So today is day 2 for THE GREAT PUMPKIN (BEER) OFF.
I want to make this quick, actually. My cats are flying off the handle and I'm worried they're going to knock over this beer. I guess I have nothing to complain about, they've become best friends, like beer and pretzels, always better together. But because of their rambunctiousness, I need to get this show on the road. So let's pour it, down it, and discuss it, shall we?
I'm drinking UFO Pumpkin from Harpoon Brewery (5.9% abv). This is for you, Liz Vincensi, Miss Please Move to Boston. This brewery is in Boston, self proclaimed biggest craft brewery in New England.
No head. Just none. Color is certainly hazy, but a little too yellow to be a rich, spicy pumpkin.
Aroma is very spicy, full of cinnamon, nutmeg and definitely a kick of ginger at the end. There's kind of a weird, lemon cleaning solution aroma smack dab in the middle, which is kind of off-putting, honestly.
Definitely getting some pumpkin mixed with a caramel malt right of the bat, with a slight finish of ginger snap. The flavor as a whole is actually very mellow, much more mellow than the aroma alludes. Like watered down pumpkin and ginger snap. It doesn't have a lingering aftertaste. As it warms, the aftertaste becomes slightly yammy, but still remains very mellow. Nothing really unique, either.
Mouthfeel is crisp with medium carbonation, and definitely as thin as grandma hair.
You're getting more of what you expect in a pumpkin beer than in the Hooligan from Monday, but this guy still isn't quite what I'm looking for, personally. I want big, fall flavors. I want robust spices and a thick, creamy head filled with pumpkin aroma. I almost want to jump right back into my beer fridge and review another beer, but I think it's better I wait. It's so thin and watery that I drank it... not too fast, per say, but fast enough?
So now it's time for pumpkin ice cream, GOOD NIGHT!
