Tuesday, January 11, 2011

UFO Harpoon's White Unfiltered Wheat Beer

The second beer to get reviewed is in many ways the complete opposite of the Honey Porter.  The UFO was like drinking "summer" in a glass!  Wow--very refreshing...it could be the orange slice that I squeezed into the beer (a user friendly suggestion that is right on the bottle) but I didn't seem to detect "orange" per se, rather a light citrus blend on the palate.
Visually, once poured, the beer looked to be a mushed yellow & due to the falling yeast
sentiments I felt like I was watching a sunset with the variance of soft hues blending with each other in the glass. 
Okay, but back to my reality, it's January in Maine and there's snow on the ground & we are most likely under a winter storm watch until April.  So, how did this summery beer get into my fridge?
I asked the husband, who did the weekly grocery store run, to purchase, with thought, a beer for me to review. I suggested a winter beer (given the time of year) or a Maine beer (given we have a wide assortment of local breweries) yet, he came back with a Boston (Harpoon Brewery) white beer.  Perhaps, this is a bigger commentary on the level of communication in our relationship, but regardless, he bought the six-pack (he gets extra points for purchasing more than 1 bottle) & clearly I didn't object.  Interestingly, since the name of the beer is so dense (not UFO but the whole name), it propelled me to do some research; just a bit so I knew a little more about my subject (ah, the English education major in me is shining through).  Let me share what I learned in my brief research:
  • wheat beers are a beer that not only have a large proportion of wheat but also contain a large proportion of malted barley (total coincidence with my blog name!) 
  • "hefe" is German for "yeast" and is the name for unfiltered wheat beers
  • "unfiltered" is a beer that doesn't have the yeast removed from it
  • "white beers" are usually unfiltered & have a hazy appearance due to the presence of yeast
Taste:  crisp & light 
*One final thought about the husband, he christened our slow cooker with chicken & dumplings, which is what I paired the UFO with. Thus, comfort food met summertime last night which equaled deliciousness!
Color: muddled yellow
Thickness:  light to moderate depending on the amount of sentiment you sip
*tends to be quite carbonated as well--a soda quality with the bubbles & fizz
Will it help me sleep better?  yes but you'll need more than 1 as the alcohol content is only 4.8%
Mom factoid: due to the presence of the suspended yeast there is continuing fermentation in the bottle which produces lactic acid (you know that burning sensation, which is the lactic acid breaking down in your muscles, that you feel after chasing your kid(s) all day, everyday) and the lactic acid can leave a slightly sour taste

1 comment:

  1. Love that he brought you a summer beer...Will would have done the same! Makes me feel better about our level of communication :-)
    PS - playdough time is much more fun with Gritty McDuff's Christmas Ale!

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