Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner Hits The Shelves This Summer

BOSTON, MA (June 25, 2012) – 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 theCzech Republic, the

birthplace of the Pilsner style, on one of the brewery’s European beer trips.

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 inEurope, 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 theNetherlands. 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 inDenmark and, 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 theEdinburgh brewery 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