(Boston, MA) - When full-time Harpoon employees hit their fifth anniversary at the brewery, Harpoon co-founders Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary take them on a European beer trip to experience the different beer cultures that initially inspired them to found a brewery in Boston. The Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner, released for the summer season, was a beer born out of these eagerly anticipated annual excursions.
Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner follows the age-old tradition of extended lagering to help produce a smooth yet complex beer. This beer remains in the fermentation tanks for 6 weeks, significantly longer than any other current Harpoon offering. The blend of European malts, including Bohemian Pilsner malt, is balanced with Tettnang and Saaz hops to create a slightly malty beer with a crisp finish.
Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner was first introduced in 2006 as the 15th installment of the 100 Barrel Series, the brewery’s line of limited batch beers. Dan Kenary brewed the beer as an ode to the beer that he drank and loved while traveling through the Czech Republic, the birthplace of the Pilsner style, on one of the brewery’s European beer trips.
“Rich and I started the annual Harpoon Beer Culture Trip because we wanted our colleagues to experience firsthand the different ways countries celebrate and revere their local beer, as we did when we traveled abroad after college,” says Dan. “Not only are the trips educational and incredibly fun, but they also inspire some of our favorite beers that we brew, including the Bohemian Pilsner.”
In many cities and villages in Europe, the breweries are the focal points in the community and the gathering places for the locals. Rich and Dan founded Harpoon based on that principle – that all are welcome to the brewery to share in the joy of great beer with friends and neighbors.
The Harpoon beer trip itinerary consists of visiting numerous breweries each day, meeting the local brewers, and drinking the local beers in brewing meccas including Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic. Just last month a group of about 20 Harpoon employees spent a week visiting breweries throughout the Netherlands. Blog posts from the past several trips can be found here: http://lovebeerlovelife.wordpress.com/category/europe-trip/.
In addition to the Bohemian Pilsner, other Harpoon beers have been inspired by the annual beer culture trips. In 2007 Harpoon collaborated on a Danish Farmhouse Ale with the brewers at the Refsvindinge Brewery for a Harpoon 100 Barrel Series beer. A previous trip brought a group of Harpooners to the small brewery inDenmarkand, after an afternoon of drinking beer together in the brewmaster’s home, a friendship was formed and the seed for the collaboration was planted. The following year in 2008, the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Steve Stewart’s Firth of Forth Ale was released. The idea for the collaboration with Stewart Brewing was conceived when the Harpoon group visited theEdinburghbrewery on one of the trips.
Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner is available in 6-packs, in the Summer Vacation Mix Pack, and on draft with limited availability. Harpoon brewers suggest pairing this Bohemian Pilsner with BBQ pork, spicy black bean burgers, and a backyard barbecue.
Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner Beer Specifications:
ABV: 4.7%
O.G.: 12.6
IBUs: 48
About the Harpoon Brewery:
The Harpoon Brewery was founded by beers lovers, Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary. In 1986 Harpoon was issued Brewing Permit #001 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, since it was the first brewery to brew commercially in Boston after a dormant period of about 25 years. Harpoon’s line of craft beer features its award winning IPA and UFO Hefeweizen beers, along with four special seasonal selections. In 2000 Harpoon purchased a second brewery in Windsor, VT, making Harpoon the 8th largest craft brewer in the US. Harpoon has since introduced two lines of limited edition beers, the 100 Barrel Series and the Leviathan Series, as well as the all-natural Harpoon Cider made from freshly pressed, local apples. For more information about Harpoon beers and visiting the breweries, visit www.harpoonbrewery.com.
