Mambo Sauce
Black Flag Brewing Company

 

For those of us who have had the Mambo Sauce since Black Flag opened in the summer of 2016, this DIPA has improved over time. It’s coppery color is inviting. It has a nice fruity aroma, and the first sip strikes you with citrus and mango and a nice hint of pine and grass. It leaves a very pleasant aftertaste. At times, it can be caustic, but with food or chips, it is quite nice. Some have criticized its carbonation, but I feel it is just right. This is a great tasting DIPA—certainly, not one of the best, but very satisfying and its latest iteration has improved greatly. Note that Black Flag is planning to retire Mambo Sauce and in its stead, offer rotating set of DIPAs. Mambo will be missed.

 

Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a burnt orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of citrus, mango. Taste is citrus, pine, light tropical fruits, a touch of malts, considerable bitterness. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

 

 

On draft at the brewery

Orange golden colored, white head. Good lacing. Mango, orange aroma. Moderately bitter, similar flavor. But easy drinking for a DIPA. Medium bodied.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can:
Pours like a DIPA - darker than your regular pales - more amber than orange-hued. The head is between foamy and soapy, with nice lacing.

The nose is biscuity malt grain with a grassy aspect. There's a bit of heat in there, too... not as strong enough to say fusel notes - but there's a similarity in this small aspect. There also seems to be an attempt at tropical that comes across as a tad thick - but it's such a small component.

Taste starts off with ab above average thickness that brings the malts and some of that generic sweet-tart tropical note. There's a light graham cracker note by mid-taste in a pause between the opening sweeter aspects and the more bitter ending. The bitterness comes off as green grass in taste, and a bit more piney late and in the aftertaste. The beer stays decently thick throughout, though the rapid, rolling carbonation helps a tad.

There were some sips and sniffs where I was really no so sure about this beer. But more often than not, I came away from the glass thinking, this is fairly decent. I could use a little lighter offering, and the mix of sweeter tropical notes and grassy piney bitterness doesn't really grab my palate aw well as other profiles can.

Re-review.

Pours a mostly clear copper color. The head is two fingers high and off-white in shade. Retention isn't the best, but it has a soft texture and leaves behind nice rings of lacing.

On the aroma, there are some light tropical fruits roaming around...and I do mean light. Mostly, I pick up a ton of caramel malt, plastic (?), petroleum (???), and lemongrass (...that's better). Maybe touches of apricot, peach, and cherry, too. There are too many odd off-notes for this to appeal in any meaningful way.

It starts off with slight fruity flavors. Afterwards, a malty, caramel-laden middle and finish envelops the tongue, with a tingle of alcoholic burn. There are little specks of pine, grass, and apricot, but also some weird notes of gasoline and plastic. This is too malty, and it's not even the good kind of malty. This beer, simply put, is a mess. It does improve slightly as it warms up - only slightly though.

Despite the hefty malt sweetness and notable bulk, it finishes slightly dry and almost clean! If the flavor profile wasn't wacky, this might be somewhat easy drinking. Alas, the alcohol presence and off-notes tank the drinkability factor. Carbonation is somewhat low.

This is actually a bit worse than I remember. It's a muddled, messy DIPA that would have been considered mediocre in 2007 - much less 2017. There's too much crystal malt and too much alcohol. Give this a miss, as there are many far superior IPAs from this state.

2.46/5: Saucy? Nah

12 oz. can poured into a tumbler style pint glass.

Looks pretty good, the two fingers of cream colored foam leave layers of sticky lace as it slowly recedes to about a half inch of bubbly cap siting over an amber body that is just a bit hazy.

Moderate strength tropical and syrupy pear aromas combine with notes of sweet doughy bread to form a nose that seems to be equall parts malt and hop. Bitterness is strong front to back and although it isn't as sweet as the nose would suggest, the caramel sweetness and bready malts come through. The finish is bitter with some heat and leaves a bitter aftertaste. The medium body has some weight to it, is soft and a little frothy. The carbonation combines with the bitterness for a finishing bite. I am getting some inconsistent astringency that never builds to a level of distraction, no big deal really.

This is a bit of a bitter bomb tnough it does seem to tone down as it warms. From previous ratings it seems to be somewhat polarizing. I would say if you like them bitter this if for you, if not maybe go with just a single and give it a try.

Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Beaming and shiny body color. A light bronze and deep copper orange to red color with excellent clarity. Hints even with some lemon and brass yellow hues. Head is fluffy and rich topped. Off white to khaki in color, soapy with a thick three fingers, breaking apart into bigger swiss cheese bubbles. Lots of pill like lacing while settling. Big rich looking IPA.

Aroma seems a bit malt forward. Toasty brown sugar, small hints of green and herbal if somewhat vegetative like hop sensations. Good amounts of sticky caramel as well.

Palate is pretty straight forward. A good mouthfeel that doesn't get too large, leans a little syrupy but doesn't luckily get there. Warm hop bitterness and a touch of booze. Hop angle is in the bitterness and mild astringency, hitting old school pine and balanced light malt sugars. Has a bit of stomach warmth but is controlled.

Tastes like a standard malty DIPA. Decent and drinkable, but nothing too crazy or really showcasing hop greatness.