A taste of… Harpoon Celtic Ale

Massachusetts Bay Brewing Company
dba
Harpoon Brewery
306 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 574-9551

Preface: This 12 oz. bottle of Harpoon Celtic Ale was purchased for $1.75(USD) at Peas & Pickles Grocery in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY. There is a “Best by 05/15/10020” on the bottle neck.

The following notes are made after a mouth wash with room temperature sparkling water. These notes have not been influenced by reading promotional material or any other review of this brew.

I am including this preface to inform the reader of any and all circumstances that might be conceived of a creating a biased review or a conflict of interest regarding the choice of words used in the following review. I could go on and on with semi-legal jargon but I guess you will just have to trust me eh?

The following are my tasting notes:

Appearance: A crystal clear brilliant copper colored brew with sparkling small bubbles that form a dense, smooth sandy brown with a hint of orange head of tiny bubbles. The Belgian lace slides easily down the sided of the glass this morning.

Aroma: The first aromas are of roasted grains with a hint of herbal greenery. A second visit brought a slight trace of Seville orange citric tang. The final nose-dive revealed more of the roasted grain.

Flavor: The first flavors are slightly metallic citric flavors that are joined, for a short while, by a dark sugar candy flavor. The second sip reveals a hint of banana and then a spike of hop flavors with the citric orange whispers. The third visit recognizes the earlier flavors and has started to fit them together.

Mouth feel: The body of this brew is lean with no extra weight.

Finish: This is a remarkably dry finish with the tang of the hops remaining to keep the last traces of toasty grain happy.

Comments: I have yet to discover the USP (Unique Selling Point) of the various lagers and ales with the “Irish Red” moniker. This one has a “red” color but the body and flavors would fine an equally warm welcome from the Anglophiles should it be called Pale Ale.

Food & Beer: This brew would be my choice to go with a sliced Brooklyn bagel topped with just a “shmear” of cream cheese and a thin slice of smoked salmon… not lox!

The Brewery: http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/

What others say:

BeerAdvocate: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10097/47298

RateBeer: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/harpoon-celtic-ale/11987/

A taste of… UFO White

Massachusetts Bay Brewing Company
dba
Harpoon Brewery
306 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 574-9551

Preface: This 12 oz. bottle of UFO Hefeweizen Unfiltered Wheat Beer was purchased for $1.75(USD) at Peas & pickles Grocery in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY. There was no “Best by” date on the bottle neck.

The following notes are made after a mouth wash with room temperature sparkling water. These notes have not been influenced by reading promotional material or any other review of this brew.

I am including this preface to inform the reader of any and all circumstances that might be conceived of a creating a biased review or a conflict of interest regarding the choice of words used in the following review. I could go on and on with semi-legal jargon but I guess you will just have to trust me eh?

The following are my tasting notes:

Appearance: I did pour this brew in the semi-traditional way – placing the glass over the bottle and then inverting the bottle and glass allowing the brew to flow from the bottle directly down into the glass and lifting the neck so that the neck is never in the beer or the head. This allows the yeast to “percolate” through the beer as it is poured.)
Here is an American wheat beer that has all the traditional characteristics of the Bavarian wheat beer. The exception is the rather tame effervescence. The head, of small and medium bubbles was a short-lasting mountain of foam that leaves little lace on the sides of the wheat beer glass.

Aroma: There is an aroma of just kneaded bread dough meeting the first olfactory observation. A second visit brings aromas of dried herbs and some lemon citric sensations. The third impression finally finds come hop green aromas.

Mouth feel: There is a surprising amount of body to this brew. Again, I note the less than enthusiastic carbonation.

Flavor: American wheat beers are quite different from their German, or even Belgian, cousins. The first sensation is of lightly roasted grains with a slightly metallic under current. The second visit finds the hop flowers blooming and making themselves known. The third reveals a rather light set of flavors that are refreshing together but are difficult to deconstruct.

Finish: There is a quick exit for the flavors of this brew. I could make a pun using the “Veet” sound as a play on the word in French for quick - "Vite".

Comments: It is not easy to comment on what I consider a summer seasonal brew as it is still winter. In context I have fond memories of this brew, on tap, with cold lobster salad.

The Brewery: http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/

What others say:

BeerAdvocate: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10097/48933

RateBeer: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/harpoon-ufo-white/101806/

BEER SPECIFICATIONS - UFO White
Style: American White Ale
History: brewed since 2009
Original Gravity: 12 P
ABV: 4.8%
IBU’S: 10
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS: Shellfish, seafood, soft cheeses, and green salads

A taste of… UFO Hefeweizen

Massachusetts Bay Brewing Company
dba
Harpoon Brewery
306 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 574-9551

Preface: This 12 oz. bottle of UFO Hefeweizen Unfiltered Wheat Beer was purchased for $1.75(USD) at Peas & pickles Grocery in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY. There was no “Best by” date on the bottle neck.

The following notes are made after a mouth wash with room temperature sparkling water. These notes have not been influenced by reading promotional material or any other review of this brew.

I am including this preface to inform the reader of any and all circumstances that might be conceived of a creating a biased review or a conflict of interest regarding the choice of words used in the following review. I could go on and on with semi-legal jargon but I guess you will just have to trust me eh?

The following are my tasting notes:

Appearance: Traditional Hefeweizen are cloudy from the yeast left in the bottle or keg that continues the final fermentation. This is a golden lemon colored brew that has a vigorous fermentation that builds a thick head of tiny bubbles that leave a trace of lace.

Aroma: First impression is a bready sensation with a lemon underpinning. Second impression reveals a flower aroma from the hops.

Mouth feel: A tiny dancer on the tongue and pallet.

Flavor: First impression is a whisper of yeast and a kiss of malt. The second meeting leaves a pleasant sensation of green grass freshness and a scintilla of a citric. A final sip leaves the sensation of where-did-it go?

Finish: If this brew was a character in a film it would be that fine looking woman in the white car seen in the film “American Graffiti”.

Comments: The folks at Harpoon have a perfect Summer brew here. I am coming back to try this one in six or seven months.
Food & Beer: Right now though, I would settle down with two of these brews, a bowl of fresh popped pop-corn and one of the “Jack Sparrow” movies rolling off the DVD.

The Brewery: http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/

BEER SPECIFICATIONS - UFO HEFEWEIZEN
Style: American Unfiltered Wheat Beer
History: Brewed since 1998
Original Gravity: 12 P
Alcohol by Volume: 4.8%
IBU’S: 19
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS: spicy foods, seafood, green salads

What others say:

BeerAdvocate: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10097/318

RateBeer: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/harpoon-ufo-hefeweizen/2356/