Yes, summer is over and we’re into fall and Oktoberfest and pumpkin season, but did you get a chance to check out Harpoon Brewery‘s Fantasy League mix pack of low alcohol lifestyle beers? The brewery had sent them to me to sample and I found them to be suitably easy-drinking beers to get through the summer pandemic and quarantine season. (Plus I believe you can still find these beers now, so they’d be good for fall pandemic drinking as well.)

I’ve been writing about various “lifestyle” or “better for you” beers more this year, in part because it’s a trend and in part because, well, when we’re home all the time due to COVID-19, we’re probably drinking. So if we’re going to drink, we might as well be drinking lower-ABV, more health-conscious beers.

As a side note, it’s interesting how a few years back, “Session IPA” or “India Session Ale” failed to gain much traction with consumers as a marketing ploy, yet these same beers marketed instead as “low-cal” or “low alcohol” have resonated. Harpoon here has extended that into several more styles but the theme applies (and the brewery calls these “recreational session beers”).

The beers in the pack are:

• Rec. League (pale ale)
• Farm League (hoppy farmhouse ale)
• Bush League (dry-hopped American pilsner)
• Night League (session black IPA or more properly, Cascadian dark ale)

All beers are only 4% ABV and brewed with buckwheat kasha, chia, and sea salt. Let’s get into my review notes.

Rec. League

Rec. League is a hazy pale ale, billed to be fruity and tropical. The brewery says:

Brewed with a groundbreaking blend of ingredients, Rec. League is bursting with citrusy hop flavor and aroma, refreshing, and just 120 calories.*

Meet the beer that Men’s Health calls a “pillow-y, tropical pale ale.”

*120 calories, 10 g carbohydrates, 1.2 g protein, 0 g fat per 12 fl. oz.

The hops are Cascade, Mosaic, Simcoe, Ekuanot, Citra, and Falconer’s Flight, brewed to 35 IBUs with 4% ABV as noted above. The beer was canned on June 22, I reviewed it on August 3.

Appearance: Hazy, opaque, golden apricot colored. Off-white head is fine and creamy.

Smell: Light hops that are grassy with a touch of peppery spice, almost an allium note that grows as it warms. No real malt structure, much more of an herbal hoppiness, though it’s indistinct.

Taste: Nice toasty malts reminiscent of Grape Nuts cereal with light hop bitterness and an herbal greens flavor, pleasantly mellow and balanced for an appetizing sip that makes me want to keep sipping. Gentle spiciness, hinting at green peppercorn, and a biscuit-y graininess (coming from the buckwheat kasha?).

Mouthfeel: Light to medium-light body, crisp, dry finish with a light lingering hop bitterness that’s clean and mellow.

Overall: I was not impressed by the aroma, but the flavor is on point and really nice, and it’s super drinkable.

Bush League

This is a dry-hopped American pilsner, brewed to emulate a macro lager (“Bush” League—get it?). Harpoon’s description reads:

Crisp and clean from cold fermentation, this American Pils is like a full-flavored macro lager with the perfect amount of hoppy aromatics—brewed with Mandarina Bavaria and Hüll Melon hops and a touch of flaked corn to keep things light.

115 calories, 9g carbs, 1.0g protein, 0.0g fat per 12oz

I really like the can design on this one. In the ingredients there’s a bit of flaked corn to lighten it up. This one was also canned on June 22; I reviewed it on August 15.

Appearance: Clear golden yellow, billowy white head with plenty of active carbonation. There’s a touch of haze but don’t know if it’s a chill haze or what.

Smell: Mellow with a light corn graininess and spicy Noble-family hop character, that have a light, green herbal note.

Taste: Soft, light malt body with a toasted cereal quality, balanced by a gentle herb tea bitterness and a hint of menthol. Lightly grassy with a touch of rye-like spicy character.

Mouthfeel: Light and crisp with a rounded softness, pillowy malt, that’s easy to drink. Light herbal mintiness persists into the aftertaste.

Overall: Nicely drinkable, suitably crushable for hot weather, and well-brewed for a hoppy/herbal spin on a clean, grainy pils.

Night League

Off the top of my head, I couldn’t remember the last time I had a CDA/black IPA, so this was interesting. Not sure why Harpoon went in this direction for a dark beer instead of, say, a porter or similar. The description:

Proof that even dark beers can be absolutely crushable, this Session Black IPA is brewed with de-bittered black malts and blonde-roasted oats for a light malty base that balances perfectly with a classic American hop blend of Simcoe, Chinook, Cascade, and Mosaic.

125 calories, 11g carbs, 1.3g protein, 0.0g fat per 12oz

Same packaging date as the others (June 22), I reviewed it on August 15.

Appearance: Dark brown pour, opaque in the glass, the tan head is creamy-rocky with good lacing. Quite cola-like in its look.

Smell: Piney, resiny hops, with a touch of grapefruit peel. A bit of forest floor (earthy) but it’s gentle, tempered. There’s a touch of light roasty malt character.

Taste: Solid pine/earthy bitterness, which does clash a little bit with the roasted malt character to get a bit tar-like and harsh. Malts otherwise read a bit “brown ale” to me bordering on porter in the flavor. The hop flavor stays pitchy throughout but it’s not unpleasant.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium-light body, slightly roasty/pitchy astringency, but a relatively clean finish.

Overall: Decent, a throwback style for sure. Not my favorite of the four but not bad.

Farm League

This is a style that makes a lot of sense for a lower-ABV, lower-calorie offering—think grisette or table beer. The brewery says:

Like Rec. League’s Belgian cousin, this Hoppy Farmhouse Ale combines a citrus-packed blend of Mandarina Bavaria, Hüll Melon, and Citra hops with the peppery spice of Belgian yeast and the subtle tang of sweet orange peel.

120 calories, 10g carbs, 1.2g protein, 0.0g fat per 12oz

I reviewed it on August 17 (same June 22 packaging date as all of them).

Appearance: Hazy golden yellow, nice egg shell white head, terrific lacing.

Smell: Rustic notes of grassy yeast with a touch of grainy spiciness, and a peppery hop spice note. A touch sweaty. It’s nice and mellow in aroma, though I’m not sure I’m getting much (or any) orange peel.

Taste: Nice “farmhouse” template here with earthy hops, rustic graininess, some spicy yeast phenolics. Good balance of all the notes, and some hop flavor pops back up at the back that’s a bit grassy, like hay, plus a light piney note.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied with a nice subtle yeasty finish that I’m appreciating for the style. Touch of hop bitterness in aftertaste as well.

Overall: This is a nice beer, you wouldn’t guess it for a “lifestyle” beer and is just an enjoyable sessionable farmhouse ale.