Name: 100 Barrel Series #26: Catamount Maple Wheat
Brewed By: Harpoon Brewery
Brewed In: Boston, MA
Type: Wheat Ale
ABV: 6.8%

What they say: “This full, smooth wheat ale is warming and delicious. It’s mildly hopped to let the distinct flavor and aroma of real VT maple syrup take the lead. The maple sweetness and body that blankets this velvety amber beer showcases one of New England’s most beloved traditions. Brewed with wheat malt, pale malt and caramel malt. Hopped with Willamette.

The pure maple syrup used in this beer came from two syrup makers in the Green Mountain State. The Baker Family in East Dummerston has been boiling maple sugar since the 1950s. Dave Gavett also provided syrup from his Scrag Mountain Sugar House in Waitsfield. John’s recipe, along with top quality syrup from these two Vermont maple sugar operations, resulted in a crisp wheat ale that is warming and delicious. It is mildly hopped to profile the distinct aroma and flavor of real Vermont Maple Syrup.”

Website: Harpoon’s site isn’t too bad. There’s a large graphic that takes up almost a third of the screen, and below that is a rotating list of news, events, and information. At the top of the page are the links for things like “Beer,” “Events,” “Festivals,” and things. The beer sections is laid out with three headings of “Year-Round,” “Seasonal,” and “Limited Edition” with links below. No complaints; I can find what I need and the info is there.

Why this one, Show? When my local stores get in the newest 100 Barrel Series beer, I’ll always pick up one or two when they look good. I actually enjoyed this one back in the Spring, and recently discovered I’d made notes about it.

First Thoughts:
Head: Thin, white, very little lace cling.
Nose: Maple/toffee; sweet.
Color: Golden tan.

Presentation (5): Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series beers all share similar design elements. The bomber bottles come with a black-framed, off-white label on which is the name of the beer, a harpoon graphic, a small blurb, the signature of the brewer, and the snob stats of ABV, IBUs, and OG. While simple, the label is very different from any of Harpoon’s everyday offerings, and it conveys the message that this is something unique. 4

Originality (5): Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series is unique in that the brewery lets one of their brewmasters (or one of their brewmaster’s guests) brew 100 barrels of whatever beer they want—any type, any style, any ingredients. The catch is, once that beer is gone, it’s gone for good. This beer gets points for being an American wheat beer, and for putting maple syrup right into the brew. 4

Body (10): This is a nice medium-bodied beer, with not too much carbonation. The sip spreads out a bit in the mouth, but stops short of a full bloom that a more carbonated or unfiltered beer would offer. It’s hale, but stops a bit short of being hearty. 7

Taste (10): From the start, the sip has the sweet, earthy notes of a wheat beer, and the maple is surprisingly evident, without being overpowering. Thankfully, the beer doesn’t suffer from being too thick or, for lack of a better word, “syrupy.” “Mildly hopped” is an understatement, as there’s not too much in the way of any bitterness to this beer. What hop presence the beer does have comes out only a little bit in the tail end of the swallow. Very tasty. 8

Efficiency (10): With nearly a 7% ABV, this bomber goes down easy and leaves you in a nice, maple afterglow. 8

Versatility (10): Due to it not being pretty medium-bodied with a mild flavor, this would work as a summer beer, a fall beer, even, dare I say, a winter beer. It’s clean, refreshing, sweet on the palate, and great alone or with food. You could cellar this for a year or so, which would most likely mellow the flavors even more and make the maple more pronounced. It is not, in my estimation, something that you could drink more than a bomber of at a time, which cuts down its versatility somewhat. 7

Final Grade: 38 – Really Good Beer

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.