Mango Milkshake IPA
Mill Street Brew Pub

Mucky yellow with a dense creamy head that settles to a full heavy cap. Not inclined to surrender any lace. !it's of mango on the nose. Surprisingly thin bodied for something that poured so heavily. Washed out flavour profile, not enough mango, no cream I news, thin IPA characteristics. Meh.

It is a mango milkshake flavoured pale ale. Does not look like an IPA. The mango scent is quite good, though. The nitro mouthfeel is also smooth.

 

440 ml ntro can served cool into a chalice. LCBO purchase for $3.75 CDN or so. Canning date is March 24, 2021 I think.

Appearance - Pours a hazy non-descript yellowy gold brew with honey brown highlights, Impressive two finger cap of tight white head, the nitro in play here of course.

Smell - Mangoes, mango puree, some tangerine and pineapple mixed in but mangoiis the appropriately the star. Some vague wheaty notes lurking in the background.

Taste - Mango and more mango, some creamy and wheaty flavor but it's mango all day. More bitterness than expected with some semi-tropical and leafy hops, but I guess that's what making this an "IPA". There's some spicing here, not cinnamon, but something else... read another review, cardamom... that sounds about right.

Mouthfeel - Super smooth and creamy, medium-full bodied with tons of little carbonation. There's a significant similarity with some of the pumpkin or pumpkin pie beers flavor wise, if you don't like those, you won't like this.

Overall - For a Mango Milkshake IPA, I guess it's pretty good, but there's maybe about 3-4 times a year when a Mango Milkshake IPA sounds like something I'm wanting to drink on the regular. Novelty, gimmick, beer but reasonably well executed.

440 mL nitro-can from the LCBO; coded Feb 17 2021 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a muddy, turbid brownish-yellow hue, crowned with an inch of bubbly, soapy white foam as lush and attractive as you'd expect from a nitro brew. It slowly recedes to a lumpy half-inch cap and collar, with plenty of delicate, sponge print-patterned lace left behind - looks like a 'mango milkshake' beer, I gotta give it that. Mango and tangerine on the nose, as well as hints of pineapple juice, wheaty malts, milk sugar sweetness and OJ.

It tastes a little weird, but not in an entirely unappealing way. Wheaty pale malts, mango and cardamom come through at first, followed by light lactose sweetness and mandarin orange. Faint suggestions of floral, earthy hop bitterness underneath plenty more mango, which lingers beyond the finish and into a slightly spicy, juicy aftertaste. Light in body, with just a gentle spritz provided by the carbonation - it's not much, but it's enough of a bite to help overcome the flat, smooth nitro mouthfeel. I found this very drinkable, but I don't think it's much of an IPA (NE or otherwise).

Final Grade: 3.64, a B grade. I can't say I've tried all that many nitro IPAs, and to be honest, it doesn't strike me as a style that would work that well in a nitro format. Mill Street's Mango Milkshake IPA didn't do anything to change that preconception of mine, but I wouldn't call it a total loss, either. Now, if you *really* like mango beer or milkshake IPAs, this is absolutely worth taking a chance on... but if you're expecting something more along the lines of a regular hazy IPA with some mango flavour, I don't know how well it'll hold up under scrutiny. For me, the nitro mouthfeel just throws the whole experience out of whack, and the cardamom isn't really my bag, either - but instead of listening to me, pick one up and decide for yourself.