"Harpoon Brewery" news and stories

At 5:30 p.m. on a weekday, there are few places more madcap than New York's Grand Central Station. Packs of commuters skitter up and down the stairs trying to catch trains home. But amid all the hubbub, one room remains a model of serenity: the glamorous Grand Central Oyster Bar, where I arrive last Thursday to drink a beer made with a bivalve.

Tonight, Harpoon Brewery is unveiling the second iteration of its 100 Barrel Series Island Creek Oyster Stout, an elixir bursting with the briny goodness of freshly shucked oysters. Don't blanch. While slippery, salinic oysters and a roasty stout may seem as incompatible as toothpaste and orange juice, these these luxuries are ideal mates. For eons, barflies have known that Guinness goes grandly with bivalves. What Harpoon and breweries such as Flying Fish and Porterhouse have done is ramp up the inherent pairing by tossing oysters and their juice into the brew kettle.

As is often the case, I found myself perusing the shelves of a specialty beer store the other day when I spied a bottle of Harpoon Brewery's Kellerbier. No, the brew doesn't take its name from Chef Thomas Keller, but I'm pretty sure the man behind The French Laundry would appreciate it.

Kellerbier, as it turns out literally translates to cellar beer in English. The unfiltered, unpasteurized lager was first brewed by Germans in the Middle Ages. Harpoon's version is the 13th entry in the New England brewery's 100 Barrel Series. I couldn't wait to try it since the beers in this line are all made in batches limited to 100 barrels. Small-batch bourbon, sure. But small-batch beer, I could hardly contain my glee as I walked home with the bottle.

I'd never had a kellerbier before, but Harpoon's was fine as kind as they say in New England. The cloudy brew has few bubbles coursing through it, almost like a bitter. It pours with a delicate head, which in spite of its lightness leaves trails of Belgian lace on the glass. Aside from being quite refreshing and packing a nice little kick at 5.5 alcohol by volume it's delicious. There's not much pronounced malt flavor, but whatever hops they used gave it some mighty complex notes. I was reminded of sweet tea and orange. Further investigation is in order.