The Harpoon Brewery out of Boston, Mass. delivers yet another take on the Imperial (Double) IPA-style with their Leviathan. Brewed and available only since 2008, this has become a year-round staple to their flagship collection, and at 10% ABV, makes a great alternative to their others beers.

The Leviathan pours a bright golden, ripe peach color with some rusty orange hues. The body was  a bit hazy, and the head is off-white, creamy and provides some decent lacing on the glass. This combination makes for a really attractive display in my snifter glass.

One waft engulfs your olfactory system with immense and dominant citrus flavors. Juicy, ripe and tart orange lead the way with a warming grapefruit and lemon peel extract (this really does smell incredibly concentrated). Cutting through the citrus are crushed mint leaves and some sticky caramel candy, obviously from the infused malt backbone character.

The very first thing I noticed after taking my first sip is how this felt going down; bubbly. Loaded with carbonation in the linger, the Leviathan feels on the lighter side of medium-body but it’s packed with flavor. Up front is a seriously aggressive hop bite. You can taste the Simcoe and Chinook hops used to pack a punch and balance with the malt character. The citrus and fruity notes again provide a great balance and bring out some candy Peach Rings and fermentated grapes with a bit of an alcohol stick.

The Harpoon Leviathan is quite a challenge for any seasoned-drinkers palate (in a good way). Incredibly diverse, yet amazingly balanced. I was really surprised and impressed by the hop character in the mouth, as the bitter notes were noticeably left out of the nose. Though, at 122 IBU’s, we should expect a bite of a bite. This was a really outstanding Imperial IPA that stood the test against some other incredible ones I’ve had.

Overall: 9.6/10