{"id":2312,"date":"2012-02-02T17:41:01","date_gmt":"2012-02-02T23:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tombedell.com\/?p=2312"},"modified":"2015-11-07T10:39:58","modified_gmt":"2015-11-07T16:39:58","slug":"tap-beers-of-the-week-brooklyn-lager-vs-harpoon-ipa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/lifestyle\/2312\/tap-beers-of-the-week-brooklyn-lager-vs-harpoon-ipa","title":{"rendered":"TAP Beer(s) of the Week: Brooklyn Lager vs. Harpoon IPA"},"content":{"rendered":"<a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/Super-bowl-2012-logo.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2313\" src=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/Super-bowl-2012-logo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/BB-HIPA.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2314\" src=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/BB-HIPA.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/BB-HIPA.jpg 640w, https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/BB-HIPA-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/BB-HIPA-175x130.jpg 175w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n<p>Despite outing my anti-football stance <a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/golf\/lifestyle\/2139\/tap-beers-of-the-week-blacktop-blonde-hefeweizen\/\" target=\"_blank\">in this rant<\/a>, careful readers will have noted I\u2019m pretty much okay with gambling. And since nothing brings out that instinct (it does seem like an instinct, doesn\u2019t it?) more vigorously than the Super Bowl, here we are again.<\/p>\n<p>Last year we wandered from Pittsburgh to Green Bay by way of the White House (and the homebrewing activities going on there, <a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/golf\/lifestyle\/1228\/tap-beer-of-the-week-church-brew-works-2000-trippel\/\" target=\"_blank\">all mentioned here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>But for Super Bowl XLVI we\u2019re sticking to the east coast, and hitching our star to a wager already in the works, between Brooklyn Brewery and Harpoon Brewery. Seems that the old pros at the helm of each brewery are chums and couldn\u2019t pass up the chance to tweak the other should their home team win.<\/p>\n<p>The deal is that should the Patriots win, Steve Hindy will dispense a keg of Harpoon IPA at the Brooklyn brewery. Likewise, should the Giants win, Harpoon\u2019s Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary will dispense a keg of Brooklyn Lager in the Boston tasting room.<\/p>\n<p>Gauging by the amount of coverage the wager has already received, the publicity will presumably help salve the wounds of the defeated, and I\u2019m willing enough to lard on some more.<\/p>\n<p>For the two breweries, this is actually Super Bowl Wager II, since the same terms were put forth for Super Bowl XLII in 2008, and even non-fans like me know the Giants dusted off the previously undefeated Patriots 17-14, a stunning upset. As this video shows, the bet was paid off, and Hindy made a prescient comment about the two teams meeting again in the playoffs:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Harpoon v. Brooklyn breweries\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1glt6wktzA4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Hindy, who obviously has a gambling problem, threw down a similar wager with Anchor Brewing in San Francisco before the Giants-49ers tilt for the NFC title. Anchor president John Dannerbeck not only agreed to pour Brooklyn\u2019s Sorachi Ace beer from this Monday to tomorrow, but outfit tour guides in Giants jerseys:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2317\" style=\"width: 682px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/Anchor-and-Brooklyn.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2317\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2317\" src=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/Anchor-and-Brooklyn.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/Anchor-and-Brooklyn.jpg 960w, https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/Anchor-and-Brooklyn-90x60.jpg 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2317\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">At the Anchor Brewing tasting room, pouring Brooklyn&#039;s Sorachi Ale while wearing a Giants&#039; jersey <\/p><\/div>\n<p>I\u2019m going to throw in my two cents here. I\u2019ll select one of the specialty beers of whichever brewery wins on Sunday&#8211;so to speak&#8211;and make it my next TAP Beer of the Week. To the victor goes the laurel. To me goes the beer.<\/p>\n<p>[We all now know how the Super Bowl turned out, so <a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/golf\/lifestyle\/2378\/tap-beer-of-the-week-brooklyn-black-ops\/\" target=\"_blank\">click here<\/a> for the promised TAP Beer of the Week post.]<\/p>\n<p>As far as this week\u2019s two beers go, as a lager and an ale they aren\u2019t really competitive; it\u2019s apples and oranges. But there are some similarities in that both beers are the best-selling flagship brew in each company\u2019s portfolio. Both are now being canned as well as bottled (both canned at the F.X. Matt Brewery in Utica, New York).<\/p>\n<p>And both companies have now been around for a long time, by craft brewery standards. (See \u201cRelated Posts\u201d below for a little more on each brewery\u2019s history and beers.) Harpoon released its first beer, Harpoon Ale, in 1987. Brooklyn Lager was that brewery\u2019s first offering in 1988. From small and none-too-certain beginnings, both companies have come a very long way: Harpoon was ranked ninth in U.S. craft brewery sales in 2010 (16<sup>th<\/sup> in overall brewery sales), while Brooklyn was 16<sup>th<\/sup> (25<sup>th<\/sup> overall).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/B-Lager-with-glass.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2322\" src=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/B-Lager-with-glass-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>The two beers in question were mildly radical for the time and place of their introduction. As they enter adulthood they\u2019ve more or less settled down into mainstream respectability, considering the wild experimentation going on around them. Neither will knock your socks off; nor will they let you down.<\/p>\n<p>Brooklyn Lager harkens back to pre-Prohibition brewing days in the borough, when almost 50 breweries plied their trade, with a Vienna Lager-style recipe formulated by William Moeller, a fourth-generation brewer who went back into the notebooks. The Milton Glaser-designed logo harkens back to the <a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/golf\/lifestyle\/427\/tap-beer-of-the-week-14-ommegang-abbey-ale\/\" target=\"_blank\">Brooklyn Dodgers<\/a>. (Talk about festering wounds!)<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a lightly amber beer with a nice sudsy head, an appealingly grainy nose with a touch of lemon zest probably from the (somewhat unusual) dry-hopping during lagering. (Hallertauer Mittelfrueh, Vanguard and Cascade in the hop mix.) The bottles I had from a recent variety pack were just past their freshness date with no apparent harm done. The palate is lightly malty, suitably crisp, with a bittersweet finish.<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t had a Brooklyn Lager for awhile. When I cracked one open a few days ago I had a bit of a flashback, on first sip, of the old New Amsterdam Amber, which both Brooklyn Lager and Sam Adams Boston Lager are the immediate descendants of from back in the mid-80\u2019s. But that\u2019s a bit of history for another time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/Harp-IPA-with-glass.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2323\" src=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/Harp-IPA-with-glass.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"367\" \/><\/a>Interestingly, though, Brooklyn Lager is brewed at the Matt Brewing Company, as was New Amsterdam, Sam Adams and Harpoon for a time. However, the expansion of the company\u2019s Williamsburg brewery is expected to double capacity in 2012 and again in 2013, so that may change.<\/p>\n<p>The Harpoon IPA was introduced in 1993 as a summer seasonal beer, but sales went off the charts and the company quickly made it a year-round offering. Now it\u2019s the number one house brand.<\/p>\n<p>I suspect its very ubiquity makes beer geeks take it for granted. But I know I\u2019m happy to call on it as a go-to beer when choices are otherwise suspect or limited. It\u2019s not a west coast in-your-face IPA, but a solid Cascade hop-accented IPA with a fruity nose, a toasty malt character and a good bit of hop zing in the finish. Wham, bam, thank you ma\u2019am, I\u2019ll have another.<\/p>\n<p>There, now wasn\u2019t that more fun than talking about football?<\/p>\n<p>Name: Brooklyn Lager<br \/>\nBrewer: Brooklyn Brewery, New York<br \/>\nStyle: American Amber<br \/>\nABV: 5.2%<br \/>\nAvailability: Year-round, 25 states and D.C.<br \/>\nFor More Information: www.brooklynbrewery.com<\/p>\n<p>Name: Harpoon IPA<br \/>\nBrewer: Harpoon Brewery, Boston, Massachusetts and Windsor, Vermont<br \/>\nStyle: IPA<br \/>\nABV: 5.9%<br \/>\nAvailability: Year-round, 26 states<br \/>\nFor More Information: www.harpoonbrewery.com<\/p>\n<p>Related Posts:<a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/golf\/lifestyle\/540\/tap-beers-of-the-week-19-harpoon-100-barrel-island-creek-oyster-stout-single-hop-esb\/\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\nTAP Beer(s) of the Week: Harpoon 100-Barrel Island Creek Oyster Stout and Single Hop ESB<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/golf\/lifestyle\/394\/tap-beer-of-the-week-12-brooklyn-local-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">TAP Beer of the Week: Brooklyn Local 2<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/golf\/lifestyle\/715\/tap-beer-s-of-the-week-23-summertime-brews\/\" target=\"_blank\">TAP Beer(s) of the Week: Summertime Brews<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/golf\/lifestyle\/1228\/tap-beer-of-the-week-church-brew-works-2000-trippel\/\" target=\"_blank\">Super Bowl XLV<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite outing my anti-football stance in this rant, careful readers will have noted I\u2019m pretty much okay with gambling. And&#8230;  <a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/lifestyle\/2312\/tap-beers-of-the-week-brooklyn-lager-vs-harpoon-ipa\" title=\"ReadTAP Beer(s) of the Week: Brooklyn Lager vs. Harpoon IPA\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":2313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[939,754427,627,18],"tags":[273552,1080,271435,273779,1135,271780,1045975,1513,272013,659,4178,6655,4649,632,270064,272397,634,270248,3676,671,270633,272781,673,271019,272976,675,271142,273161,1078,6621],"class_list":["post-2312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beer-on-tap","category-beer-vs-beer","category-tap-beer-of-the-week","category-lifestyle","tag-milton-glaser","tag-homebrew","tag-super-bowl-xlii","tag-new-amsterdam-amber","tag-ipa","tag-rich-doyle","tag-beer-vs-beer","tag-harpoon","tag-dan-kenary","tag-super-bowl","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-brooklyn-dodgers","tag-new-york-giants","tag-anchor","tag-brooklyn-lager","tag-john-dannerbeck","tag-san-francisco","tag-vienna-lager","tag-brooklyn","tag-barack-obama","tag-harpoon-ipa","tag-fx-matt-brewery","tag-boston","tag-steve-hindy","tag-utica","tag-president","tag-super-bowl-xlvi","tag-william-moeller","tag-brooklyn-brewery","tag-super-bowl-xlv"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2012\/02\/Super-bowl-2012-logo.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2312"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4424,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312\/revisions\/4424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}