Holding Brewing Permit #001 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is something of a big deal. It means that Harpoon Brewing Company was the first brewery in Boston. In the early day, the brewery, owned by three friends — Dan Kenary, Rich Doyle, and George Ligeti — was founded in 1986 after Kenary and Doyle returned from a trip to Europe where they fell in love with the fresh, local beers found there.
Over the years, the brewery introduced new beers and lines. In 1993, Harpoon IPA, now a favorite among many beer-lovers, was launched as a summer seasonal. The beer was so popular that it brought the company out of the red and in to the black financially for the first time since its founding. More new offerings followed with the UFO line, launched in 1998 with the breweries first unfiltered brews. UFO, a German-style Hefeweizen, was a new style for New Englanders who immediately took to the cloudy, refreshing beer with its notes of lemon and garnish. Harpoon quickly became known as a brewery with its finger planted firmly on the pulse of the burgeoning craft beer revolution.
To further highlight the talents of the brewery’s brewers, the 100 Barrel Series was introduced in 2003. Originally this program was intended to spotlight the creativity of a single brewer from inception to production. Brewers were challenged to use their imagination to create experimental styles or new twists on established styles. When the recipe is finalized a small batch of the brew is produced and offered as a special release to thirsty beer-drinkers everywhere.
Th newest edition to the 100 Barrel Series is Nordic Saison, brewed collaboratively with Anders Kissmeyer of Kissmeyer Beer & Brewing, Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing Company, and Jaime Schier of Harpoon Brewery. The brew is a study of fresh floral aromas and a tart, dry finish.
Learn more about 100 Barrel Series: Nordic Saison in the official press release below.
THE HARPOON BREWERY RELEASES 100 BARREL SERIES NORDIC SAISON
An Experimental Collaboration that Celebrates Local ingredients and Brewing Individuality
Boston, MA (July 1, 2015) – Harpoon is proud to introduce the 54th installment of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series: Nordic Saison. Anders Kissmeyer of Kissmeyer Beer & Brewing, Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing Company, and Jaime Schier of Harpoon Brewery created this effervescent golden Saison using local honey and cranberries, rosehips, yarrow, and heather flowers.
Harpoon’s Jaime Schier first met and enjoyed beers with Anders Kissmeyer, a pioneer of the Danish craft beer movement, on one of Harpoon’s annual beer culture trips to Denmark back in 2005. So when Anders asked him to join his Saison experiment—brewing the same recipe at select craft breweries around the world— Jaime jumped at the chance. Together with longtime friend Will Meyers from across the Charles River at Cambridge Brewing Company, the three fashioned this Saison with a distinctly floral, herbal character, refreshing tartness, and sublimely dry finish.
Harpoon Nordic Saison is part of Anders’ collaborative experiment that celebrates local ingredients and showcases the individual “stamp” of each craft brewer. “The Nordic Saison project is aimed at exploring the fascinating differences in the character of beers arising from the same base recipe but brewed at different breweries. Then the ’fingerprint’ of the brewery – in the form of the karma of the brewers, their equipment and methodology, and the local ingredients – can be expressed,” says Anders. “The Harpoon Nordic Saison is very accessible and drinkable, but still with a subtle depth of complexity that keeps you coming back for more.”
Harpoon Nordic Saison has a light body and a slight tartness and bitterness. The aroma is fruity and spicy with a subtle Citra hop note. The flavor is crisp, floral, and spicy from the addition of local honey and cranberries, rosehips, yarrow, and heather flowers. It finishes is crisp with a yeast spiciness, fruity complexity, and a touch of citrus.
Brewers’ pairing recommendations:
Anders: “This beer is extremely ´food versatile´ meaning that it will go very well with almost any seafood dish imaginable, with most of the salads and sandwiches (burgers excluded, though!) I know of, traditional chicken dishes, most Thai dishes, all pale and/or vegetable based soups, most cheeses (apart from very strong or bleu cheeses…).”
Will: “I see this beer as quite versatile and able to complement food in a variety of circumstances. Terrific with fresh chevre and soft rind cheeses, mild pickled or cured vegetables and meats, definitely seafood and grilled fowl. Not only would it pair well with a salad of fresh herbs, I would also include it as an ingredient in a vinaigrette and as a marinade.”
Jaime: “This beer is best paired with a warm summer day out on the patio, filled with great friends and great conversation!”
Brewers’ Tasting Notes for Nordic Saison:
Appearance: very pale golden
Aroma: herbal notes with yeast phenols and esters
Mouth feel: very light bodied, highly carbonated,
Taste: tart, herbal, with balanced contribution from Yarrow, Heather flowers, dried cranberries, honey, and Rose Hips
Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Nordic Saison Beer Specs:
Style: Saison
ABV: 6.1%
IBUs: 25
Color: 8 EBC
The Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Nordic Saison is now available in 22 oz. bottles and draft (limited availability).
Harpoon introduced the 100 Barrel Series in 2003 to showcase the individual brewing talents of its employees. Every couple months, a different Harpooner is invited to choose a style of beer, formulate the recipe, and brew the beer. That brewer’s signature can be found on the bottle label. The beers in the series are one-offs; they are brewed in limited batches and are available only until the batch sells out. Since the series began in May of 2003, 54 different styles of beer have been brewed. For a complete list of beers that have been released as part of the 100 Barrel Series, visit www.harpoonbrewery.com.
For additional information about the Harpoon Brewery and the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, please contact Liz Melby atlmelby@harpoonbrewery.com.
The ATL Beer Guy 