UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen - Harpoon Brewery

Todd

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz brown bottle - no freshness date. Pours a cloudy (unfiltered), peachy-rose colored beer with a slightly pink tainted white head, with a settling thin lace.

Aroma is quite sharp with raspberry and suggestions of citrus - quite appealing actually.

Creamy and smooth on the palate with a light, fluffy body. The palate is immediately splashed with a tart citric character of fresh raspberries and a salty-like lime edge that melds with faint herbal flavors. Watery rind taste and consistency. Very dry and crisp on the palate, making it refreshing, thirst quenching and more-ish. Malt characters are pretty much non-existent, as are hop characters, with some wheat flavors / tannins forming a hint of doughy breadiness towards the finish. Raspberry flavors are not over-powering, but dominate the experience - as you'd expect.

Much better than the straight-up UFO Hefeweizen. Approachable, and easy drinking thanks to the use of raspberries, which brings some life to what would otherwise be a fairly pedestrian and boring American Wheat Ale.

This release also fills a gap in Harpoon's portfolio, so not only is this a fun release for fruit beer lovers, but it's a smart one.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2006 11:52:25 | More by Todd

Jason

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz brown bottle with a freshness date jet printed on the glass.

A- Pale orangey-rose colored brew, hazed from the wheat and thin sediment in the bottle. Good solid off white froth subsides to a thin but sticky lace.

S- Smell of fresh raspberry juice, spicy / bready wheat and a neutral yeast.

T&M- Harpoon nailed the carbonation on this one, smooth and crisp in a fluffy moderate body. Quick mildly tart shot of raspberry flavor, faint spice of fermented wheat. Hops are barely noticeable which is to style, just enough. Touch more of a raspberry flavor melds well with a bready wheat malt in the semi-dry finish.

D- I certainly could not make a session out of this beer, but that is only because I am not into fruit beers. This will be around in my fridge through the spring and summer as an alternative, guest pleaser and to pair with food. I could easily see cooking with this in all sorts of way as well; salads, beer braised chicken quarters or even a lean medium rare pork loin.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2006 00:22:44 | More by Jason

thampel09

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%

05-24-2013 18:49:20 | More by thampel09

Tiernan

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%

05-24-2013 05:03:27 | More by Tiernan

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance- Served a lightly hazed orange-amber colored brew with a reddish-pinkish hue and a fizzy one finger white head. The head quickly dissipates leaving only a trace level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell- The aroma is of wheat mixed with some nice raspberry smells.

Taste – The taste begins with wheat mixed with raspberry flavors. A little bit of a yeasty flavor joins midway through the taste with the raspberry flavor getting slightly stronger and the wheat flavor slightly less so. In the end a rather refreshing and moderately crisp raspberry wheat flavor is left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel- The body of the brew is rather light in creaminess and thickness with a carbonation level that is on the higher side. Very appropriate for the wheat and fruit flavors of the brew, making for a rather refreshing drinker.

Overall – A relatively easy to drinking hefe with a moderate, but not obnoxious raspberry flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2013 01:16:01 | More by Darkmagus82

NJBeer265

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +11.4%

05-22-2013 18:34:27 | More by NJBeer265

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +11.4%

05-20-2013 23:08:41 | More by Slatetank

civicm87

New York

3/5  rDev -16.4%

05-19-2013 19:40:49 | More by civicm87

jbarletto

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%

05-18-2013 14:58:42 | More by jbarletto

metter98

New York

3.54/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is hazy yellowish-rosé in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high thin off white head that died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of raspberry juice and wheat are present in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has slight hints of sweetness.
M: It feels light-bodied (but not watery) on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink and the raspberry aromas and flavors help to spice up hat would be a pedestrian American Pale Wheat Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 21:30:35 | More by metter98

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%

05-12-2013 20:57:40 | More by twenty5

ShanShantheRocket

New York

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%

05-12-2013 20:54:12 | More by ShanShantheRocket

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.43/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Enjoy By 05/15/13

A: Pours a hazy amber color with a quickly fizzling head that lasts about 2 seconds

S: Plenty of sweet raspberry with some yeast character and light maltiness

T: Again, lots of sweet (almost artificial) raspberry with wheat and yeast undertones. Not much else

M: Light-medium bodied with high carbonation

O: Almost like wheaty, yeasty raspberry soda. Not much like beer at all. Not bad though. Easy enough to drink, but leaves this one for the girls who enjoy sweet fruity malt beverages

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 01:53:03 | More by BEERMILER12

dalepryor

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -16.4%

05-07-2013 21:50:02 | More by dalepryor

JakeDebus

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%

05-06-2013 16:28:45 | More by JakeDebus

cnwillis31

Maine

4.25/5  rDev +18.4%

04-23-2013 21:51:09 | More by cnwillis31

ericdupont

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -16.4%

04-21-2013 04:47:15 | More by ericdupont

huddyball

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +25.3%

04-20-2013 19:38:45 | More by huddyball

Navysqurl

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%

04-19-2013 23:54:55 | More by Navysqurl

themind

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -16.4%

04-11-2013 12:33:01 | More by themind

Bromine

Florida

3/5  rDev -16.4%

04-11-2013 11:29:19 | More by Bromine

jleighhh

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%

04-03-2013 03:51:33 | More by jleighhh

CTChef

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +25.3%

03-28-2013 01:22:20 | More by CTChef

BGsWo22

New York

1.25/5  rDev -65.2%

03-20-2013 23:20:16 | More by BGsWo22

SupremePie

Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%

03-19-2013 04:57:52 | More by SupremePie