.celtic ale.

.i'm not an alcoholic, i promise.


but, in the spirit of my friends over at 801 on tap, i'm going to attempt to make sundays my day to review drinks - beer, wine, cocktails, you name it. and, lest you think i'm a complete alcoholic (and if i'm to ever complete number two on my 101 in 1001 list), perhaps i'll try to throw in a nonalcoholic beverage or two. seeing as i am notoriously bad terrible abysmal inconsistent with posting, it may be that this just falls by the wayside. but we'll see how it goes.

and so i present, the first of sunday sips!

*first, let's get this out of the way - i am not a beer connoisseur. nor am i a wine connoisseur or cocktail connoisseur, for that matter. i don't claim to know a great deal about beer, so please excuse my lack of beer knowledge/vocabulary.*

.harpoon's celtic ale.

j and i first came across this lovely beer at o'sullivan's, an absolutely amazing (and tiny) pub/ restaurant about a 5 minute walk from our apartment. it's a hidden little gem, in my opinion. except not quite so hidden because every time we go there, the place is literally packed (the entire restaurant, including the teensy kitchen, could fit into the living room at my dad's old bagley house). anyway, they have amazing burgers, and, while you're waiting for a table, you just stand around, get in the way of the waitresses, and drink beer. generally, i tend to go for lighter beers - i actually love harpoon's ufo, which they also have at o'sullivan's - but one night, the celtic ale just called out to me. and i'm glad it did.

i really like this beer. like most reds that i've tasted, it's a bit on the sweet side, citrusy and hop-y. the flavor is actually really mild and mellow, so for people with an aversion to really strong, bitter beers, this one could be for you. it pours a really deep, pretty red color, with a light tan head. it's pretty smooth going down, and seems really balanced. a good beer overall, i think, and one that i can drink just lazing about on a sunday evening - it's not too heavy so it doesn't fill you up quickly. it also went fabulously with the beef stew that i made for dinner last night.

i was actually surprised that j likes this beer also - he tends to prefer the more hop-y ipas. but i this red is not-so-sweet, so it is acceptable to his palate.


the celtic ale is now harpoon's official spring seasonal beer, so hopefully you'll be able to find it wherever you are. this will be a great way to celebrate st. patty's day!

.cheers.