http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/702

Does your job sponsor a yearly beer culture trip as a thank-you for
all its employees who are celebrating five years of service? Well, the
Harpoon Brewery does-how cool is that? A few years back the group's
destination was Denmark, where they bonded with the folk over at the
Refsvindinge Brewery-a small fourth-generation brewery run by John
Rasmussen and family.

Refsvindinge Private Stock-a Danish farmhouse ale-is the 18th release
of Harpoon's limited 100 Barrel Series. Harpoon's brewmaster Al Marzi
worked with Rasmussen to recreate a style they enjoyed during their
Denmark trip. Rasmussen doesn't speak any English, so the
collaboration was translated via email by Rasmussen's daughter Lene,
and the resulting recipe was brewed by Brett Simmons at the Harpoon
Brewery in Windsor, VT. Last month, Rasmussen and family flew to
Boston to bottle the beer and celebrate with the Harpoon crew.

The Taste
Smells spicy and fruity, with faint white peppercorns and dried
apricots, fruity esters and a sweet caramel-cake-like maltiness in the
back of the nose. Full-bodied, with a slow creamy smoothness and
crispness that rolls over the palate. At first, it seems like a malt
bomb with a quick tidal wave of sugary malt flavor, but then a thick
hop oil flavor and a gentle bitterness start to break apart the malt.
Herbal bite in the middle. Waves of more fruity esters; spicy herbal
hop; and an underlying nutty, biscuity malt. Phenols and lingering
esters finish this beer out with a semi-sweet end.

Final Thoughts
John Rasmussen and Al Marzi celebrating their collaborationCertainly
the most exotic beer Harpoon has ever brewed, and perhaps one of the
most complex. Rich in character with boisterous complexities-more than
enough to appease any beer geek out there. Pair it up with a plate of
Biksemad (beef hash with a fried egg), or, on the high end, go with
stuffed roast duck with au gratin potatoes.

Refsvindinge Private Stock weighs in at a hearty 7.8 percent alcohol
by volume, and is available now on draught or in 22-ounce bombers.

For more info: harpoonbrewery.com and bryggerietrefsvindinge.dk

Respect Beer.