Harpoon Munich Dark

Harpoon Brewery – Boston, Mass.

Style: Dunkel lager

Serving temperature: 46Ë?F

Alcohol content: 5.5% abv

            Though it’s English tea dumped into the harbor that everyone remembers, Boston’s beer has an equally historic role in the city’s history. Over tankards of ale, the likes of John Hancock and Samuel Adams plotted insurrection; Paul Revere stopped at a tavern for a quick sip during his famous midnight ride; the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought in front of a watering hole.

            Most of Harpoon’s brands reflect that history. They’re English-style ales that aren’t much different from what would have been enjoyed by early colonists. But its most remarkable fulltime label is a dark, malty dunkel that would seem more at home in a Bavarian beer garden.

            Munich Dark is made with a blend of roasted malts that produce a deep brown hue, a mellow, bread-like flavor, and a medium body. Its appearance suggests a heavy, potent glass, such as a bock, yet it goes down with the easy-sipping enjoyment of a light, refreshing lager. Curiously, this lager is fermented with ale yeast.

            Widely available in bottles, it’s even richer and more complex when served on draft. In a cellar-cold stein, the dark brown lager’s warm malty nose is complemented by subtle hops. A medium body fills the palate with balanced flavors of bitter chocolate and toasted and buttered muffins. Exceptionally thirst-quenching, it finishes with the bite of roasted malt.

- Joe Sixpack