SAVAGES (v2) Hints/Hauls

Is it my imagination, or did @Dragginballs76 land 14 boxes today?

 

Look who's talking. My brickwork will never be the same.

 

10/23 @ 11am. Thanks for the opportunity!

 

It’s just not gonna end today is it.

Ho lee shit.

Savage is an understatement. People are getting slaughtered out here.

Again, nice job to @Dragginballs76 & @Vidblain

 

Gents, I'm sorry to report that the US is out of beer. @Buck89 just dropped it all on me. This is going to take until sometime tomorrow to unpack these boxes and get up a more in depth post. Thanks John & sorry guys, at least Lagunitas is making hop water! And side note, congrats @TheGent on your Yanks lasting 1 more game.

 

No not really. On a serious note, until you see the generosity first hand.you cannot comprehend it. Just an incredible group of guys and I'm honored to be included.

 

I’m just thankful he sent those boxes out before he got his cookbook!! Anytime I get a box from him going forward, I’m going to wonder if he included any foods with man ranch.

 

@Joplamp has sent me too many great beers to dilly dally, so we’re doing a side-by-side!

Initial Pour



A moment later with some better color distinction:



Look:

1. Off white, two finger head that settles to a thin ring around the edge of the glass. Some spots of foam stick to the side of the glass, but no meaningful lacing. No visible carbonation. The color of this beer is a medium to deep amber. It is opaque and murky. In the end, no lacing.

2. A small gush from the can upon opening. A gentle pour yields a ton of foam. It looks overcarbonated. The off white head eventually settles to a thin ring around the edge of the glass. No visible carbonation. The color of this beer is a bright, deep gold color. It is also opaque and murky, but the lighter color presents much more attractively to me than the other. In the end, no lacing.

Smell:

1. A very mild aroma. I’m struggling to pick up much of any fruit, hops or malt in this beer. I would describe it as heavily under ripened mango. That’s even a stretch. Vegetal. No apparent alcohol aroma.

2. The nose on this beer “pops” and entices. Ripe mango sweetness. A lot of juicy apricot. Some orange citrus too. I get a lot of fruit here. I would not be surprised if this beer included guava, passionfruit, or some other fruit in addition to mango. Some Dole pineapple syrup too. It is hard for me to decipher between fruit and hops. Any hops lean toward tropical fruit, stone fruit and citrus. No dank, piney or catty hops. Sabro or Motueka would not surprise me. Some deeper sweet and earthy fruit notes. I do get a crackery malt aroma. No apparent alcohol aroma. The mango is very much sorbet or smoothie.

At this point, #2 is strongly preferred. I believe both are IPA with mango, assuming both labels are true!

Taste:

1. Upon first sip I still believe this beer is an IPA. The flavor follows the smell. It’s mild and rather bland. Some generic tropical and stone fruit flavors, and rough on the finish with some dry bitterness and mango or hop burn. Some sweetness to it which could be malt and/or lactose. This beer leaves a lot to be desired. No alcohol flavor.

2. This beer has more flavor and drinks more smoothly. A big, ripe mango flavor profile. Very ripe. Once again, apricot. More complexity with a brighter citrus profile like very sweet tangerine or clementine that just stops short of lemon or lime tartness. Some light colored fruit bread malt sweetness. No alcohol flavor.

Feel:

1. Medium level of carbonation, but an overall offputting feel that has abrasive qualities of dryness, bitterness and burn.

2. Medium level of carbonation. Semi-sweet beer. A bit dry, a faint burn but stops way short of the unpleasant nature of beer #1. At this point it’s hard for me to tell if any of the burn is carrying over from the other beer. I think it is.

Overall: There is a clear winner here for me: Mango Beer #2. Which is interesting, because my first impression of the pour was concerning due to the slight gush and initial thought of overcarbonation that did not pan out. I would not drink #1 again. It’s not the worst mango IPA I’ve had, but that doesn’t really say much to be completely honest. I would drink #2 again and consider it one of the better Mango IPA’s that I’ve had. It highlights the key fruit, offers some malt, and additional fruit notes for some added complexity. It generally avoids the pitfalls associated with mango IPA. But for a hint of dryness and faint burn.

Jordan: This side by side has been great fun. Thank you. I’ve not ID’d the beers as I post this, but will momentarily and then share the results. I was planning a cuvée, but given my strong preference here I will not proceed.

 

nice. Also I think you made a good call on the sours, they sound scrumdidlyumptious!

 

The Reveal:

Hitchhiker is the winner for my preferences by a mile!



Mango Boss Tweed has only one rating on BA. 288 UT check ins at 4.30 are delusional or my can is “bad.”

@Joplamp I really enjoyed reviewing both beers together. Thanks for sharing and props to Hitchhiker for successfully brewing a style that many cannot!

 

The feeling when the boxes arrive intact never gets old. Cheers!

 

Im very surprised by this. I loved regular boss tweed so it’s hard to think they could mess it up by adding mango. I’m interested to see what @Joplamp has to say on the comparison...

 

I accept the challenge.

 

I too was surprised. But Mango IPA is tough. Most breweries cannot do it. I never fully reviewed Boss Tweed, by my UT ratings are 4.25 - 4.5.

 

HUGE day! I need someone to put together a daily recap, too much insanity and alcohol to follow along. Wait, what?

We're happy you joined Evan! Great addition to the madness.

Huge props on the reviews, great read. Much like I feel about @kemoarps , I want to send you beer just to read your review.

 

My wife has been out of town since Wednesday so some beers were purchased and boxes packed. Going out tomorrow.