harpoon ipa.

[infomercial]

i got some harpoon ipa.
only ipas i have to compare it to is snake dog and east bay ipa. but it is a style i like and want to drink more of.
harpoon is alot smoother and less insane bitterness.
this is a good ipa that i wouldn't be scared to share with normal beer drinkers. the bottle and package look really cool.
this is good stuff but i will probably only buy it on sale. i got it for 6.59$ $1 off discount.

[smeyrt]

well word of suggestion. If you are looking for a good IPA to compare it to try Stone IPA Ruination

[infomercial]

i don't think i can get that here.
SC has a 6% abv cap.

[M.K. Jeeves]

Harpoon is pretty good, had gallons of it on tap while I was working in and around Boston. Never had it in the bottle though, Ipswich is another one to try from the same region, but in my opinion not as tasty as the harpoon.

[OregonAmy]

You might be able to fine Dogfish Head out there. Their 90 minute IPA is top-notch. If you"re not so much a hophead, their 60 minute IPA is also quite good.

[threecb]

Harpoon IPA is a nice beer, but very much in the vein of a Traditional British IPA - very sessionable. Stone Ruination and, I suspect, even DFH 60 Minute would be a major Hop Bomb in comparison (not that there's anything wrong with these!).

St. George IPA might be a good comparision to Harpoon's. I'm not sure if St. Geo distributes that far away from Hampton Roads, VA, though.

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by M.K. Jeeves
Harpoon is pretty good, had gallons of it on tap while I was working in and around Boston. Never had it in the bottle though, Ipswich is another one to try from the same region, but in my opinion not as tasty as the harpoon.

Sadly, my last few experiences with Ipswich haven't been good. HUGE chunks of sediment that look unappealing and lead to a full(er), grainy mouthfeel and finish. Unfiltered/bottle conditioned is one thing, but the bottles of Winter Ale and IPA I drank took things a step (or ten) further.

Cheers!

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by threecb

St. George IPA might be a good comparision to Harpoon's. I'm not sure if St. Geo distributes that far away from Hampton Roads, VA, though.

It gets up to Northern VA but is usually hidden on some bottom shelf. They do make most of the local festivals and I love thier beers on tap and fresh. An under-rated brewery in my opinion.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by newportstorm
Sadly, my last few experiences with Ipswich haven't been good. HUGE chunks of sediment that look unappealing and lead to a full(er), grainy mouthfeel and finish. Unfiltered/bottle conditioned is one thing, but the bottles of Winter Ale and IPA I drank took things a step (or ten) further.

Cheers!

I visited Ipswich many years ago and I think I still have a growler and t shirt. The person I was staying with in Beverly knew the owner so we went over. The brewer at that time was a guy named Lou who was splitting off to brew his own beer Pilgrim Ale. We ran into him the next day at Boston Beer Works Fenway Park. I like the Ipswich beers then but it has been over a decade.

[cewldre]

I saw someone suggest the ruination IPA from stone for this guy who says he's not much of a hop head. Now, maybe it's me, but that would probably just kill his want to ever buy anything again. Anything stone does is hoppy, especially the ruination.

[trunk]

If you ever go into Georgia, try Sweetwater's IPA. You won't regret it.

[ratman03]

Originally posted by newportstorm
Sadly, my last few experiences with Ipswich haven't been good. HUGE chunks of sediment that look unappealing and lead to a full(er), grainy mouthfeel and finish. Unfiltered/bottle conditioned is one thing, but the bottles of Winter Ale and IPA I drank took things a step (or ten) further.

Cheers!

Newportstorm, I'm gonna have to take issue with this comment!

I'm from Boston originally, and in my opinion Ipswich is BY FAR the freshest, best, most 'micro' tasting of any beer brewed in the region. It's got chunks floating in it because it's not filtered! And that my friend is a GOOD thing. A little history: Ipswich Brewery has been sold a couple times in the past decade. For a few years, it was contract brewed down in Maryland -- and filtered -- and it just wasn't the same. Then it was purchased by one of the employees of the brewery, and the brewing was brought back to Massachusetts. What you're drinking now is righteous Ipswich like it was meant to be. Those chunks are yeast, and they make the beer taste better! Unfiltered ale is going to taste better than filtered ale, and your responsibility as a beer lover is to embrace this. You describe the beer as having a "full(er), grainy mouthfeel and finish". That is why I love Ipswich! The IPA and Winter ale are British styled ales with an American hop profile. Delicious!

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by ratman03
Newportstorm, I'm gonna have to take issue with this comment!

I'm from Boston originally, and in my opinion Ipswich is BY FAR the freshest, best, most 'micro' tasting of any beer brewed in the region. It's got chunks floating in it because it's not filtered! And that my friend is a GOOD thing. A little history: Ipswich Brewery has been sold a couple times in the past decade. For a few years, it was contract brewed down in Maryland -- and filtered -- and it just wasn't the same. Then it was purchased by one of the employees of the brewery, and the brewing was brought back to Massachusetts. What you're drinking now is righteous Ipswich like it was meant to be. Those chunks are yeast, and they make the beer taste better! Unfiltered ale is going to taste better than filtered ale, and your responsibility as a beer lover is to embrace this. You describe the beer as having a "full(er), grainy mouthfeel and finish". That is why I love Ipswich! The IPA and Winter ale are British styled ales with an American hop profile. Delicious!

Take issue with what you whatever you want. I grew up 20 minutes from the brewery, took a couple tours way back when, have enjoyed plenty of cases, growlers & draft over the years and know the history of the brewery.

What I am seeing is most certainly yeast - never said it wasn't. But there is a line between hazy, unfiltered, bottle conditioned beer and a chunky, sludgy, dirty mess. And I'm not alone in that assessment. Plenty of local beer buds (and other brewers) have stated Ipswich has a huge yeast/filtering problem. And not just in their beers, but the stuff the contract brew.

Funny you mention the IPA and Winter Ale. The last couple shipments of both of these have been horrible. About the only Ipswich I take a flyer on any longer is the Oatmeal Stout, which could last through a nuclear war and still be drinkable.

I can't pinpoint when their beer took a turn - sometime after 2003 is my guess as I remember buying their Yacht Club mix-packs that summer and attended the brewery party when all production was brought back to MA. Dunno how long you've been away or when the last time you had an IPA/Winter Ale, but things can and do change. Local Concord Brewery in Lowell used to be an old favorite but they've had their own consistency issues as of late (mainly foaming, fizzy and/or exploding bottles).

Cheers!

[ratman03]

Originally posted by newportstorm
Take issue with what you whatever you want. I grew up 20 minutes from the brewery, took a couple tours way back when, have enjoyed plenty of cases, growlers & draft over the years and know the history of the brewery.

What I am seeing is most certainly yeast - never said it wasn't. But there is a line between hazy, unfiltered, bottle conditioned beer and a chunky, sludgy, dirty mess. And I'm not alone in that assessment. Plenty of local beer buds (and other brewers) have stated Ipswich has a huge yeast/filtering problem. And not just in their beers, but the stuff the contract brew.

Funny you mention the IPA and Winter Ale. The last couple shipments of both of these have been horrible. About the only Ipswich I take a flyer on any longer is the Oatmeal Stout, which could last through a nuclear war and still be drinkable.

I can't pinpoint when their beer took a turn - sometime after 2003 is my guess as I remember buying their Yacht Club mix-packs that summer and attended the brewery party when all production was brought back to MA. Dunno how long you've been away or when the last time you had an IPA/Winter Ale, but things can and do change. Local Concord Brewery in Lowell used to be an old favorite but they've had their own consistency issues as of late (mainly foaming, fizzy and/or exploding bottles).

Cheers!

As far as Ipswich: I have tasted it within the last year and I still like it. This doesn't mean that it is consistent, of course, and your comments are noted. I generally don't have a problem with excess yeast unless it negatively influences the taste, and it hasn't yet in the examples I've had. But again, I haven't had it much in the past year or so.

re: Concord Brewery - I haven't had much of their beer, but I heard from a reliable source that their beer went downhill when they moved the brewery from the Concord, MA area to Lowell. Different water will do that. If their bottles are fizzy and exploding, then they have REAL problems... Too bad.

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by ratman03


re: Concord Brewery - I haven't had much of their beer, but I heard from a reliable source that their beer went downhill when they moved the brewery from the Concord, MA area to Lowell. Different water will do that. If their bottles are fizzy and exploding, then they have REAL problems... Too bad.

They actually moved to a mill in Shirley, MA first, where there was a dispute with the landlord. In that trying time they lost one of the best brewers around - Dann Paquette, who had dreamed up and formulated the Rapscallion line of beers. Dann moved on to The Tap brewpub in Haverhill and did some very creative things, before moving to England to pursue a brewery of his own. UK beer fans, be on the lookout.

And yes, different water sources can be a challenge but nothing that modern chemistry shouldn't be able to remedy. I'm not sure what their troubles are, but it'd be a shame for a long time local brewery like Concord to fold.

Cheers!