Harpoon Tartan Paint Boston Scottish Ale Stewart Brewing Collaboration

Harpoon Tartan Paint Boston Scottish Ale Collaboration

Today I have an exciting first look at a brand-new limited release collaboration beer from Harpoon Brewery in Boston, Massachusetts, and this one comes with an especially interesting story behind the can. Meet Tartan Paint, a new Boston Scottish Ale brewed as a collaboration between Harpoon Brewery and Stewart Brewing, bringing together Boston craft brewing history and Scottish brewing heritage in a very personal way.

According to the label, Harpoon Tartan Paint is a 5.5%-ABV Scottish ale packaged in a 16-ounce can, giving craft beer fans a full pint of this unusual collaboration to enjoy. The beer is specifically described as a “Boston Scottish Ale,” making the style and geographic connection an important part of the identity of this limited release.

The story behind Harpoon Tartan Paint is perhaps even more interesting than the name. The label explains that Stewart Brewing founder Steve Stewart came to Boston from Scotland to learn the American craft beer trade. During that journey, Stewart eventually worked at Harpoon before taking what he learned back to Scotland and using that experience to establish his own brewery.

Now, decades later, that brewing journey has come full circle with Harpoon Brewery and Stewart Brewing joining forces to create Tartan Paint. It is a collaboration that connects the American craft beer experience Steve Stewart gained in Boston with the Scottish brewing traditions that helped shape his career.

The playful name is also central to the beer’s personality. The label opens with the familiar idea that “you can’t buy tartan paint”, before turning that old joke into the inspiration for a beer collaboration. The colorful can artwork reinforces the Scottish theme with an energetic tartan-inspired design surrounding the Harpoon and Stewart Brewing branding.

For Harpoon Brewery, Tartan Paint adds another intriguing collaboration to a brewery portfolio that has continued to produce traditional beers, seasonal releases, limited beers and experimental offerings. The brewery is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026, making the arrival of another collaboration particularly timely. MyBeerBuzz has also recently covered Harpoon’s anniversary beers, 2026 release calendar and other new limited releases.

For fans of Scottish ales, Harpoon beer, Boston craft beer, Stewart Brewing and limited-release collaborations, Tartan Paint should be one to watch. The 5.5% ABV makes it considerably more sessionable than many stronger Scottish-style ales, while the Boston-and-Scotland story gives this beer an identity that goes well beyond its colorful packaging.

Stay tuned for additional Harpoon Tartan Paint release details, including where and when this 16-ounce Boston Scottish Ale collaboration will become available.

Label Text Harpoon Tartan Paint:

LIMITED RELEASE COLLABORATION

HARPOON TARTAN PAINT
Boston Scottish Ale

STEWART BREWING

“They say you can’t buy tartan paint – We decided to prove them wrong. Tartan Paint brings Harpoon and Stewart Brewing together for a collaboration decades in the making. Stewart founder Steve Stewart came to Boston from Scotland to learn the American craft beer trade, eventually working at Harpoon before taking what he learned back home to start his own brewery. Now, we’re bringing the story full circle — one pint of Tartan Paint at a time.”

5.5% ALC BY VOL
1 PINT (16 FL OZ)

HARPOON BREWING, BOSTON, MA, WINDSOR, VT & WORCESTER, MA

Related Harpoon Brewery coverage on MyBeerBuzz.com:
Continue exploring the brewery with Harpoon Brewery Announces 40 Years of Firsts Ale, Harpoon Turns 40 and Throws a Birthday Bash, Harpoon Announces Their 2026 Release Calendar, and Harpoon IPA Gets New Look With Refreshed Packaging for more Harpoon beer news, new releases, brewery history and limited-edition beer coverage.

About Harpoon Brewery:

Harpoon Brewery is one of the defining names in Boston craft beer and an important part of the history of New England brewing. Founded in Boston in 1986 by Dan Kenary, Rich Doyle and George Ligeti, Harpoon received Brewing Permit #001 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, establishing the brewery as a pioneering presence in the region’s modern craft beer movement.

From its earliest days, Harpoon Brewery built its reputation around flavorful, approachable craft beer and a strong connection to the Boston community. The brewery’s history includes the development of Harpoon IPA, which was introduced in 1993 and became the brewery’s flagship beer. The beer was developed during a period when American IPA was still emerging as a major craft beer style, helping establish Harpoon as a significant player in New England’s growing craft brewing scene.

Harpoon’s brewing story has also expanded beyond Boston. In 2000, the company purchased the former Catamount Brewery in Windsor, Vermont, giving Harpoon additional brewing capacity as demand for its beers continued to grow. Today, Harpoon’s brewing footprint and brand history remain closely associated with both Boston and Vermont, while its beers are distributed throughout a broad New England market.

The brewery has also developed a reputation for seasonal beer, limited-release beer, collaborations and creative craft beer projects. Its portfolio includes well-known beers such as Harpoon IPA along with seasonal and specialty offerings. MyBeerBuzz has followed numerous Harpoon releases, including the brewery’s 2026 release calendar, new limited beers and anniversary projects.

In 2026, Harpoon is celebrating its 40th anniversary, providing another major milestone in a history that stretches across four decades of American craft brewing. The anniversary year has included special releases and events celebrating Harpoon’s Boston roots and longstanding relationship with New England beer drinkers.

That history makes Tartan Paint an especially fitting collaboration. By partnering with Stewart Brewing and Steve Stewart, Harpoon is revisiting an important connection between Boston and Scotland while creating a new 5.5% Boston Scottish Ale. Tartan Paint represents the kind of collaborative brewing story that connects people, places and brewing traditions—exactly the type of history that has helped make Harpoon Brewery a recognizable name in American craft beer.

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