UFO White - Harpoon Brewery

williamherbert

New York

4.2/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The appearance is a big hazy, traffic-light yellow. Smooth, foamy head like ice cream on baked Alaska. Illuminated from within; I swear it could glow in the dark. Head goes away after about 4-5 minutes.

The aroma is sweet lemon and citrus waftering above a bready, dry wheat base. Cloves and a spicy champagne aroma. Almost like a mimosa, spicy with orange peel.

The taste is more spicy and "Belgian" than most witbiers. Orange and champagne together. Really different. Sweet and a little bit of lemon sourness, also a bready base.

The feel is fizzy like a bubbly champagne (more champagne!). Creamy and not at all watery. An unusual wit, not unlike Brian Regan. A terrific American version of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2009 00:09:59 | More by williamherbert

erosier

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: Pours a cloudy hazy orange/yellow with a medium sized and medium bodied white fluffy head that laces the glass nicely on the way down.
S: Smells of sweet wheat malts, nice toasted malts, hints of orange and coriander at the end of the nose.
T: Tastes of sweet wheat malts, nice amounts of coriander and a fresh hint of citrus at the end of the flavor. The orange lingers which is really nice.
M: Very smooth, fresh feeling, perfect amount of carbonation.
D: Very drinkable. Low abv will make this a summer favorite. I like this one a lot.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2009 14:13:05 | More by erosier

riversider76

New York

3.9/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a light golden with a thin white head. Good retention and very nice laceing. Aroma is floral with hints of fruit and spice body is light and crisp with a good amount of carbonation. Taste is of citrus and spice. Very well balanced and refreshing. Excellent for this Summer.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2009 01:24:02 | More by riversider76

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - pours a cloudy golden color with just a few bubbles

S - aroma of citrus, wheat and yeast, sort of a musty scent

T - decent citrus flavors mix with the yeast and wheat flavors to balance nicely

M/D - nice carbonation and mouthfeel, very light and crisp.
Not bad but I don't think i'd be searching it out again

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2009 16:18:28 | More by mikereaser

SirDrinxAlot

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a cloudy, pale orange/straw color with less than a 1 finger head and almost no lacing.

Smelled of heavy citrus and light wheat/spice.

Tasted of wheat and sour citrus. Definitely does not need any fruit added.

Mouthfeel was smooth with good carbonation. Would be refreshing on a hot summer day.

Overall a light beer thats easy to drink but a bit too sour on the back end for my taste. I'd go for something else in the Witbier category if given the choice.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2009 00:41:18 | More by SirDrinxAlot

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.1/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle and served in a weiss glass. No fruit used or needed.

L - clouded yellow color with a big fluffy white head that remained as a good cap leaving streaks of lacing.

S - citrus peel, yeast and wheat aromas are quite pleasant.

T - good orange/lemon/citrus flavors are constantly there blending well with the yeast, hop and malted wheat flavors.

F - light/medium bodied with a crisp and refreshing feel.

D - easy drinking brew.

I will be drinking this beer again and would recommend it to others.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2009 19:59:43 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

chaduvel

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I had high hopes for this beer. Their 100 Barrel Series Wit from around 2001 was delicious.
Nice golden orange color, decent white head and there is a good amount of yeast in the bottom of the bottle to be swirled and poured out adding a nice cloudy complexion.
Smells are faint orange, and a touch of spice. I wish I could get more coriander, orange peel and pepper.
Taste is all up front with some nice orange and wit-beer yeast flavors, but not enough spice or full round flavors. There is also a papery finishing.
Mouthfeel is too thin to my liking.
Quite drinkable despite my criticisms, it's just not up to par with their retired 100 Barrel Series version or Allagash White.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2009 21:58:25 | More by chaduvel

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a sixer at Walsh's in Brighton Center for about $10. Poured into UFO hefe glasses with a wedge of orange. Cloudy yellow color. Huge white head that lasted for some time. Smell was a nice bouquet of spices (coriander, orange peel). Taste was very refreshing but subtle. Great flavors of a witbier, but with a hint of citrus. The added orange aided that flavor. The flavor, though, was a bit on the muted side. It was there, but not very pronounced. Very smooth on the palate, and easy to drink. A good session beer, or end of the night brew. I can't help but drink this beer and just think it's just a version of the UFO that was tweaked a bit. Either way, if it's going to be the new Harpoon brew, then I welcome it. At least it's better than the UFO Raspberry.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2009 23:31:33 | More by morebeergood

albern

Massachusetts

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

Not a bad witbier, very mild, a little tart, a teeny bit bland, but not bad. It pours a cloudy whitish orange color with a nice white foamy head, some lacing. The nose is coriander, spices, lemon, your typical witbier.

The taste is not pronounced one way or another. It is a light witbier, very refreshing and drinkable. It has the coriander, lemon, citrus, some rind flavors, some light floral bouquets, some dryness in the finish. The beer is a tad too light for me, but it is a very respectable representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2009 02:48:56 | More by albern

Brad007

Vermont

3.95/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy whitish-orange color with a two finger head into my fluted tulip.

Aroma is full of orange peel and coriander in the nose upfront with a hint of spice. Average for the style, which is good.

Taste is nice and wheaty upfront with a strong dose of orange peel and coriander sticking out. A bit chewy. Refreshing.

Caronation seems a bit high. Full of lingering orange peel and coriander flavors at the back of the throat. Finishes normally.

Not bad. More drinkable than their standard UFO. Not the greatest example but certainly very drinkable and would make a great summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 16:35:17 | More by Brad007

Liverpool08

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very excited to try this. Pours a very cloudy light orange. Big frothy head that leaves quickly. But good lacing for the whole pint. Smell is very heavy banana and orange peel also a little melon. Very nice crisp mouthfeel, good carbonation. Not any real overpowering flavors. A little bit of orange with a wheaty twang.
This will be a great summer beer. Super drinkible. I will be keeping some in the fridge for the warm months ahead.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2009 19:51:09 | More by Liverpool08

MrKsBeer

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

a golden cloudy beer, with a smooth balanced taste of orange and coriander, not overly sweet or carbonated.

All in all it was a well balanced beer

I would like to try it on tap, but the rumorings are that this is just a trial run and will only be available in bottles for a little while.

This beer will soon be the front runner for atleast the Harpoon UFO style.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2009 17:32:17 | More by MrKsBeer

lpayette

Vermont

4.13/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance- Nice pale straw color with lots of cloudiness. Solid two finger head that reduces itself to a thin covering and doesn't leave any lacing behind.

Smell- A wall of orange peel occassionally penetrated by some wheat.

Taste- Lots and lots of orange peel and coriander. Really the perfect balance though- enough to keep it interesting, but not so much that it becomes overpowering and not as drinkable. Lacks the complexity of some in this style, but very tastey.

Mouthfeel- Great well rounded mouthfeel that is nearly creamy up front and finishes semi-dry. Perfect carbonation refreshes the palate nicely.

Drinkability- Harpoon should have much success with this one. Clearly the best of the UFO beers by a mile, and I would suspect not just good to the typical BeerAdvocate. I'll go out on a limb and say that this will soon be Harpoon's best selling beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2009 02:34:46 | More by lpayette

Patrick

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a hazy straw color with a thin white head that eventually fades to a thin white film. Not a whole lot of lacing either.

S: Some wheaty tang is noticeable, but there is also quite a bit of orange peel there.

T: Lots of orange peel up front with the wheat coming afterwards. Not a witbier at all. How about American Pale Wheat Ale.

M: Dry, crisp, refreshing, well carbonated.

D: This is going to be a big success this summer. I might even buy more.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2009 00:30:04 | More by Patrick