Harpoon was started in 1986 by Dan Kenary, Rich Doyle and George Ligeti, three friends who loved beer and loved drinking together, but found their beer choices were limited. Traveling through Europe and experiencing the rich traditions of European brewing opened their eyes to the rich beer culture they wanted back home. They decided to build a brewery so they could brew the beers they wanted, and invite their friends to enjoy the experience with them. Theirs was the first brewery to commercially brew and bottle beer in Boston in more than a quarter of a century.
In June of 1987 their dream started to materialize with the transformation of a warehouse space on the Boston waterfront into a brewery, and the first Harpoon Ale was brewed. Many things have changed since the early days of Harpoon (like opening a second brewery in Windsor, Vermont), but much has stayed the same . . . their passion, their talent and their appreciation for providing others with the best in beer drinking. In August of 2014, Harpoon became an employee-owned company. It boasts a long list of current sustainable practices designed to protect the environment.
First brewed in 1998, Dunkel style Harpoon Dark, is usually available only on tap, but was specially bottled for you, by Harpoon Brewery and your favorite Beer of the Month Club! A perpetual Harpooner favorite, it’s deep mahogany color is a preview to the warm, malty nose with subtle hop aroma. Medium bodied with chocolate-malt flavors, it finishes with a moderate bitterness.
Their best seasonal favorite is a Marzen style Harpoon Octoberfest. This great fall beer welcomes thousands of people who celebrate Octoberfest with Harpoon Brewery. Its maltiness is balanced by gentle hop bitterness. A Marzen-style beer, it’s brewed with abundant Munich, Chocolate and Pale malts that provide a solid, full body and deep red color. It finishes soft and malty.
Featured Beer from Harpoon Brewery: Harpoon Dark & Harpoon Octoberfest
DUNKEL — Harpoon Dark — “Dunkel” means “dark” in German, so you know this offering is a dark lager that’s bottom fermented. What you may not know until you’ve enjoyed it, is that this one is rich in character and light on the palate, with a velvet mouthfeel. Peanuts — you have to eat salted peanuts with Dunkel! (No nuts? Grab that bag of pretzels!)
OCTOBERFEST — Harpoon’s Octoberfest — Before refrigeration, March was the last month that beer could be made, as the warm temperatures brought out the wild yeasts, which would spoil any beer made with them. By October, this bottom-fermented brew was ready to be drunk, celebrating the fall harvest. This Marzen style is rich, full-bodied and flavorful, and goes great with brats, German cheeses, or hearty beef stew.
