Mango Mama
Growler into a Weyerbacher tulip. A: Opaque (i.e., seriously muddy) orange body with a thin, quickly dissipating tan head. Looks like raw mango milk, if such a thing exists. Not something I find terribly appealing. S: Holy mango, Batman! That's a lot of mango. Seriously, this smells like nothing but pure mango juice. It's crazy, juicy, fresh, and tart, but it isn't an IPA. T: Starts with mango, and finishes (eventually) with some piney hop bitterness. Maybe even a little malt midway through. Pretty darn tasty, but overwhelming with the mango IMO. M: Smooth medium body with almost no carbonation. Not terrible for a growler, but not good, either. D: The mango is great if you like mango; I'm not that crazy about it, so its total dominance is a bit of a drinkability liability. Notes: Huge thanks to the generous BA who brought this to the post-NotF tasting. This is one of those beers that I was super eager to try, but didn't know what to expect. While I enjoyed regular Masala Mama both times I had it (both from a traded growler and on cask at the brewpub), I've never found it to be the transcendent beer that some make it out to be. Mango Mama impresses me significantly less. Sure, the addition of tons of mango makes a beer taste like mango. It also, in this case, destroyed the balance and complexity that the beer originally possessed. Not worth it, if you ask me. Cheers!