Harpoon Brewery Pilot: The Craic

Pilot: The Craic

 

Harpoon Brewery in Boston, Massachusetts, United States 🇺🇸

  IPA Regular
Score
6.44
ABV: 7.0% IBU: - Ticks: 16
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5.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle. Not an Irish beer. Maybe a California beer. Way too much hop and not much malt. It's an IPA all the way.

Tried from Bottle on 10 Mar 2025 at 05:51


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

12 ounce bottle from Total Wine Greenfield, 5/24/19. Clear dark red, thin creamy tan head, good retention. Aroma of toffee, earthy hops. Taste is earth, molasses, toffee, dark fruits. Medium bodied, mild bitterness. Well balanced… seems to deliver on the concept.

Tried from Bottle on 30 May 2019 at 00:43


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

12oz bottle. Filtered amber-caramel body. Soapy, thin, patchy off-white head. I would assume this was much better as the Pilot series, whereas it seems a little thin and streamlined here. On the stronger side for an Irish Red, which it is, not an IPA of any sorts, way to malt centered for that kind of talk. Reasonable enough.

Tried from Bottle on 17 Apr 2019 at 05:20


7.2
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Rye, pencil shavings, Clear copper, medium yellow head, nice lace. Marigold, orange peel. Medium body, easy carbonation.

Tried on 14 Mar 2019 at 01:04


3.8
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3

Green bottle as pictured. Slight sweet hop nose. To say this is some kind of irish beer is fricken hilarious. Irish? No..... Red? Almost. ....IPA, yes! Its IPA or something like rye PA, possibly. If yer looking for a mild irish beer, yu-wer mistaken, its a big ipa surprise to the old irish country side. It's 7% and its telling you so! Whew, I cannot believe somebody would confuse this with kiiliam's. They will be knocked off their feet.

Tried from Bottle on 27 Feb 2019 at 23:26


5.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5

Sampled on draft at 3 Rivers this beer poured an orange brown color with a medium sized foamy orange white head that lingered and left good lacing. The aroma was malty with floral hops. The flavor was bitter with rough floral hops and tobacco. Long finish. Medium body.

Tried from Draft on 17 Feb 2019 at 16:32


6.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

From work: pours red with off white head. Aroma is mellow fruitiness and those typical malts you get in an Irish red. Taste is modestly bitter. Plenty of maltiness and typical Irish red flavors. In fairness I would probably call this much more of an Irish red than an IPA but the added hops definitely do change the style.

Tried on 08 Feb 2019 at 23:01


5.9
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 6.5

Pours dark amber with a thick creme head. Aroma is earthy and herbal. Taste is dark and hoppy, heavily resinous. Palate is resinous, distinct notes of cedar and other woods. Interesting beer.

Tried on 13 Jan 2019 at 23:43


7.6
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Re-rate bottle pour into nonic pint glass from Market Basket. Appearance is clear, dark amber with reddish hue, nice sparkle, finger-plus-width foamy off-white head with good retention and soapy lacing. Aroma is caramel/bready malts with mild citrus and fruit balance. Taste is bread, fruit, late caramel and citrus. Palate is light-to-medium bodied with thin, smooth texture, average-to-lively carbonation and pleasant mix of sweet and bitter finish. Overall, previous bottle was a bit on the old side (best by 5/15/18) so assumed was less hoppy than if fresher, but even a fresh one (within 7 weeks) was still malt-dominant. Not a surprise as a red IPA. Still some complexity of flavors and balance, though wish the hops were a bit stronger. More of an APA. Gorgeous look, a bit overcarbonated--let it sit for a bit.

Tried from Bottle on 13 Jun 2018 at 01:50


7.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Limited mixed pack in Vermont for Easter 2018. Pours a clean, deeper amber colour with a beige cap, good stay and lacing. Aromas of an Irish ale with the caramel and fruitiness. Some light grassiness does come out eventually. Flavours are where the IPA shows its hops with a nice bitter dryness in the end. A nice blend of an Irish Red smelling brew, but with the mouth bite of an IPA.

Tried on 08 Apr 2018 at 19:17