As I’ve said, I really like the tart cranberry flavor of the Lambic, and it ran roughshod over the light flavor and malty sweetness of the Harpoon Cranberry Ale. I also had some Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic, so I decided to hold a bonus round of holiday fruit beers. I found a single of Harpoon Cranberry Ale at Total Wine and More in McLean, Virginia. After 6 beers, its Sam 4 – Harpoon 1, with 1 draw.ħ. But lining up against a winter beer legend, the Harpoon brew is no match for Sam’s Winter Lager, which may be the perfect winter beer with its combination of depth of flavor and smooth drinkability. I admire Harpoon for brewing a Belgian Pale Ale – I love Belgian styles and this fruity Belgian-American hybrid is an interesting character. Round 5 goes to Sam, surging ahead to a 3-1-1 lead.Ħ. Munich Dark is a smooth, sessionable beer, but the robust and roasty Holiday Porter dominates. Old Fezzy has a full body, and rich, deep flavors including toffee, caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel.ĥ. This battle of holiday spice beers goes to Old Fezziwig, the standard-bearer for Christmas beers, IMHO. Round 3 goes to Harpoon, and were an even 1-1-1 heading into the second half of the 12-pack.Ĥ. As much as I love a regular ol’ Sam Adams, I give the nod to Harpoon IPA because IPA is my favorite style, and this is a great interpretation of the style. Harpoon IPAĪgain, the styles are not an exact match, but these two brews are the flagship beers of their brand, so this was a great match-up. Both were excellent, and I’m calling this one a draw.ģ. We both love refreshing White Ales and these two Whites were hard to tell apart. We liked the velvety mouthfeel and smooth flavor of the Bock more than the rich and bitter Stout.Ģ. Harpoon Chocolate StoutĪlthough the styles are not an exact match, the Chocolate in these brews made them worthy opponents. Here are the results of our Sam Adams Winter Classics vs Harpoon Wintry Mix taste-off.ġ. Joining me in the taste-off of six-ounce samples was my beer-drinking companion, Beth. Harpoon beers against each other in a six-on-six battle. So one cold Sunday in December, while watching football at my backroom beer bar, I decided to hold a 12-pack taste-off.īoth 12-packs have two bottles of six different beers, so I matched Sam vs. All his picks on Harpoon beers, but you can use your favorite microbrews done in a similar style as a substitute.My go-to winter 12-packs have been Sam Adams Winter Classics and Harpoon Wintry Mix – I’ve gone through a few cases of each during this winter beer-drinking season. We’ve put together a primer below based on his recommendations. We asked Marzi to demystify beer and food pairings. In fact, it sounds downright heaven-like. “But I guess you could look at it as a science from the standpoint that it requires experimentation.”Īnd by that, the best in the business have to sit around and try a bunch of different beers and fine foods-which from where we’re sitting doesn’t sound all that bad. “I certainly think of as more of an art than a science,” Al Marzi, brewmaster at Boston-based Harpoon Brewery, told RealClearLife. But you don’t have to spend years of training to find the perfect beer for your meal. There also is such a thing as a certified beer steward or Cicerone. They usually have an in-house sommelier, whose sole job is to understand the finer points of pinots and chards-and know how to pair them well with all the chef’s specialties. If you frequent Michelin-starred restaurants, you know that their wine-lists don’t get amazing by accident.
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