On Saturday evening, I attended the St. Patrick’s Day Festival at the Harpoon Brewery. I always have such a blast at the Harpoon festivals, but the event almost didn’t happen at all for me yesterday! Luckily, the event was run VERY well run and the Harpoon staff were responsive and helpful.
Harpoon’s beer festivals are notorious for their crowds and looonnnggg lines— more than 8,000 people were expected to attend the two-day event this past weekend. The event has a limited capacity, so people try to arrive early to avoid waiting in line and the possibility of not being admitted at all to the event. With this in mind, Mal and our friends arrived at Harpoon as soon as the doors opened, waited less than 30 seconds in line and got right in. Because I was at Dirty Dancing with my family, however, I wasn’t able to get to Harpoon until about 4 hours after the doors opened. Unfortunately for me, I arrived to a never-ending line of people– it was rumored that the wait to get into the event was 3 hours! I basically gave up all hope of getting in.
I had been in touch with Harpoon’s Director of Communications, so there was a small glimmer of hope that I might be able to finagle my way into the festival. My name was put on a “guest list” to cover the event as a food blogger (pretty cool, right?), but I wasn’t sure this would matter, especially with hundreds and hundreds of people waiting in line! The beer gods were on my side yesterday, and one of the Harpoon staff guys at the door pulled some strings and got me into the event! It was awesome! 
I am still shocked that I got in at all! Thank you to Liz, John, and Joe for hooking me up and letting me in!
The atmosphere at the Harpoon St. Patty’s event was very festive— from the volunteers’ green Celtic Ale t-shirts and the St. Patty’s-inspired costumes of the event-goers to the kilt-wearing bagpipers and corned beef and cabbage available for purchase– all of the St. Patty’s merriment seemed to put everyone in a great mood!
Even though the beer wasn’t green, lots of different kinds were available on tap: Harpoon IPA, UFO, UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen, Winter Warmer, Munich Dark, Rauchfetzen, and Celtic ale, among others.
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My first beer of the evening was a Rauchfetzen:
Harpoon Rauchfetzen is the 25th offering from our 100 Barrel Series. We used beechwood smoked malt from Bamberg, Germany to craft this copper-colored ale that evokes Rauchfetzen, a poetic German word meaning “wisp of smoke.” While many smoked beers are heavy on the pallet, this beer allows the character of the smoked malt to play off the herbal bitterness of Hallertau hops and the fresh, bread-like quality of Munich and Pilsner malts. Enjoy this beer with a variety of cheeses and sausages.
I wasn’t a fan of this beer at all, but for $5, I drank it anyway. Each sip reminded me of bacon. Yick. Of course, this beer went perfectly with the theme of the festival; I just wasn’t a fan of it. If you’re into more “smokey” tasting beers, this is the beer for you!
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My second beer was much more enjoyable! In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I picked the Celtic Ale:
Harpoon Celtic Ale features a deep amber color. The flavor is malty and complex. Celtic Ale has a moderate hop finish that, along with the generous amounts of malt, makes for a medium bodied, smooth, rich beer. Try serving Celtic Ale with a hearty stew… the beer’s robust character will complement the bold flavors. The overall character is a complex maltiness with a deep amber color.
I liked this beer so much more than my first. It was delicious!
Besides the beer, the next best part of the evening was the music. At the event were authentic Irish bands, who played a full range of Irish music, and the Joshua Tree, an excellent U2 cover band from Boston. We danced and sang along with the Joshua Tree for at least an hour straight last night.
Mal had a blast rockin’ out to U2 tunes!
Part of our crew:
While listening to the Joshua Tree, Mal bought me an IPA. Delish!
The high hopping of Harpoon IPA is not only noticeable in the nose but especially in the finish. The lingering bitter finish of this beer is not harsh or astringent, but crisp and pronounced. This is created, in part, by dry hopping – a technique that involves adding fresh hops to the conditioning beer to provide a fresh hop aroma.
This beer is floral, medium body with an aggressive, clean hop finish.
I am pretty sure I drank a UFO Hefeweizen beer somewhere near the end of the night. I distinctly remember squeezing and putting a lemon into my beer, but I guess I never snapped a photo of it. I definitely drank more beer that I needed to last night, but it was definitely worth it! I had such a GREAT time! Thanks, Harpoon, for putting on an amazing St. Patty’s Day event! I can’t wait for the next Harpoonfest!
