Harpoon Celtic Ale brewed by the Harpoon Brewery - Boston,
Massachusetts
Harpoon Celtic Ale is an Irish red ale. In its first year of production, it
was available only on tap in the Greater Boston area. This was Harpoon’s
salute to and the celebration of St Patrick. The following year it became
Harpoon’s official spring seasonal beer.
Harpoon Celtic Ale features a deep amber color. The flavor is malty and
complex. Celtic Ale has a moderate hop finish that, along with the generous
amounts of malt, makes for a medium bodied, smooth, rich beer. Try serving
Celtic Ale with a hearty stew… the beer’s robust character will complement
the bold flavors.
Beer Review by
Beer
Advocate
Appearance: A nice and clean looking rich red / amber beer. Head is a tad
off-white with a creamy foam stick and excellent head retention.
Aroma: Malty, fruity, estery with a soft hop aroma in the background.
Taste: Body is medium. Mouthfeel is smooth. Malt flavours are quite fruity, dark
fruits, with an even semi-sugary sweetness. Touch of roasted flavour sits in the
back with some bubble-gum-like and woody flavours. Carbonation is tight, zesty
and creams-up on the palate. Grain flavours follow, then some esters and a
slight touch of alcohol. Hop flavours are floral, tea-like, with a thin, soft
character. Some leafy feel can be detected on the palate. Finish has some
roasted notes to it.
Notes: Harpoon replaced their Spring Maibock with this beer. I put that aside.
They come out with an "Irish-style red ale", which is so typical. I put that
aside. What's left? In my opinion a damn fine ale. It's balanced. It's simple.
It's easy to drink. It has appeal.
 
Harpoon Brewing Company
We started the Harpoon Brewery in
1986 because—like today—we loved beer and wanted more good choices. While
traveling in Europe after college, we drank many wonderfully diverse, fresh,
local beers. We also saw firsthand how important local breweries were to their
communities. After our travels, we asked each other, "why not bring great beer
and that sense of community to New England?" That was the genesis of the Harpoon
Brewery.
Twenty years later we still revel in making great beer and sharing that joy with
our friends and neighbors. The success that we have had running Harpoon is due
entirely to the wonderful employees who brew, package, warehouse, sell, deliver,
and market our beer and you, the people who drink Harpoon. We hope that our
sense of gratitude is reflected in both the quality of the beer and the spirit
of fun and enjoyment surrounding our beer and breweries.
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