Are you afraid of the dark? You really shouldn’t be. Many people have preconceptions about dark beer that prevent them from drinking it. “It’s too bitter,” I often hear, as if bitterness was something that must be avoided at all costs. Do you enjoy black coffee? If so, you might very well enjoy dark beers, too. Of course, not all of them are really bitter. The one under consideration today, though, Harpoon Munich Type Dark, is rather bitter. You beer geeks out there (you know who you are) will likely enjoy this brew. For beginners, Harpoon Munich Type Dark might not be the best beer to cut your teeth on.

Harpoon seems to be doing very well indeed these days. When I left New England a few years ago, they had recently added a third shift at their Boston brewery and acquired Catamount’s new facility in Windsor, Vermont. They seemed to have their hands full brewing their own extensive line, the Catamount beers, and the UFO offerings. Relocating in Georgia, I was happy to see that Harpoon distributed its beers here. A taste of old New England was very welcome in my new home state, and I was gladdened to see that Harpoon beers were selling rather nicely down south.

Harpoon has been around for a while, having opened their Boston brewery in 1986. They have added new beers to their lineup from time to time. Harpoon Munich Type Dark was first released in 1997, and over the years it has won a few awards, including a gold medal at the Great Northeast International Beer Exposition in 1999. Despite this, I have a few qualms about the brew. It’s a great beer, to be sure, but it’s not a great Munich dunkles, (dunkles is German for dark) which seems to be the style that Harpoon is aiming it. Let’s take a look at what Harpoon has to say about the beer:

This classic example of the style features a rich color, balanced maltiness and a moderate hop finish. Enjoy our version of this beer style.

This is not a classic example of the style. Let’s get that out of the way straight off. To begin with, this is an ale, or it has been in the past. If they are lagering it at all these days, it’s not enough to remove fruity esters that are characteristic of ales. A Munich dunkles is a lager. Harpoon has often stated that they like to brew beers styles “their way”, and that seems to be the case here. Before we go any further, let’s see how the beer tastes.

Harpoon Munich Type Dark pours to a deep mahogany color with a thick creamy head and a sweet dark malt nose. The palate is full-bodied, very roasty, and slightly fruity. There are hints of nutty malt and chocolate; some very nice Munich malt flavors along with a touch of chewy caramel and coffee. The body is thick and very rich and leads into a decidedly bitter roasty finish uncharacteristic of a Munich dunkles.

I think Harpoon calls this a Munich Type Dark rather than Munich style because this is a rather loose interpretation. Adding Munich malt to the grist bill does not a dunkles make, however. In a true Munich dunkles, I’m looking for a much softer malt character and much less bitterness than you’ll find here. So, I don’t think this is a really great example of a dunkles.

I do think it’s a great beer, though. It’s really delicious, with great depth and complexity and a hell of a lot of flavor. So while it doesn’t rate high stylistically, it gets four stars as a well-made and very enjoyable brew. Why not give it a try. The dark side isn’t so bad, once you get used to it.

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