Skip to main content

Harpoon Brewery debuts new-look cans for flagship IPA

An upgraded aesthetic for an old east coast brewery

By Mark Stock Published December 15, 2025

Harpoon IPA label. — Harpoon Brewery

New year, new you. It’s a mantra not only subscribed to by folks thinking about goals and wellness but the craft beer sector as well. The latest development involves Harpoon Brewery, the longstanding producer out of the northeast.

Harpoon has updated the look of its flagship IPA, the most move of its kind in five years. The new-look cans feature a sharp design and will hit the shelves in 2026. It’s a tasteful upgrade and also an homage to the brand’s upcoming 40th anniversary.

Recommended Videos

“Harpoon IPA was the first IPA to hit the New England market back in 1993, and it’s been setting the standard for quality and approachability ever since,” said Rob Day, VP of marketing at Barrel One Collective. “This refresh was about ensuring the brand packaging looks as strong as the beer inside tastes. We worked closely with our agency partners at GYK to capture Harpoon’s role as Boston’s IPA — confident, familiar, and proudly local, yet always evolving for the next era of IPA drinkers.”

The new design celebrates the nautical history of New England, fit with an anchor and rope. The beer is balanced and citrusy, a classic American India Pale Ale. Craft beer enthusiasts can catch the new look in retailers all over the land come 2026.

Harpoon Brewery started in Boston in 1986. The label received the first brewing permit in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the same year. Since, it’s gone on to become a favorite in the vibrant craft beer world, known not just for its IPA but other beer styles as well. It’s now under the Barrel One Collective, which features a handful of regional beer labels.

Contributor

Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…

Topics

Liquor, Beer, Wine & Drinks

Food & Drink

Ready-to-drink cocktails to bring the bar experience home

These ready-to-serve drinks will make you feel like you're at a bar instead of your home

Post Meridien

I love a good cocktail bar. The type of place with a mix of classic and contemporary drinks. The kind of establishment where the bartenders are allowed to let their creativity flow, adding different flavors to elevate well-known mixed drinks. But I’m pretty busy with everyday life and don’t always have time to spend an evening drinking contemporary takes on the Old Fashioned or Negroni at a cocktail bar. This is where ready-to-drink cocktails come in. And while there are many overly sugary, low-alcohol options available, some brands make RTDs that taste like my favorite drinks and have the same (or similar alcohol content).

I’ve spent years sampling ready-to-drink cocktails (especially as the category has expanded in recent years), and I’ve found quite a few that you can crack open, pour into a glass, and feel as close to your local cocktail bar as possible without actually leaving the friendly confines of your home.

Food & Drink

This new coffee and hydration bundle gives back to Brazilian farmers

This $50 coffee & hydration bundle is your new summer essential

Equator Coffee

We're right in the heart of the summer -- and this fun seasonal collab from Equator Coffees makes the perfect pairing for those who love coffee (and hydration) as much as I do. The new Golden Hour x Buoy Hydration Bundle, (priced at $50), pairs Equator's Golden Hour blend (bright, fruity notes of orange creamsicle and Rainier cherry) with Buoy's unsweetened hydration drops and a 32oz water bottle featuring original artwork from local SF muralist Rymie. As you build a nice war-weather routine, this bundle helps emphasize the importance of staying hydrated (and caffeinated) all summer long. Even better, 5% of collection sales support youth agricultural education at the farm behind the blend in Brazil.

“Golden Hour is summer in a cup. It’s bright, vibrant, and the kind of coffee I reach for when the days get longer. Pairing it with Buoy hydration drops and a custom Nalgene just made sense to us—great coffee to start your day, hydration to keep you feeling your best, and a bottle you’ll actually want to bring everywhere this summer," says Helen Russell, Co-Founder and Executive Chair.

Food & Drink

The best value single malt whisky from every region of Scotland

Take a tour of Scotland with these gateway whiskies

Aberlour

If you’re new to the world of Scotch whisky, you might just assume that it all tastes the same. Well, not only are there major differences in aroma and flavor between many well-known whiskies, but there are also five distinct regions, and each has its own unique flavor profile. Each region is also home to many value whiskies. Today, I’m going to highlight one from each. But before I get into that, I need to start at the beginning.

When I first started writing about alcohol, Scotch whisky seemed a little overwhelming to me. When I first tasted it, I thought they all tasted the same. That changed when I was given a dram of single malt whisky from The Macallan alongside a dram of single malt whisky from Laphroaig. Boy, was my mind blown.