Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen Review

Brewery: Harpoon Brewery | Beer: UFO Hefeweizen
Style: Hefeweizen | ABV: 4.8% | IBUs: 19
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into Weizen glass

Dating back to 1998, UFO Hefeweizen has become one of Harpoon's most popular beers. In fact, it's become so popular that UFO has become a sort of spin-off brand for Harpoon, spawning three more beers in the line. Here's how they describe the flagship:

The overall character is a cloudy appearance with a citrus-like aroma, light body, and clean finish.

While Harpoon describe this as a Hefeweizen in the name (though an "American Unfiltered Wheat Beer" on the UFO site), not everyone agrees. You'll see this listed as an American Pale Wheat Ale around the web because it uses a north German yeast instead of one of the traditional Bavarian strains, but I've decided to list this as a Hefe in keeping with both the brewer's intentions and simplicity's sake.

Anyway, style distinctions aside, let's see how it measures up.

Appearance: A brilliantly hazy, orange-tinged golden body with brilliant tendrils of yeast stretching from top to bottom. Up top, a big, fluffy off-white head that leaves patchy lacing.

Aroma: Lemon and some yeast over a sweet, untoasted malt and wheat base. Perhaps a little thin, with traditional Hefeweizen banana and clove aromas are notably absent.

Taste: The focus here is a sweet, bready wheat malt body. Mild bitterness towards the end and perhaps a little spice (but that might be due to the power of suggestion). Overall, it's tasty but just a little thin. The aftertaste is relatively brief, but tastes of wheat.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and smooth with similarly smooth carbonation. It dries a little in the finish.

Drinkability: This goes back quickly and quenches nicely; very sessionable.

Verdict: Ultimately, I find this to be a just a bit boring. Regardless of any issues of fitting into a specific style, UFO just never really gets my attention. It's tasty enough but I could do with a little more intensity and interest.

Grade: C+

Shiner Hefeweizen Review

Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery | Beer: Shiner Hefeweizen
Style: Hefeweizen | ABV: 5.6%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

The first thing I ever noticed about this beer, back when I was first starting to appreciate great beer, was the bizarre graphic of two men sharing the same head (or is it just one man?). Turn the graphic one way and its a wistful chap reminiscent of Phil Collins in a dirty suit after being dumped. Turn it the other way and he’s happy, but looks much less like Phil Collins. The sad chap is pouring a bottle of beer upwards to the happy one. I guess that’s why he’s sad; not because he was dumped but because gravity stopped working right and stole his beer.

I absolutely loved it, I had to have this beer! True, buying a beer based sheerly on it’s labeling is not a smart move; I’ve learned that the hard way. Luckily for me (and Shiner) this time I was not disappointed, I’ve been a big fan ever since. A few years back, Shiner changed the label design to a different interpretation of the one-headed-men concept, this time more stippled with the happy guy wearing a polo shirt.

While visiting my local supermarket a couple weeks back, I noticed a new Shiner design. Once I reached the six-pack my heart sunk as I realized that it was Hefeweizen and the weird little graphic was gone for good. The new design is very bold and colorful and really fits the flavor profile of the beer. But all of this is about a label, who cares, the important stuff is inside.

Shiner Hefeweizen is brewed in the Bavarian wheat beer style that is Hefeweizen. The beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized and brewed with Texas clover honey, and both lemon and orange peels. This makes the beer very unique, especially when compared to the other offerings I can find at local gas stations. Hefeweizen has earned many awards, including a gold medal at the 2002 World Beer Cup for specialty honey lager or ale.

Appearance: Pleasantly cloudy straw to pale orange body with a decent off-white dimpled head that dissipates rather quickly leaving a decent amount of lacing (Note: The sunset light in the above picture makes the beer appear more yellow that it appears in normal light)

Aroma: Sour citrus dominates, with some faint sweetness on top of a subtlety hoppy and grainy body

Taste: Very crisp and tart with huge citrus notes (that linger well into the aftertaste) with slight hints of the added honey - the hops and wheat are very much in the background here

Mouthfeel: Fizzy and a bit thin, but that’s what you are looking for in a summer’s day thirst quencher like this

Drinkability: This a great beer for Texas summers: goes down easy, refreshes and has a moderate ABV so you can keep drinking all afternoon

Verdict: Sour citrus flavors absolutely dominate this beer, so if you aren’t a fan of those flavors you probably aren’t going to like Shiner Hefeweizen much. If you happen to like sour citrus flavors though, you’re going to find a great refreshing beer that is quite affordable (depending on where you live). I’ve always have a fondness for this beer, and although I will always miss the creepy guy(s) on the label, the beer still doesn’t disappoint me.

Grade: A