UFO is an employee owned company but is part of Mass Bay Brewing Company which owns several breweries such as Harpoon and Clown Shoes Brewing. UFO, however, is known for their fun flavors and twists on classic favorites. One of their more interesting summer offerings is UFO Pineapple.
UFO Pineapple is a hefeweizen with pineapple. It pours a hazy yellow with a bright, white, foamy head that stood about two fingers tall at its height. There is a fair amount of carbonation rising to the top. The pineapple aroma is evident as soon as you pour. It actually smells pretty good. As you bring it to your nose you almost expect to be overwhelmed by pineapple but that isn’t the case. The closer you get the more you get the wheat with just a bit of pineapple.
Upon sipping the pineapple becomes apparent again. There is the sweetness of the pineapple that hits you first followed by a malty, biscuit finish. Unfortunately, there is a bit of an alcohol aftertaste. It feels medium in the mouth but finishes dry and a bit fruity. It almost feels like a pineapple champagne.
This is definitely a summer beer. However, I was hoping for more pineapple flavor. It is a good beer but it had the chance to be a great summer beer and I think they missed that opportunity. They allowed the hefeweizen to shine through just too much. It is still a beer I wouldn’t mind drinking on a hot summer day but this could have been the pineapple shandy of its time and day and it just missed the boat.
When you advertise “It’s island time” o the can the beer better be heavily pineapple or tropical. This beer is good but it left me wanting more. I expected a heavy pineapple flavor and all I got was, at best, a moderate one. The aroma is there but the flavor needs a little more pineapple for me to buy in totally. I wouldn’t say no to this beer but I want a little more pineapple if the beer is advertising the pineapple the way it is. A decent beer that leaves me wanting more.