Harpoon History (1997-2000)

Brewing Capacity Continues to Expand, 1997 to 2003

In 1997, Harpoon installed a state of the art bottling and substantially increased its production capacity. With a line-up of beers that now included UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon continued to grow. When the former Catamount Brewery went up for sale in 2000, Harpoon purchased the brewery in Windsor, VT and began brewing in October of that year. The tradition of festivals was continued in Vermont, with two annual events held in the fields surrounding the brewery. Soon, the Visitor Center in Windsor became home to the Harpoon Beer Garden, where visitors could enjoy a pint of fresh Harpoon and a sandwich after seeing the brewery. The community of Harpoon beer lovers moved into the cyber-age with the founding of the Friends of Harpoon and Harpoon’s long-standing community service activities were formalized under the Harpoon Helps title.

1997		A state of the art bottling line installed in Boston brewery and all brewing and packaging consolidated in Boston, making Harpoon the largest brewery in Massachusetts
		UFO Hefeweizen is introduced on tap
		Harpoon IPA ranked highest amongst domestic and imported IPAs by Beer Connoissuer Magazine
1998		Harpoon Munich Dark introduced; named Best Overall Beer by Barleycorn Magazine
1999		Harpoon Hibernian Ale introduced as draft-only spring seasonal
2000		Harpoon purchases the former Catamount Brewery in Windsor, VT
		The first Harpoon Vermont Octoberfest
		Annual production of 63,300 bbls

Next: Harpoon Approaches its 20th Anniversary, 2001 to Present