Mango Coconut All Dressed Up Hill
Southern Grist Brewing Co.

16 oz can, canned on 5/14/21, into GITM fatty.

Super thick juicy orange juice color with a fingernail of head that dwindles to a couple bubbles.

Aroma is a juicy wave of nutty mango, hints of lime salt, and tomatillo sauce. Hints of mexican candy too.

Flavor is juicy, juicy sliced mango - slurp! - huge! - with a sweetened mix of coconut cream and lactose sugar, a nip of Margarita (lime salt), and finally, the mild yet present and busy burn of the three different Mexican chiles in this recipe. Some polite yet ever present burning remains on the tip of the tongue and the lips. Mango is present throughout, and slight hints of spicy orange candy pop up here and there.

Feel is juicy and smooth like a mango smoothie, with plenty of creaminess to spare. Acidity is low, spicy burn is moderate (from the peppers). Busy finish with the tingle of peppers.

Overall, I had very little doubt about Southern Grist pulling such a crazy beer off. I was right. These guys kick ass yet again and took the impossible and made it possible. Very few brewers could get this one right without some sort of achilles heel.

A totally off-the-wall beer and it actually works here. Great job. You guys have a customer for life and I'm glad you're still a secret.

$19 / 4pk / southerngrist.com

Setting themselves apart from all the other sour smoothie ales on the market, Southern Grist introduces a spicy kick from ancho, guajilo and arbol chilies to complement the mango, coconut and lime flavored kettled milk sour ale. Think of it as a slushie with an attitude.

Pouring a milky gold appearance and set in a matte gaze against the glass, Mango Coconut Hill Dressed Up builds a loose and bubbly froth that pops like Pop Rocks candy. A tingle here and a twinge there, the nose is enlivened by a succulent citrus and tropical blend, a prickle of pepper and a hit of acidity for a complex fruity and vegetal nose. Early impressions though are of sorbet: sweet, milky, smooth and rife with fruit sweetness, a more pastry effect brings a fruit tart flavor to the forefront.

As the sourness penetrates the creaminess and pulp of fruit, the taste starts to lighten and bring in more of that sour ale influence. Sour with lime, lemon, crabapple, white grape and gooseberry, hints of passionfruit, papaya and yuzu complements the blend. Coconut, cream and a vanilla-like flavor soothes the sourness in anticipation for the chilies to arrive. Those Mexican peppers achieve a balance that works with the acids for a sharp bite in finish and a fleshy chili character.

Full bodied whether sour ale or not, the rich beer carries an "extra pulp" character from start to finish. The tandem of heat and sour outweighs the fruit in a finish of pepper and pulp. The peppers seem to take the flavors past balance and create a distraction for the medium length finish and creating a degraded sense of drinkability in the end.