Harpoon Craft Cider
In 1986 Harpoon co-founders Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary began brewing Harpoon in Boston to share with others the joy of making—and drinking—great beer. In 2000, we added a second brewery in Windsor, Vermont to keep up with the demand. As a regional craft brewer, we gained interest and respect for cider, a drink with strong roots and history in New England. Harpoon’s cider is our contribution to the long heritage of cider made with fresh juice from locally grown apples.
Harpoon Cider is made from a blend of locally grown apples including the New England favorite, McIntosh. By fermenting this blend of varieties with our own yeast we are able to produce an aroma that has a clean, fruity character. This crisp, refreshing cider has just the right balance of ripe apple sweetness and tartness from the fruit’s natural acidity. The color of this smooth tasting cider is very light as a result of using only freshly pressed apples. Without the addition of preservatives, artificial colors, or sweeteners we have created a cider that is fresh, pure, and delicious. Enjoy!
Harpoon Cider is made from a blend of locally grown apples including the New England favorite, McIntosh. By fermenting this blend of varieties with our own yeast we are able to produce an aroma that has a clean, fruity character. This crisp, refreshing cider has just the right balance of ripe apple sweetness and tartness from the fruit’s natural acidity. The color of this smooth tasting cider is very light as a result of using only freshly pressed apples. Without the addition of preservatives, artificial colors, or sweeteners we have created a cider that is fresh, pure, and delicious. Enjoy!
2.5
168 reviews
Boston, United States
Community reviews
For having a giant apple on the label, it’s pretty vinous. It’s not terrible but definitely not fantastic. Sweet notes and apple presence with modest Riesling notes. Nothing outta is world. The girlfriend says it tastes better after a Slim Jim.
Can shared at the house move. Aroma is red apple and slight floral. Pours light gold with bubbles and no head. Taste is dry apple and a sugar cane finish. Dry in the mouth but still loogie inducing sweet. Got tired of drinking this rather quickly.
Pours light gold with no head. Smell is slightly acidic sour apple. Taste is thin, tart apple with twang. Low carbonation. Perhaps a hint of alcohol in the flavor. Decent. Overall thin and tart.
Drank from bottle, I am not the biggest cider fan to begin with, but this isn't too bad. Slight apple aroma.
Tastes overly yeasty and slightly metallic. It’s like what I manage to brew when I leave a batch sitting on the lees for months when I get busy with school - worthless except to put away for when my friend needs raw materials to make a moonshine run on his still.
-Note, I’m still an inexperienced drinker.
12 oz. Pours clear and the palest white-topaz I’ve ever seen with a small ring of bubbles. Smells of brown sugar and lightly tart apple. Taste is surprisingly way more crisp and tart than the aroma indicates, with no hint of brown sugar. In fact this tastes like a crisp green apple that’s more tart than sweet, and even has a nice touch of the bitter pith. Light body has a nice balance and a medium-high carbonation that thankfully never gets too fizzy. This is the best of 15 offerings I’ve tried from Harpoon and a very pleasant surprise; seems they’ve finally found a suitable use for their strangely fruity English ale house yeast.
Sweet cider. Tart apples, sugar. Not as hearty as other ciders. Nice casual not really sessionable in my opinion. Middle of the road cider
At the Big Texas Beer Fest on 4/5/2014. Draft pours clear yellow with zero head. Aroma is apple, sweet sugar. Taste is apple sweet sugar, a little bit of plastic from the taster cup.
Bottle. Golden in color. Fizzy. Taste was a tart apple. Aroma was also tart apple. Just middle of the road.
[ Tap ][ Beer Study Chapel Hill ][ 12oz ][ $4 ][ PET Solo Cup ][ 3/27/14 ]
>> Bubbly, light white soda pour. Fizzing out soda foam. Nose is straightforward, mild green apple and white wine. Taste is clean, sweet yellow apple, mild acidic white wine. Palate is papery, mild acid. Solid, simple.
At Harpoon on tap tastes like a weak apple cider.
bottle. Pale golden with small head. Very average cider without much character. Blend of sweet and tart, but lacking something.
A sweet cider. Like apple juice. Tart, apples, yeast, oak, sugar. Really sweet but not as robust as other ciders.
Pours out a lifeless pale yellow, no visible carbonation. Smells a little like rotten apple juice, which I guess it is, but still. Some boozy notes that surprise at 4.8% abv. At least it tastes good, sweet apple juice that finishes quite sour. It has a good mouthfeel too. A cider to drink with your nose and eyes shut, if you can ignore the smell and appearance this is refreshing, easy to find brew.
12fl oz bottle.As expected pours a crystal clear pale golden colour with nearly no head.Aroma is of a sweet apple juice. Taste is sweet but not sickenly. Big apple taste but not much else.Low-medium body with a low carbonation. A bit slick in the mouth but still crisp, refreshing, and easy to drink. Overall this is just what I exoected. Crisp, sugary, apple taste that is drinkable. Not the greatest but tasty enough.
pours clear extra pale yellow with a disappearing white head. fresh red apples, sweet ones, pears and apple sauce - subdued apple and fruit flavors though, light yogurty, chalky and mineral notes, hint of wood. low carbonation, light body - watery, relatively dry, slightly astringent and herbal-grassy finish. refreshing would be enhanced by a slight tartness that unfortunately doesn’t show. plain and straight inoffensive cider.
12oz bottle...dark ginger ale colored...smells and tastes like watered down apple juice...more sweet than crisp....a little sour on the finish...also flat, carbonation wise....I don’t hate it, but there are better ciders out there
This stuff is pretty similar to what homebrew cider tastes like if anyone is curious only this is more sweet. I am thinking they must have arrested the fermentation somehow--which is a completely reasonable thing to do, by the way. In any case, this tastes like a more sour, less-sweet apple juice w/ a bit of a floral note and a mineraliness in the finish. I prefer my ciders w/ a bit more sparkle than this as far as carbonation goes but the lower carb in this one makes it easier to chug, which I suppose will appeal to a certain demographic. It’s a pretty good cider, better than average for sure.
From the bottle. Smells like light apple juice, tastes like watered down apple juice. Not much of a cider characteristic.
What can I say sweet sweet fruit aroma. A bit unbalanced and a little overpowering but one isnt bad to have and sometimes a cider can be refreshing!
Bottle to half-pint glass (shared with the Mrs.). Label is identical, but is listed as "Harpoon Craft Cider". Looks sub-par; a transparent gold with no real carbonation or lacing. Smells of cheap fermented apple cider. Tastes like it smells with a slightly dry but average mouthfeel. A disappointing cider.
This is the best cider on the market hands down. It is made with beer yeast and not champagne yeast like other ciders. Phenomenal taste in comparison to other ciders on the market!
not nearly as good as other ciders on the market (windy hill/angry orchard) kinda bland...mostly water...not a lot of flavor....would be a drink to consume a lot of in the sun...
Not a very good cider. I’ve been a regular drinker of Woodchuck and Magners’ and this doesn’t even come close. I passed up the chance to try Strongbow for this? Appearance and aroma are nice, but the taste is sour beyond my tolerance. Even Woodchuck Granny Smith wasn’t this sour when I tried it. Nothing really nice I can say about this cider. Next time I’m trying Strongbow.
Definitely not the best cider I’ve had. A little watery. Funny alcohol and apple smell. Would not drink again.
Bottle at Beer Study promotional tasting. Apple juice color, no head. Nose is light apple, sweet, minerals. Similar flavor. A little too sweet for my tastes.
Light yellow light carbed yellow. Aromas of apple juice from concentrate and hints of fermented alcohol
. Flavors of mostly apple juice with a light note of the fermented alcohol. Crisp, lightly sweet, slightly bland, slightly sour, slight grain like aftertaste.
Bottle. Clear pale yellow color. Aroma of apple juice. Flavor of apple juice. Not much else. It was tasty and no vinegar edge, so that is a plus. Its hard apple juice basically. It is what it is.
This cider kills it, very clean, not too sweet. Beats out mainstream ciders any day. So glad I found this!
bottle - Good apple aroma and a little flowery. It tastes sweet and light. This is a decent cider though nothing stands out about it.