 Harpoon UFO Maine Blueberry |
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Harpoon UFO Maine Blueberry |
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I just love a good blueberry ale, don’t you? I cut my beer imbibing teeth in Rhode Island way back in the 80s, and being in New England, I was exposed to the wonderful world of blueberry ales in the dawning days of blueberry ales. Most of these came in the 90s, such treats as Sea Dog Bluepaw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale, Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale, Wachusett Blueberry Ale, and of course, Boston Beer Works Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale, the latter best enjoyed at the brewery with fresh blueberries riding the carbonation up and down the glass. Maine blueberries were featured in many of these beers, but blueberries grow well in other states. Here in Georgia, for example, Sweetwater Blue is made with Georgia blueberries. I have three blueberry bushes in my own backyard, and we harvest abundant crops each year. I like to drop a few of them in my glass of blueberry ale from time to time. All of this talk of blueberry ales brings us to my latest blueberry ale treasure: UFO Maine Blueberry by the Harpoon brewery of Massachusetts and Vermont. With all the hullabaloo about UFOs these day, a UFO beer sounds apropos, though Harpoon may need to rename the brand to UAP to use the latest acronym. Either way, Harpoon says about UFO Maine Blueberry on their website: We’ve enjoyed the wild blueberries of Maine for as long as we remember. Be it blueberry pies, muffins, pancakes, or by the handful straight from the carton, there’s something special about the satisfying sweetness of Vacationland’s state fruit. This blueberry ale was first brewed exclusively for Maine as our ode to those wild blueberries—but one thing led to another and this limited release found itself in our 2020 Spring Mix pack, and then available everywhere as a year-round offering. Harpoon UFO Maine Blueberry has an alcohol content of 4.8% by volume and runs $9.99 a six-pack at Total Wine. I have not seen it in stores yet, but my daughter found it and gave me a few cans. My cans are stamped pkg 03/01/21. Harpoon UFO Maine Blueberry pours to a hazy yellow color with a fine blue tint. The beer has a big fluffy head formation and a nose packed with juicy blueberry fruit. Taking a sip, the beer is crisp and biscuity, tart wheaty in the palate with more of the luscious fresh blueberry up front and lingering on into the finish. That finish is balanced, and not at all sweet. It’s just a tad bitter, the bitterness popping nicely against the fruit and making the beer highly drinkable. Judged as a fruit beer, and a blueberry ale in particular, I give this one high marks. I enjoyed this beer on a beautiful late May afternoon, partly sunny and 76 with a gentle breeze, and the crisp biscuit and tart wheat here intertwined with juicy Maine blueberries to make me think I was in Maine.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box. *Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer. (B)=Bottled, Canned (D)=Draft
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