Mango Fluff
Great Notion Brewing

weird but good, on so many levels, typical great notion, excellent beer in a space that maybe shouldnt even exist, authentic and robust mango, lots of sweetness, crazy that its an imperial too, strong for what it is, but i think that leaves a little more room for flavor without messing up balance, which is kind of the essence of this, new school as it is, its still beer. a cotton candy theme, not sure if i really get that, but i am no expert in the cotton candy realm, mango and vanilla in this, loosely sour base but just tart not real bacterial or acidic to me, some light lemon and orange notes there though in both aroma and flavor that really bring up the mango, which must be a puree at this intensity level, right?! the draft pour is hazy and orange, but not as thick and sedimented as a lot of beers in this style generally are, no real head, and i wouldnt call it well refined looking, but a fair bit more visually tidy than the standard i reckon, which is something. nose and taste of juicy ripe mango, lightly tart, very sweet, candy character with the vanilla, which is stronger and stronger as i go, like every other part of this kind of goes away after each sniff and sip, but the vanilla is somehow cumulative, so that at the end its really dominant, but its more conservative earlier on, maybe temperature has something to do with that too, but i actually drink my pour of this decently quickly. i like the mango personality, like a whole fruit popsicle, tartness is mild but it makes it kind of clean, there is some grain in play too, wheaty to me, which keeps it beery enough i guess, a little extra on the vanilla but i get why they did it, and it seems high quality to me for sure. smooth for being a sour on paper, no sharpness here really at all, supporting citrus and white wine nuance, orange especially, orange candy too, lots of residual sugar, sort of confectionary overall but pretty good, could stand a bit more carbonation but there is a lot to like about this. cool to score it on tap, lots of new great notion stuff around recently, always exciting to drink through their beers, they are fun for sure.

 

Pours like a soupy, turbid, and opaque fruit puree. Big-time mango and stone fruit vibes with a strong tartness and lactic/lemon sourness. Bubblegum, vanilla, apricot, puckering and sweet at the same time.

Canned 1/20/23. “Fluffy fruit fiend” stamped on the bottom of the can

How the hell does one even go about adding cotton candy to a beer? I suppose it’s on the cold side of the process, but it’s weird regardless. Weird as it may be, it seems to make perfect sense for Great Notion. Once again shoutout to woemad for sending this one in his second BIF box! Let’s crack this open and see what it’s all about

Pours an opaque yellow orange with 2 fingers of loose orange head that quickly fades to a thin ring and leaves no lacing

The nose is definitely sweet and candy-like, but also nicely tart. I’m picking up on aromas of mango skin, lemon juice, bready malt, cotton candy, bubblegum, orange juice, and vanilla

It’s sweeter in taste, but no excessively so, especially given the cotton candy. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting lemon juice, mango skin, cotton candy, bready malt, bubblegum, sweet vanilla, and light toffee. The swallow brings notes of cotton candy, overripe mango, sweet vanilla, lemon zest, orange juice, doughy malt, and light bubblegum

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes sticky and sweet but dries out over time

It’s nothing amazing, but it’s a fun novelty. I was honestly expecting worse given the cotton candy