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Harpoon Ale

Harpoon Ale Wine Details
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Description: Harpoon Ale was the first in the family of Harpoon beers. It is important to know that when it was first brewed in 1987, there were virtually no other American Pale Ales or Amber Ales available in Boston, let alone an ale brewed within the city limits. Harpoon Ale was the product of extensive research and test brews by Harpoon’s founders to find the right beer to launch the Harpoon Brewery. It has a loyal following to this day.

Varietal Definition
Amber Ale:
This is a more modern, non-traditional style, and many of these beers borrow heavily from the characteristics associated with more classical styles such as "Pale Ales" or "Bitters." Amber ales are light to medium bodied and can be anywhere from light copper to light brown in hue. Flavorwise they can vary from generic and quaffable to serious craft brewed styles with extravagant hoppy aromas and full malt character. Typically amber ales are quite malty but not heavily caramelized in flavor. For our purposes amber ales will also include ales commonly identified as "Red Ales," and "American Ales" as, from the consumers viewpoint, the dividing line between these styles can often be a more a marketing concern than a consistently observed brewing convention.
Pale Ale:
Pale ales tend to be fuller-bodied with a more assertive character on the palate the standard bitter in a English brewers portfolio. In England it is generally a bottled, as opposed to being sold on draft. Despite the name, pale ales are not pale but, in fact, more of an amber hue. The original designation was in reference to this style of beer being paler than the brown and black beers which were more popular at the time of the styles inception. In the US pale ale styles have become one of the benchmarks by which craft brewers are judged. The US version of pale ale is crisper and generally much more hoppy. Indeed this style is well suited to assertive domestic Pacific Northwestern hop varieties that give the US examples inimitable character.


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