By Greg B.   Harpoon Brewery has their own line of above average brews… something in the lineup for them to experiment and play with, now that they’ve got their basic lineup of beers settled down.  And when a brewery  begins to think big while experimenting, you know you’ll be in for a treat!  While I don’t think I’ve reviewed any Harpoon beers on here (a quick search tells me I mentioned them in another post, but that’s all), this might be an interesting beer to start out with.  Harpoon brewery makes some good ales that tend towards the more sharp bitterness and less hoppy end of the spectrum, so I am interested in seeing what they other versions of beer bring about!  And with this, I chilled a Leviathan line Imperial IPA.

Bear in mind that when you see the ‘imperial’ title, the beer is going to be a high ABV, and this one falls in at 10%.  She pours a nice darker gold color with a large, 2 finger head that recedes to about 0.5 fingers and remains for quite some time.  The immediate aromas are intense hops, with lots of citrus riding on a noticeably malty backbone.  Aromas of general citrus, notably pineapple, burst forward.  I mention pineapple, because I think this is a deceptive sensory experience.  The malty backbone will bring with it a sweetness to the beer, while the hops lend the citrus, to make that sweeter, very citrusy fruit, the pineapple.  Had the beer been dryer (probably a lower ABV), this may have produced a more grapefruit aroma (more on hops later though!).  The mouthfeel is pretty good, well carbonated to ease such a ‘big’ beer down, but the flavor… man, this is a treat.  As you drink you can detect several varieties of hops.. more spicy and peppery hops at first, citrusy and slight pine at the finish but the hop flavors/aromas last for a long time, post-sip… this is an intense hop experience!  The beer even manages to not be overly sweet, but shows a nice balance between the malts and hop bitters.  Well done, Harpoon!  3.2/5, 10%abv