Harpoon Leviathan IPA
Formerly known as Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA.
We welcomed the challenge of brewing a 90 IBU Imperial IPA that would showcase glorious American hops while maintaining a multi-dimensional character. Bring on the hops!
Description
This Imperial IPA is brewed with loads of pale malt and just enough caramel malt to provide a sweet malt backbone to balance the hop intensity. We used a mix of our favorite American hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo to create a complex hop flavor and lingering bitterness. Harpoon’s proprietary yeast lends fruity esters, while dry-hopping at the rate of over one pound per barrel produces this beer’s massive aroma.
We welcomed the challenge of brewing a 90 IBU Imperial IPA that would showcase glorious American hops while maintaining a multi-dimensional character. Bring on the hops!
Description
This Imperial IPA is brewed with loads of pale malt and just enough caramel malt to provide a sweet malt backbone to balance the hop intensity. We used a mix of our favorite American hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo to create a complex hop flavor and lingering bitterness. Harpoon’s proprietary yeast lends fruity esters, while dry-hopping at the rate of over one pound per barrel produces this beer’s massive aroma.
3.7
673 reviews
Boston, United States
Community reviews
Bottle 355ml @ Harpoon Tap Room - Terminal A, Logan Airport (BOS), Boston, MA
Pours clear deep golden with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, alcohol, floral, herbal and citrus. Taste is heavy sweet and medium bitter with a long warm, boozy, caramel, floral, grass and citrus finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. Way too strong, sweet and malty for my liking, didn’t seem that fresh either.
IPA
濃い〜、ホッピー、あまい、にがい
Amber color ;perfect , off-white head. Tropical , fruity madness in the aroma . Caramel malt , pine and grapefruits in taste. Strong , hoppy bitterness in finish.
12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass. Off white head with decent lacing. Dark golden color. Looks malty. Smells malty! And boozy. Citrus hops, but you can tell the malts will win this battle. Good hop flavor but it fades to sweetness very quickly. I think I taste bananas. Very little lingering bitterness, but it’s boozy. Syrupy and sweet, but drinkable despite. Good IPA, if a little sweet.
bottle @ Party Town / Florence KY --- Hazy dark amber, fluffy two-finger ivory head, streamers of lace. Big caramel malt begins this brew, with equally strong hops joining on the swallow. Both parts push aggressively through a long lingering finish. I don’t know how much of this I can stand in one session, but 12 ounces is plenty to savor. Highly recommended.
This is one of the most unique imperial IPAs I’ve tasted, and they are usually unique. I can’t place my finger on what the flavor is that is tickling my fancy. Something in the blend of malts and hops is extraordinary. Wow!
Clear copper color with light tan head. Sweet boozy citrus (orange peel) hop aroma. boozy orange citrus with bitter orange peel finish.
True massive aroma. Hoppy hoppy hoppy. Great complexity in hop flavors. An excellent XXIPA
On tap while at harpoon brewery.
Really amazing aftertaste. Crazy back of the tongue bitterness to it.
Very good beer.
One of the best double ipa’s I have had. Beautiful color and great bitter,citrusy taste. I had it on tap from the source.
Pours an absolutely beautiful honey-colored hue. Pretty decent foamy light-tan head that retreats to a slight coating on top. Picking up some hints of citrus but mostly pine, floral hops and some sweetness too mixed in the aromas. Tastes of pine, grapefruit, and the caramel malts help to balance out the bitterness. A touch of peppery-type heat on the finish. There is carbonation, bitterness, and alcohol warming/burn on the palate; though this one goes down very smooth. Overall, the malt sweetness works really well with the hops and I might find this to be one of my favorites; plus, easy to drink and the 10% abv is hidden quite nice. Harpoon has brewed a complex, well balanced, and delicious imperial ipa here; well done!
On tap at Harpoon Brewery, Boston. Pours hazy amber with creamy white head. Citrus and pine hoppy aroma. Malt, caramel, citrus, fruits, lasting bitter finish. Good one.
12 oz bottle from notes - best by 7/2011 dated - served in a pint glass
A - pours a clear orange/amber color with a small amount of creamy off-white head that mostly fades rather quickly. No sediment in bottle.
Strong aroma dominated by malt, hops and esters. Rather piney with a bit of fruitiness.
T - bold and rich but well balanced, with exceptionally strong malt and piney hop components. The hop component dominates in the finish and aftertaste. High ABV apparent; high bitterness (IBU = 120!) not apparent.
M - High ABV provides a bite on the tongue followed by a warm in the finish. It is a fairly full bodied beer with adequate but light carbonation.
O: High ABV sipper; one and done but happy to repeat on another day.
Too malty and thick for an IPA didn't cover the alcohol at ally. Idjhdjhdhdjjdjxudbjxhbzjxjjx
Pours amber in color. A faint caramel and grapefruit aroma. Taste is not as strong as expected, but has some citrus hops, malts, pine, and caramel. A light bitter hope aftertaste.
Pours Amber with large tan head out of bottle. Aroma of caramel and alcohol. Flavor similar to aroma with hops. Great beer!
Bottle from Winooski Beverage Warehouse. Aroma: caramel and grapefruit upfront, rhum, alcohol. App: clear copper, with small head and some lacing. Taste and palate: medium body, light carbonation, medium sweetness with light dry long bitter finish. Overall: not enough fruity for my tastes but still a traditional IPA with American hops.
Hazy caramel body with a tinge of orange. Half inch foam off-white head that fades to thin film with a smattering of moderate bubbles. Aroma is a citrus with an apple-like crispness in the background. Some earthy pine can be detected. Initial blast of bitterness is noticeable but not overwhelming.Malt sweetness reminds me of apple with some sourness in the finish. Has a nice wet and sweet finish. Feels on the heavy side but still drinkable. It’s seems to say I’m friendly drink with a serious side. I look forward to more of these and I’ll recommend them too.
GABF 2014. Gold color with a medium head. Light piney aroma. Some pine in the flavor as well. A bit hop flavor. Light bitterness.
Big, malty, vanilla-woody aroma with vaporous alcohol... reminds me of barleywine. Standard 12 oz longneck. Average label. Clear bronze beer with a light beige head. Sweet. Woody, tannic, vanilla, strongly bitter, tea. Mouthy. Long bitter finish. This is barleywine. ABC Liquors, Betton.
Nice, but nothing special double ipa. Brighter amber orange. Citrus and malt heavy in the nose. Big sweetness. More piney and caramely in the taste. Thin mouthfeel for a 10%er.
Bottle pour. Bright amber, clear. Great, well balanced palate. Strong hoppy flavor with malt. Intense.
Tap. Light copper pour with a big white head. Citrus, grapefruit, pine, floral. Medium body but big bitter pineness. Nice IPA. A bit more body would balance this out nice
It poured a clear amber/orange color with a white head. The aroma was of sweet caramel malts, a little citrus and a touch earthy hops. The taste was of caramel sweetness, medium to heavy sweet for IIPA, pretty big bitterness, more citrus and a touch pine. Nice.
Amber colour. Hoppy aroma. Sweet, malty, boozy, hoppy, finishes with medium bitterness
Amber color with thin white head. Big hoppy IPA aroma. Flavor has a nice bitter/sweet balance. Obvious high alcohol content.
12oz bottle shared. Pours a bright medium orange color. With white head and decent lacing. Aroma is strong malt with lots of hops on the nose. The flavor is a very nice blend of hops up front and malt. Nice bitterness throughout.
Tap at Harpoon. Copper color. Bitter hop aroma. Flavor has sweet malt and bitter hops. Full palate on this beer and some flavor pg alcohol as well.
Don’t know if I got a bad bottle or what, but I did not like this one at all. Poured an amber color with off-white head. Lots of floral notes on this, too much for me; followed onto the palate. Finished with a bitter note that was unpleasant.
12 oz bottle. Tasted on 5/24/14. Bottle from Total Wine & More. Aroma has Floral notes & resin with some pine scents. The taste was slightly sweet but as it warmed it was more balanced with the malts coming through. 10% ABV was masked pretty well & overall I would buy again.