![]() ![]() A perfect session ale, with a strong English yeast flavor and some residual balancing bitterness on top of a sizable malt presence.Ĭatamount Porter: A very well-balanced porter, light malt sweetness and some roasted flavors. Pale Ale: One of New England's best English-style pale ales. While the brewery did release one or two new products, including a wassail and an Octoberfest, distribution was spotty and support non-existent.Īgain, this is not meant to indict Harpoon, a company that nobly gave some support to an otherwise finished brand, but to lament the slow loss of this storied product line.Ĭatamount 8 Lives: A quintessential summer brew with a very distinct, fruity hop aroma and flavor. "In addition to bringing back some existing Catamount brands, we hope to create some new styles, as well as utilize the Windsor facility's visitor center and offer brewery tours." "Harpoon is excited about this acquisition, because it will enable us to keep the well-respected Catamount brand on the market, and also keep up with the considerable demand for Harpoon beer," said Kenary. While Harpoon is certainly not to blame for the loss of this storied and often impressive line, the situation does raise questions as to how Harpoon let this happen, all things considered.Īt the time of the purchase, Harpoon's owners seemed to offer genuine respect for the label. So it is, sources at Harpoon report that the brewery plans to slowly phase out the storied brand. ![]() From the start, it seemed the line was destined for a slow death. While the brand never recovered from its near brush with death, it also suffered from a general lack of promotional support from Harpoon. In the intervening years, production levels hovered around 2,000 to 3,000 of Harpoon's 60,000 barrel production. And while Harpoon made good on its promise to continue the brand, production of the Catamount line was a mere shadow of its former glory. Harpoon quickly renamed the brewery after itself and used it to boost production, which had previously been constrained by limits on its Boston facility. "We plan to continue brewing and selling Catamount and at the same time expand Harpoon's brewing operations to meet the growing demand of our New England customers," explains Dan Kenary, Harpoon co-founder and President. "All of us at Harpoon have a great deal of admiration and respect for the Catamount Brewery and the pioneering role it played in New England craft brewing," said Dan Kenary, Harpoon's co-founder and President, in a press release. When Harpoon purchased Catamount in June 2000, people were all smiles and optimism. When many in the industry thought the line would fade from existence, entrepreneurs from the Harpoon Brewery in Boston swept in at the last minute to purchase the brewery and its trademarks. The once ubiquitous label went absent from many locations and the brewery fell on poor financial times. But after many years of success, stagnation set in and the brewery stumbled badly. Within a few years of its 1987 opening, the Catamount Brewery would grow to become one of New England's most successful and well-recognized craft brewers, with annual production around 20,000 barrels. In the early days of the American craft brewing industry, a small brewery in Vermont began selling amber and gold ales to local establishments. ![]() Slow Death of an Old Friend: The Catamount Line RIP 2003? In 2014, Harpoon became an employee-owned company.Andy Crouch's - Losing Catamount. Harpoon’s line of craft beer features its award-winning IPA and seasonal beers, along with special limited releases. When the Brewery was founded, Harpoon was issued Brewing Permit #001 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, since it was the first to brew commercially in Boston after a dormant period of about 25 years. The Harpoon Brewery was founded in 1986 by beer lovers who wanted more and better beer options. It will also be available on draft starting this month at Harpoon’s Boston and Vermont breweries. Available for the month of December, this familiar, classic New England IPA can be enjoyed on a whole other level of hoppiness.Īvailable as a limited release for the month of December, the Imperial Harpoon IPA will be sold in 4-packs of 16 oz. This is not your father’s beer! Taking their iconic IPA recipe and jacking the ABV up to a whopping 9.0%, Harpoon doubled down on the hops for even more flavor in the classic Harpoon IPA we all know and love. …Introducing Imperial Harpoon IPA: Big & Limited Edition. They would never change this New England staple, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have fun with it… PRESS RELEASE / Decem(Boston, MA) – More than 25 years ago, Harpoon Brewery introduced the OG Harpoon IPA that started the IPA movement on the East Coast. ![]()
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