Food

Dunkin’ and Harpoon Made Another Beer. Here’s How It Really Tastes.

Last fall, two quintessential New England beverage brands collaborated to produce the Harpoon Dunkin’ Coffee Porter. Now they’ve done it again.

By Katherine Keenan|Jun 25 2019|

For a limited time only, America Runs on Dunkin' Summer Coffee Pale Ale.

Photo Credit: Katherine Keenan

Last fall, two quintessential New England beverage brands collaborated to produce the Harpoon Dunkin’ Coffee Porter. Now they’ve done it again. Here are the answers to all your questions about the newest Dunkin’ beer, the Harpoon Dunkin’ Summer Coffee Pale Ale.

Dunkin’ and Harpoon Made Another Beer. Here’s How It Really Tastes.

Dunkin Donuts Beer 2 — The newest Harpoon Brewery and Dunkin’ collaboration.
*Photo Credit : Katherine Keenan*

Harpoon Brewery and Dunkin’ recently unveiled their limited-edition Summer Coffee Pale Ale. The beer — which is said to combine the flavors of Dunkin’ Original Blend coffee with a “bright, summery” pale ale — will be available across the eastern U.S. in 12-ounce cans and draft at select retailers. Unlike the previous Harpoon-Dunkin brew, which was a malty stout, this beer is light and hoppy. According to a Dunkin’ press release, it “pairs perfectly with delicious summer favorites like coffee-rubbed brisket, chipotle chicken tacos, Dunkin’ coffee rolls, and outdoor brunch.”

The quick facts

ABV (alcohol by volume): 5%
IBUs (international bitterness units): 44
Caffeine content: Unclear. (The Dunkin’ Coffee Porter had less than .22mg of caffeine per ounce, or 2.64mg per bottle. For reference, a typical cup of coffee has 95mg of caffeine.)
Color: Warm, clear amber — probably exactly what you’d get if you mixed a pale beer with coffee

Initial questions

As someone who doesn’t usually enjoy porters (I find most of them to be too sweet, too roasty, or too heavy), I was curious to see how this lighter Dunkin’ beer would compare with some of my favorite pale ales. Among my initial questions: Does it taste more like coffee or beer? and Will it be refreshing on a hot summer day? And as the sun began to set, I wondered, Will this keep me up at night? I did some quick research on “coffee pale ales,” since I hadn’t heard of many others. Typically, coffee beers tend to fall within the realm of porters, stouts, and brown ales, since the boldness of coffee aligns well with those tasting profiles. And immediately I found myself second-guessing the new Dunkin’ beer: The bitterness of hops combined with coffee’s sharp acidity could easily lead to an unpleasant flavor. Plus, I couldn’t find any other big-name breweries that currently offered a coffee pale ale, although Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company) did include one in a 2018 fall variety pack. So with admittedly low expectations — but hoping to be proven wrong — I used the Harpoon Beer Finder to track down a six-pack.

First impressions

I cracked open the white, pink, and orange can. Pale foam rose gently through the opening. The scent was not of coffee, nor of a pale ale. Instead, the beer smelled more along the lines of a porter or a stout. Again, I wondered whether it would taste like an actual pale ale. I took a sip. Yes, it did. Despite the beer’s roasted, malted aroma, the first flavors to hit my taste buds were bitter and bright. It did, in fact, taste very much like coffee, yet it also had that unmistakable hoppy — almost citrusy — quality of a pale ale. I poured some into a cup so I could look at the color.

Dunkin Donuts Beer 6 — Sometimes all you have is a mug. In this case, it did the trick.
*Photo Credit : Katherine Keenan*

But … is it any good?

I continued to sip, trying to discern whether it tasted more like beer or more like coffee. And with each sip, I vacillated between the two. (The aftertaste, however, was decidedly beer-ish.) I found myself coming back for more simply because my brain was still trying to compute what I was consuming. I finished the can, but I’m not sure I would do it again. Despite my disdain for the thick maltiness of porters, I can see how their flavor lends itself to a coffee pairing. Conversely, I’m not sure that the bitterness of hops benefits from the addition of another sharp, acidic beverage. Between the punch of citrus and the ashy quality of the coffee, the Dunkin beer’s flavors competed with each other. The result? A beverage that’s refreshing — albeit in an alarming sort of way — but ultimately overcomplicated and hard to understand.

Final thoughts

I found myself wondering if this beer might be more enjoyable if poured over ice. Though it’s far from conventional in the beer world, adding ice might make sense here. After all, the beer does taste a lot like a carbonated, extra-bitter iced coffee. With its unusual flavor combination and a small jolt of caffeine, the Harpoon Dunkin’ Summer Coffee Pale Ale certainly is a novelty. So why not split a six-pack with friends to see who likes it? On a hot summer day, this beer might be exactly the change of pace that you’re looking for. But remember: Just because you like coffee and beer doesn’t mean you will like drinking them at the same time.

Dunkin Donuts Beer 4 — Split a six-pack with friends, or see if you can find the Dunkin’ beer on tap at a bar near you.
*Photo Credit : Katherine Keenan*

To find the beer and taste it for yourself, click here. Would you try the Harpoon Dunkin’ Summer Coffee Pale Ale?

SEE MORE: 5 Best Boston Brewery Tours Easy Homemade Jelly-Filled Donuts The McDonald’s Lobster Roll Experience

Katherine Keenan

Formerly associate digital editor, Katherine Keenan created content for NewEngland.com, managed the New England Today newsletter, and shared the best of the magazine on social media channels. A graduate of Smith College, she grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and currently lives in southern Maine.

More by Katherine Keenan

Dunkin’ and Harpoon Made Another Beer. Here’s How It Really Tastes.