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Harpoon Brewing Company - Hibernian Irish Style Red Ale
- ABV: 5.40%
- Int’l Bittering Units (IBUs): 26
- Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
- Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass or Mug
- Malts: Pale, Caramel
- Hops: Apollo, Willamette
This beer is being renamed Celtic Ale, we guess because people don’t get the reference to Hibernia, the Roman name for Ireland. A true to style Irish Red Ale, it pours a clear amber with garnet hues and a sticky white head. On the nose, expect slight nutty wafts along with mainly subdued citrus hop notes, atop some crackery toastiness. Note subdued fruit notes, but mainly lightly toasted malts and a semisweet lingering character. Look for a light hop bitterness to balance out the maltiness quite nicely. We’d throw this beer at some vinegar-soaked salty French fries, corned beef and cabbage (‘tis the season), or a hearty surf-and-turf dish. Of course, it's perfectly appropriate to drink this one alone. By alone we mean, “without an accompanying meal,” not, “by yourself, with no friends.” Ah, hell, drink alone if you want—it lets you focus on the complex flavors of your microbrewed beers without distraction. That’s how the monks do it, not to mention good ol’ Henry the Harpooner, as he is known (the silhouetted man on the neck label of every bottle of Harpoon beer). He appears to be alone, except for the trusty harpoon in his right hand. His other hand blends into his shadowy figure, but we’re confident it’s wrapped around a bottle of brew. Hey, if it works for Henry, right?
The Harpoon Brewery debuted on the Boston waterfront in 1986, quite early in the US microbrew renaissance. Before starting the brewery, the founding team traveled throughout Europe in search of various beer and brewery styles upon which they would model their own ("product research" we think they called it).
The Harpoon Brewery has always been focused on positively impacting their local community. This is an important component of the brewery and pub lifestyle that they witnessed while experiencing European traditions abroad. As they say on their website, "we learned to appreciate how much local brewers meant to their communities. They were not just manufacturers of a product; they were part of the social fabric. [Before starting the brewery] we asked each other, 'Why not do that in New England?'" The result of this initial desire has won them overwhelming approval from the locals and beyond. In fact, in 2000 they purchased a second brewery in Windsor, Vermont, to keep up with demand. 2006 marked their 20th anniversary. Way to go, guys!
For more information about the brewery or scheduled tours, call 888-HARPOON, or visit their website at www.harpoonbrewery.com.
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