Wango Tango
Terre Haute Brewing Company

 

 

 

Very hazy for a non New England IPA. Very heavy lace . Hint of a tropical vibe. Complex but yet balanced. Not a very heavy hops presence. If I didn’t know, I would have said this was a tropical NE IPA.

 

16 oz can, dated 8/2/21, into Dogfish Head Nonic Pint.

Juicy body, rivaling the juiciest NE IPAs, with a styrofoam cap of 3 fingers. It dwindles a bit and stays stable at 2 fingers. Thick lacing. Impressive.

Aroma is a grapefruit dream. It's like a grapefruit-orange julius. I love this. Hints of sweet doughy malt, very slight mint, and orange juice. Love.

Earthy herbal and piney hops mix together on the palate with stabs of grapefruit, lemon peel, mild rosemary, and orange sherbet. Rosemary stays throughout. The bitterness stays a bit longer than I'd like, and really builds on the palate the more it is sipped. It does not have the soft finish of a juicy New England style beer, but then again it never claimed to be one. I'm not a rosemary and sage fan and I'm getting quite a bit of that here. The first sip was impeccable, but the herbal bitterness builds quite a lot as I'm nearing the halfpoint of the can. Only mild fading that becomes more apparent as it warms a few degrees.

Feel is juicy and semi-creamy, moderate to high carbonation, mild to moderate alcohol, and plenty of resins on the back end. It drinks like a sampling of every different IPA you could put your hands on. Very straight across.

Overall, Wango Tango is a pretty darn fine IPA and has held up well considering its age. At first I was going to mention buying a 4 pack next time, but I think after finding that the rosemary and sage compound on the palate, I think this one will do me just fine. This is just a personal preference and I think this IPA deserves more recognition.

$3.29 @ Total Wine

Hazy pour with short white head. Lots of lacing. Citrus and resin nose, similar taste, with subtle bitter bite. Prickly carbonation with moderate weight makes for a clean drinker.

 

 

 

 

This is the fourth in a run-through of beers that came to me CANtesy of @jkblr for inCANsion in The CANQuest (tm). I remain grateful for the hook-ups!

From the CAN: "An AmeriCAN Original"; "Wango Tango India Pale Ale"; "Drink Beer From Indiana"; "Since 1837"; "From John Mellencamp to Axl Rose, it’s pretty clear that Indiana rocks! Wango Tango is a luscious India Pale Ale brewed with Apollo and Citra hops. This beer brings a soft and smooth body, amplified notes of citrus, and a tangy tangerine finish that is out of this world. Rock on with a Wango!"

My Crack! of the vent resulted in a fingertip spritz due to its being a brimful craft CAN. I celebrated by beginning a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. It foamed crazily, forming two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head with excellent retention, taking seemingly forever to fall while leaving loads of lacing in its wake. 8=O Color was a hazy Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5). Nose was mainly grapefruit, but with notes of lemon, orange & mint. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium, but very soft on the tongue, probably due to the addition of oats. The taste was more prevalently orange with grapefruit & lemon following closely behind. It did not measure up to the nose, nor did it have a sufficient bitterness to satiate me. Finish was semi-dry with a lightly hoppy bite that lingered past the swallow. Not bad, but there was room for improvement, IMHO. YMMV.

 

I'm trying this beer at the brewery. It poured a slightly hazy golden with thin white head that is not leaving much lace. The scent had dank fruit notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with tropical fruit presence. The mouthfeel was medium in body with good carbonation. Overall its a solid beer.