Reb Ale - Tropical
Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company

As part of the Craft Beer Week festivities in Mississippi, Lazy Magnolia tapped a firkin of Tropical Reb Ale, officially described as Reb Ale with mango, papaya, passion fruit, coconut water and dry hopped with Simcoe, Citra, Sirachi Ace hops. It sounds like an entire farmer's market stand of fresh fruit was jammed into one firkin, something I typically wouldn't be crazy about. However, after the heavily peach infused Jefferson Stout tapped a few months ago, I'll reserve judgment until my first glass.

A: An incredibly hazy/cloudy pour that arrived with no head at all; just a very thin ring and a patch or two resting gently on top. A dark wheat-orange color that let only a glow of light through, even at the edges. Minimal lacing.

S: Tropical fruit are evident immediately. Mango, grapefruit, a touch of sweet tangerine, and a bit of earthiness. A solid waft of hops is evident as well, adding to the citrus aroma. An absolutely delicious introduction to this beer.

T: Follows the aroma well, although the hops are more dominant, especially at first (a quality that I love). Aggressively hopped in comparison to the traditional Reb Ale, making this the pale ale that Mississippians have been waiting to see from Lazy Magnolia. Grapefruit and tangerine are evident at the beginning as well, but are subtle until the end, where they are met with plenty of mango and papaya. The sweet fruit provide a very nice balance to the bite of the hoppiness and citrus flavors. Really nicely done.

M: Medium bodied and fairly low carbonation. Gentle on the palate, but just enough bubbles to accent the bite. Quite drying at the finish, complements of the citrus and hops. Not sure what the alcohol content is on this one, but you could probably convince me that it didn't contain any.

D: This is a really nice pale ale from a brewery that hasn't really wowed me until lately. However, all of the cask ales that they have produced have been top notch. I'd love to see some of these recipes tweaked into a semi-annual or even year-round beer. It's ales like this that we've been waiting Lazy Magnolia, and that will put you on the map. A job well done!