Hey there! How’d you like a UFO? No, not an Unidentifed Flying Object, my friends, an UnFiltered Offering. This is a beer website, after all. Hence, UFO Pumpkin Unfiltered Pumpkin Ale from Boston’s Harpoon brewery. UFO Pumpkin Ale is brewed with pumpkin and spices, and also has spice added after the brew, just for good measure.

I love a good pumpkin ale, actually, and I find UFO Pumpkin Ale to be a very good one indeed. First released in the fall of 2011, it didn’t make it to Georgia until fall of 2012. I snapped up a six-pack at Total Wine for $9.99 as soon as I saw it, and though that’s slightly high, it was worth it. Harpoon says this about their UFO Pumpkin:

Imagine a pumpkin vine wound its way in a field of barley, and a brewer harvested it all to make a beer. Add Northwestern hops and a blend of spices, and you've got UFO Pumpkin. The malt combination provides a smooth body and slightly sweet flavor, which balances perfectly with the earthy notes derived from the pure pumpkin. And like all of our UFO beers, UFO Pumpkin is UnFiltered.

And I say:

Harpoon Pumpkin UFO pours to a hazy (that’s the yeast) orange color with a thick rocky head formation and a spicy nose redolent with allspice and nutmeg. A thick layer of Brussels lace clings to the sides of the glass. Taking a sip, the beer has less body up front than I would like. I am getting crisp malt but I would like some more caramel up front. Harpoon touts the Munich and Vienna malts used but I think a bit more to stand up to the spice would be in order. The pumpkin definitely comes through and then the spice, very sharp and dry notes of nutmeg, clove, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice.

OK, I know I just complained about the malt, but the more I sip the beer the more I liked it. I do want pumpkin and spice in my pumpkin beers and both are here in abundance. In the finish, a kiss of hops serves to dry nicely add a subtle grassy aroma, but the spices really serve to impart a distinct dryness, especially the clove. All in all, a very nice pumpkin beer indeed, once sure to spice up your life. Alcohol content is 5.9% by volume, and of course this is a seasonal brew. That being the case, don’t be afraid to stock up: sampled in June, it tasted as good as it did in October.

Update 9/19/13: So last week I had a Harpoon Octoberfest to get a Harpoon UFO pumpkin glass. And of course this week I am having a Harpoon UFO Pumpkin to get a Harpoon Octoberfest glass........

Update 10/25/15: Harpoon UFO Pumpkin today at Taco Mac while watching the Pats on a fine Sunday afternoon. Yes please!

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