Harvel the Marvel is a strong pale ale brewed with honey from Northern Wisconsin. It pours hazy and golden sending up an enormous head of creamy, white foam. The aroma sways from toasted marshmallow to peach, orange and honey candy.
The mouthfeel of this beer is incredible. It’s exceptionally soft, luxurious even. The honey flavor is prominent, but it’s not delivered with a rush of sweetness. It’s more like the slow release of sugars that you get from hard candy. The effect is odd and wonderful. The finish comes with just enough bitterness to tame the richness of the honey. For a 7.3% ABV beer, it’s surprisingly quaffable.
All around, this is an excellent ale. I kept thinking of some of my favorite Belgian Tripels as I drank this, but Harvel has a much cleaner fermentation profile with none of the phenolics that tend to accompany strong, Belgian beers. This one is a breed apart.
Harvel is available in the cooler section at Gardina’s on their retail side. I picked up a bottle there Wednesday for $6.99. It makes for a great companion to these cool, spring evenings.
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