Harpoon Summer Beer

September 11, 2010

Score 3 stars out of 5

Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA and Windsor, VT.  Bought at HEB in Katy, TX and drink at home in Katy, TX as an aperitif while trying to create something appetizing from ground turkey breast.  Eventually added an onion and mushrooms to the ground turkey, then added Alfredo sauce to the mix and poured the results over whole wheat Buitoni Tortellini filled with ricotta, parmesan and Romano cheeses, then added fresh chopped tomatoes on top.  Quite delicious.   

web site:   http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm/page/Summer-Beer/pid/28511

The bottle says:  “Our Harpoon Summer Beer is a classic, refreshing example of the German Kolsch beer style; a golden-colored light bodied beer, with a soft mouth feel.  Perfect for summer.

The web site says “ABOUT THE STYLE
Harpoon Summer Beer is a Kolsch style ale. Originating in the Rhineland city of Cologne (Koln), Kolsch ales have the characteristics that many people associate with lager beers. Kolsch is brewed with an ale yeast, but like other northern German light ales, it is straw gold in color and light bodied. The flavor is mild. The hopping levels provide a crisp, dry finish that make this beer particulary refreshing.

BEER CHARACTER AND GLASSWARE

Harpoon Summer Beer is a beer brewed to be enjoyed with summertime activities. It is light, refreshing, and crisp.

The traditional serving style is in small, straight glasses which are constantly circulated among the tables in Koln’s beer halls. This beer goes well with a wide variety of foods, including delicate dishes such as salads and seafood.

The overall character is light and refreshing, with a crisp, dry finish.”

I found the beer to be light and easy to drink, but without any special characteristic to make it stand out. A pleasant and nice beer for a summer afternoon by the pool.

The 398 people who drank this beer at RateBeer.com were not as impressed as I (http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/harpoon-summer-beer/1365/ )  They gave it a score of 2.86 which puts it in the 37^th percentile overall and the 46^th percentile for its style of Kolsch.

330 people have rated this beer at BeerAdvocate.com.  They gave it a score of 3.61 which equates to a B = good (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10097/307 )