Laviathan

As always I have been drinking copious amounts of beer. The local watering hole ran an IPA fest for the month of June. There were some exceptional beers to be had, most of which were poured on draft. Some highlights included:
Harpoon Leviathan (we'll get to that in a second)

Rogue IP3A-Triple IPA=Unbelievable and very bitter

Dark Horse Double Crooked Creek-Rare to see and amazing to drink. Very smooth for a double IPA.

Surly 16 Grit-Another big beer from surly. Real heavy malt compliments the hop character of this beer. Almost refreshing, which is a dangerous situation.

Lets talk about Harpoon, and lets talk about their Leviathan line. They have been around since 1986 and brew great beers. There IPA is a staple of American brewing, and anything I have had from them has been great. They recently began brewing a series of beers referred to as Leviathan. These are bigger versions of their beers, that are brewed in relatively small batches (120 barrels). The Double IPA on draft was a thing of beauty. Complex malts mixed with a very heavy dose of hops. A complexity that really sits on the back of your mouth and carries a wonderful tea like character. They also do a Quad, which is a Belgian inspired Quadruple that goes down way to easy. From their website I see they also do a pilsner and a porter under this series as well. Here is an excerpt from Harpoon about the Double IPA.
" Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA will challenge your senses and your palate. As the vibrant aroma rushes out of your glass you will notice the blend of piney and tropical fruit notes. At first sip, this big beer starts with apowerful hop bitterness up front and an aggressive hop flavor and character throughout.

Leviathan Imperial IPA is brewed with tons of pale malt and just enough caramel malt to provide a sweet malt body to balance the hop intensity. We used copious amounts of a variety of hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo at various points during the boil to create a complex hop flavor and clean lingering bitter finish. We then fermented the beer with Harpoon’s own versatile proprietary yeast. Finally, we dry hopped at a rate of over 1 lb a barrel to produce this beer’s massive aroma."

BEER SPECIFICATIONS
Style:	Imperial IPA
Original Gravity:	22
Alcohol by Volume:	10%
IBU’S:	122

I really like that they use their own proprietary yeast. This shows a true knowledge and dedication to the craft. Go Harpoon!!!!