. In exploring different contract agreements with Harpoon, Kenary said it became clear to both brewers that an acquisition made the most sense. “As a heritage brand, which is what Long Trail and Harpoon are, we were looking at, ‘How do we operate differently when people are drinking hard seltzer, wine, spirits, and non-alcohol.’” “The craft beer run-up has been a great run, but the craft beer trends have been down,” said Fulham, whose family fund purchased Long Trail in 2005 after exiting the Seaport seafood business. I will note that the ABV (6%) is a tad low for what I prefer for a Winter Warmer, but that's OK.Long Trail was planning to consolidate from two breweries to one and Fulham asked whether Harpoon could produce a few of its beers - which have been brewed in Vermont since the company’s founding in 1989, long before the recent explosion of craft brewing. ![]() It drinks far easier than other Winter Warmers/Holiday beers that I have had. This is obviously a beer that has had some spices added instead of the other way 'round. The spices are noticeable, but not overpowering, and they do blend with malts nicely. Overall: Winter warmers and spiced ales/beers aren't really my thing, but this one isn't too bad. Things finish with the spices (primarily nutmeg with cinnamon and cloves added in). As the cinnamon (and ginger) declines, the nutmeg comes forward. The cinnamon is up front along with ginger, but these quickly give way to the malts and candy. Taste: Very similar to how the beer smells. The spices do dominate the aroma, but they don't really get out of hand. A good undercurrent of malt, including darker malts (ie, dark bread) and even some toasted ones. The head lasted for quite some time, leaving excellent lacing on the glass.Īroma: Noticeable but not overwhelming note of spices - cinnamon primarily with some ginger and a touch of cloves. Look: Deep and dark but clear ruby that drifts towards a shad of mahogany with 2+" creamy beige head. Noteworthy is that I am enthralled by the entire genre of winter spiced foods and drinks, so my rating may be high, but consider. As an overall package it achieves in flavor, alcohol, and richness, without boasting opulence. I also love the texture, and slightly boosted maltiness and ABV. Will surely buy again! I really enjoyed this primarily because it reminded me of eggnog, which I adore. Creaminess in taste as I stated previously but in texture as well. The maltiness and ABV are perfect in my opinion, higher than your average lager but not at all daunting. It's interesting that it really does taste like eggnog, it even has a creaminess to it. This is the taste you get from eggnog, and the key to that is nutmeg (this is brewed with cinnamon and nutmeg.) So, nutmeg happens to be my favorite spice by a long long shot, so this is right up my alley. Initial taste is alcohol fumes (a pleasant alcohol burn one would expect from a winter drink), followed by light spice warmth. ![]() A little bit of 50ish% dark chocolate and maybe a hint of lemon peel? Additionally I can't cast the smell of clove gumdrops from my mind's eye as I inhale. Initial aroma is ginger (which it doesn't contain), a smooth and sweet aroma promising a pleasant spice burn. Looks like someone stepped in the floor bed of a lake Pours a hazy, the color of a vintage penny, with a 1.5 finger custard colored relatively quickly dissipating head. Acclimated to 48☏ and poured into a goblet.
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