Harpoon Brewery
Boston, MA
Northwestern hops and a blend of spices. The malt combination provides a smooth body and slightly sweet flavor, which balances the earthy notes derived from the pure pumpkin. UFO Pumpkin is unfiltered.
ABV: 5.9
ABW: 4.72
COLOR: 18
BITTERNESS: 20
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1059
AVAILABLE: CT, FL, GA, MA, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, TX, VT, VA
It’s not a beer from outer space but an “UnFiltered Offering” from Harpoon, with a hazy gold color and a fluffy collar of foam. There’s a big hit of sweet, pungent pumpkin on the nose with smooth malt and a cedar pine needles note from the hops. Sweet fruit and malt dominate the mouth with spice (nutmeg?) and balancing hop bitterness. The finish is surprisingly dry with spice and hops, ripe fruit and creamy malt. A fine autumnal brew with bonfires in the background.
Well, it’s certainly orange. It’s also hazy, as expected, and the beer has a fine glow about it. The nose is strongly spicy but well-balanced, with none of the individual pumpkin pie spices overwhelming the other. On first impression the palate is sweet but not sugary; hops are in a supporting role here. Fruity malt plays smoothly through the center, and the beer finishes dry. This beer has little of the acidic zing that I associate with pumpkin, but that’s no complaint here. If you like pumpkin ales, this one is very well done. It still tastes like beer, and it will enliven your turkey dinner.
Author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. Respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. and www.protzonbeer.co.uk.
Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Companion to Beer, the author of The Brewmaster’s Table, and a veteran host of more than 800 beer dinners in 15 countries.
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