Tropical Thunder
Shades Brewing

 

12oz can at share. Shades continues to surprise, this time with a smooth tropical fruit smoothie of a beer. Fruity aroma and taste coupled with light tartness make for an extremrly quaffable brew.

another really tasty sour ale from these guys, not a berliner, but we still dont have a generic kettle sour option here on BA when adding a beer for whatever reason. this one is done with mango and guava and pineapple, also some milk sugar in here, which i always have mixed feelings about in basically any beer still except a classic milk stout, but it works here, as it has in others they have done. the pour is orange tinted and really hazy without a lot of head, unimpressive to look at, but the rest of the experience with this one is excellent. the sourness isnt too much, well restrained, pretty clean, and with an obvious citrus note that really goes well with the tropical fruit. i also like that i can taste the guava, it always seems the most easily overwhelmed in these tropical cocktail beers, or the first to be fermented out, but here i can taste it fleshy and ripe and sweet, right in the center. pineapple is more in a support role, while the mango gives it a summery, morning vibe, very juicy and real, like a mango orange juice or something, thats about where the acidity resonates too. the lactose isnt too much, gives some body and almost highlights an earthy malt profile, keeping this beery not just juicy. carbonation could use a little boost, but i liked the rest of the mouthfeel a lot. smooth and tangy, very fresh with the fruits and natural too. a nice summer sour here. i have been impressed by these guys so far!

edit: they are canning this one now as part of their kveik series, which was not obvious when i had this last time. its got better carbonation from the can too, so a bit more lively. maybe too sweet to drink a ton of, but this is another winner from this series. these guys are killing it with the sours right now!