Whole Punch: Mango
Hitchhiker Brewing Company

This beer is kind of perplexing its got plenty of Mango and apricot flavor but still hold the bitterness and body of an IPA. It really messed with my palate because it drank thick like fresh puree mango but it wasn't as sweet as said juice. As a milkshake fruit IPA its quite good but not as thirst quenching as I wanted in a fruit beer at least for me.

 

 

Note: I reviewed this beer blind alongside another Mango IPA. This beer won the blind tasting for my preferences. It is #2 in the review.

Look:

1. Off white, two finger head that settles to a thin ring around the edge of the glass. Some spots of foam stick to the side of the glass, but no meaningful lacing. No visible carbonation. The color of this beer is a medium to deep amber. It is opaque and murky. In the end, no lacing.

2. A small gush from the can upon opening. A gentle pour yields a ton of foam. It looks overcarbonated. The off white head eventually settles to a thin ring around the edge of the glass. No visible carbonation. The color of this beer is a bright, deep gold color. It is also opaque and murky, but the lighter color presents much more attractively to me than the other. In the end, no lacing.

Smell:

1. A very mild aroma. I’m struggling to pick up much of any fruit, hops or malt in this beer. I would describe it as heavily under ripened mango. That’s even a stretch. Vegetal. No apparent alcohol aroma.

2. The nose on this beer “pops” and entices. Ripe mango sweetness. A lot of juicy apricot. Some orange citrus too. I get a lot of fruit here. I would not be surprised if this beer included guava, passionfruit, or some other fruit in addition to mango. Some Dole pineapple syrup too. It is hard for me to decipher between fruit and hops. Any hops lean toward tropical fruit, stone fruit and citrus. No dank, piney or catty hops. Sabro or Motueka would not surprise me. Some deeper sweet and earthy fruit notes. I do get a crackery malt aroma. No apparent alcohol aroma. The mango is very much sorbet or smoothie.

At this point, #2 is strongly preferred. I believe both are IPA with mango, assuming both labels are true!

Taste:

1. Upon first sip I still believe this beer is an IPA. The flavor follows the smell. It’s mild and rather bland. Some generic tropical and stone fruit flavors, and rough on the finish with some dry bitterness and mango or hop burn. Some sweetness to it which could be malt and/or lactose. This beer leaves a lot to be desired. No alcohol flavor.

2. This beer has more flavor and drinks more smoothly. A big, ripe mango flavor profile. Very ripe. Once again, apricot. More complexity with a brighter citrus profile like very sweet tangerine or clementine that just stops short of lemon or lime tartness. Some light colored fruit bread malt sweetness. No alcohol flavor.

Feel:

1. Medium level of carbonation, but an overall offputting feel that has abrasive qualities of dryness, bitterness and burn.

2. Medium level of carbonation. Semi-sweet beer. A bit dry, a faint burn but stops way short of the unpleasant nature of beer #1. At this point it’s hard for me to tell if any of the burn is carrying over from the other beer. I think it is.

Overall: There is a clear winner here for me: Mango Beer #2. Which is interesting, because my first impression of the pour was concerning due to the slight gush and initial thought of overcarbonation that did not pan out. I would not drink #1 again. It’s not the worst mango IPA I’ve had, but that doesn’t really say much to be completely honest. I would drink #2 again and consider it one of the better Mango IPA’s that I’ve had. It highlights the key fruit, offers some malt, and additional fruit notes for some added complexity. It generally avoids the pitfalls associated with mango IPA. But for a hint of dryness and faint burn.

Pours a rich yellow-orange will the a nice vanilla aroma. The vanilla is strong at the end of this one - but good. The mango is quite subdued as a result still its a tremendous fruity IPA.