Harpoon’s Gingerland UFO
Style: spiced wheat beer
ABV: 5.2 percent
Hey everyone! What an amazing countdown to Christmas this year - so many amazing contributors and varieties of brews. I am shocked to see that not too many holidays ales many have made the naughty list this year … are people being too nice?
The future hubs and I are sitting here, finalizing seating charts and confirming wedding vendors while sipping on Harpoon's Gingerland UFO.
Truth be told, this is not my first taste of this brew. I had it in the tap room at Harpoon back in July and didn’t love it, but thought I just wasn’t “ready for it.” It was a sticky humid day, the place was packed and hot, and it just didn’t mix well with ginger and winter spices. I had a few sips and put it down.
But today as we sit Christmas tree side, watching snowflakes flutter outside our window in Charlestown, this is a much more appropriate time to crack open a beer inspired by the Gingerbread Man. As always, I am a sucker for the label which reads: “Brewed, not baked. Poured, not sliced. Inspired by a classic tale. Deliciously spiced. Welcome to Gingerbread Land.”
The pour: It’s hazy, and we can barely see our fingers through the other side of the glass, auburn/deep orange … Phil says cooper in color
Aroma: Sweetness right away -- which is scary for me – not a huge fan of sickeningly sweet brews – followed by orange, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon
Mouth feel: medium-bodied and very effervescent, tingly all over the tongue
Taste: Not at all what we expected from the nose. It’s a bit tart, leaving that tingly sensation behind your ears, then comes the subtle sweetness, ginger and winter spices. It finishes with a malty-biscuity-ness. Yum!
We like that it’s not heavy -- it's light and crisp which makes for easy drinking.
Phil, who tends to have a sweet tooth says he could easily make this his “beer of the night” -- having multiple rounds.
Me: While I like It and think it’s a refreshing change from the porters and stouts that I usually drink this time of year, it would still be a one and done for me.
Tonight we drank this beer alongside some bourbon BBQ marinated turkey tips and grilled veggies and it was delicious. Despite the name, this is not a “dessert only” type of beer. I actually nabbed a piece of a sugar cookie and paired it with the tail end of my beer and “Eeeeww ... gross!!” like drinking OJ after brushing your teeth. If you wanted to pair this with desserts I’d stay in the same family; snicker doodles, gingerbread cookies or maybe pumpkin pie.
Happy holidays and merry Christmas to all of our readers! Time to teach Phil how to tie a pretty bows on welcome bags. Kayteestinch will return in the New Year, as the tag team husband and wife drinking/blogging duo, The Olivieris (does that mean I have to change my Twitter handle …?) Cheers!
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