Heavy

Yesterday, I intimated that the "more equals more" trend in brewing may have been distinctly American. I didn't mean to imply that at all. I *do* think that American brewers tend to be more aggressive with their hops profiles, which does throw things out of balance. But a different trait that is shared on both sides of the Atlantic is a "more equals more" philosophy as it pertains to alcohol content.

Wine critics have been on this bugaboo for years, bemoaning the rise of big and punchy California red wines with tremendous alcohol contents. They say that the alcohol flavor masks the subtle nuances of the wine while the burn of the alcohol aftertaste scorches the palate. They're not wrong.

In beer, the movement toward higher alcohol contents has been going strong, and while the first "tripel" was invented in Belgium (of course it was), the genre has been enthusiastically adopted by brewers from Alaska to Scotland. Although one of these days, I'll have another Westmalle, the tripel that started it all, I recently had the pleasure of trying two of the strongest brews I've had in a while.

The Harpoon Leviathan series is designed to mess with people, or at the very least, to seriously mess people up. While most of Harpoon's other offerings are well-balanced and refreshing, the Leviathan series takes its cue from its namesake: they are big, bold, truly "one is enough" bottles.

Barleywine. It's got a kick, but it's still well-balanced.

The Barleywine (10.00%) poured a deep chestnut brown, with a wispy head that dissipated quickly. I poured it into a goblet-shaped glass, as I wanted it to warm a little and release some of its aroma. That aroma ended up being a very enticing caramel, with the alcohol hit of a red wine. The flavor was intense: a lot of ripe dark fruits (figs, raisins, cherries) and yeasty, like a heavy English bread. The alcohol, as expected, was incredibly spicy, which was nicely balanced by the toffee / brown sugar flavors. Outstanding. I definitely felt it by the end of the first glass (I got one and a half servings out of that 12 oz. bottle), and I definitely cannot recommend that anyone should have more than one bottle of this at a time. Still, it's quite tasty, and makes for a nice treat.

Quad. A little too much.

I wish I could say the same about the Leviathan Quad (11.75% ABV). I actually drank this one first, which was why I made the mistake of pouring the whole thing into a tall pint glass. Nice head retention though. This allowed the beer to warm too fast, and the whole affair got sour pretty quickly. I found this one less balanced - the sweet ripe fruit flavors and spicy alcohol kick were unmistakeable, but there wasn't enough backbone to stand up to it. I like my Quadruppels a good deal warmer and rounder - the alcohol in this one was angular and hot. I did appreciate the extra flavor of vanilla, but that was an extra flavor that didn't quite mesh with the rest of the sip.

Harpoon makes a Leviathan Imperial Stout as well. I've had it before but can't remember much of it. Perhaps another one to try.