Massachusetts Breweries History: Harpoon Brewery The Harpoon Brewery was founded on the Boston waterfront in 1986 by three Harvard classmates. The Brewery started with the three founders and one employee (a brewer). As of 2002 there were 51 employees with the Harpoon Brewery and their annual beer production was second only to Anheuser-Busch in New England and is greater than any other New England specialty brewer. In its 1982-1997 ranking, Modern Brewery Age lists Harpoon Brewery as the nation's 11th largest specialty beer producer in the United States. Harpoon Ale was the first beer to be commercially brewed and bottled in Boston since 1964. Harpoon IPA, the Brewery's most popular beer, started out as a summer seasonal beer in 1993. Customers quickly demanded that the beer become available at all times. In 1994, Harpoon IPA became a year-round beer.