It all started in 1986. Sure, many things have changed since the early days of Harpoon, but much has stayed the same. We still love brewing beer and enjoying it with friends.
In July 2014, Harpoon became an employee owned company, with 48% of the company given to employees through the establishment of an ESOP. An E-what? ESOP stands for Employee Stock Ownership Plan. It is a mechanism by which a company contributes to its employees’ retirement by allocating shares to them which it repurchases…..yadda, yadda, yadda… Here’s what it means: we are employee owned, we are an independent craft brewer, and you bet we’re damn proud of it.
In 2024, Harpoon and Smuttynose merged, forming Barrel One Collective.
Odd, very woody with hints of bruleed bananas, caramel, wet malt, and a very strange booziness for a 5.7% beer. Pepper, grapefruit, and yeast on the finish.
12oz can. Surprisingly a pretty solid NE Session IPA type creature. The hops are sort of muted and boring, but the body is pleasant, and at 3.8%, truly sessionable. The buckwheat and chia give the body a little depth. Aroma is a tad undesirable. Unique enough offering, worth a try.