Since we’re sitting on the beach already (just play along) and since it’s a hot summer day with the sounds of nothing but waves and seagulls in our heads…toes in the sand…you get the idea. So of course we need a beer (or two)…of course that beer needs to be satisfying and refreshing…and of course I’d rather be able to stand up at the end of the day…so that beer needs to be easy drinking AND sessionable. So we open the cooler and in the cooler we find Harpoon UFO Pink Lemonade Shandy. If you’re not familiar, the UFO line of beers from Harpoon take their UFO name from these “Unfiltered Offerings”…and todays beer follows that pattern. The beer is a light wheat-based summer shandy and it is a seasonal release as well as the third new beer launched in 2018 from UFO. We really liked the lemony and citrusy aromas in this beer, and the ruby pink grapefruit coloring really helped convey the “pink lemonade” theme (and made my mouth water a bit). The beer pours slightly cloudy and the flavors of lemonade and bright citrus lead the way. There is some wheat malt in the flavors and I really thought the “shandy balance” of beer to lemonade was well done. The beer hits 4.65%-AbV so you can have a few on the beach and on a hot day, we found this to be a very drinkable beer.
Next up, we reach into the beach cooler and pull out a Harpoon Lime-y Vice. Harpoon calls this a “Miami-inspired” gose and it is brewed with lime, spicy coriander and sea salt. You can’t miss the nod to Miami Vice on the can packaging, and you won’t miss the prominent lime aromas when you pour this beer. This beer also pours a cloudy gold color and despite the lime-y nose, the flavors of lime, spices and sea salt nicely compliment the malt flavors up front. The lime has a really pleasant and thirst quenching tartness that plays nicely with the salty finish. Again we think this would be a really good beer for a hot day on the beach and we were surprised by just how well balanced the flavors were. This beer hits 4.7%-AbV and a tart 8 IBU, and in 12oz cans you’ll find this to be a really nice summer package.
Get out there and try Harpoon UFO Pink Lemonade Shandy and Harpoon Lime-Y Vice for yourself and I bet they find their way into your summer cooler. When you do try these two beers, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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