Mango IPA -- Judged as BJCP category 29 A, Fruit Beer.
The beer was presented in a kolsch stange -- 3" beer and 3" light cream head of mixed bubbles. Foam stand lasted 3+ minutes. The color is a deep gold, with brilliant clarity and abundant traces of outgassing. Looks lively and enticing!
The nose of the beer is bright and tropical with notes of mango dominating above guava, passionfruit and sweet orange. A very light biscuity-cracker note (ala pilz malt) brings up the back-end. Overall, the aroma is sweet and perfumy fruity-floral, but not particularly hoppy. Interesting.
The flavor starts off with biscuit malt only to be immediately swallowed up by a massive fruity note of mango and orange, with a quick hit of bitterness that only barely leaves a mark, washed over by light cereal-malt notes and the long trail of fruit and sweetness. The flavor has a bit of an extract/chemical angle to it as it lingers on and on through the late palate. The finish is surprisingly sweet even though bitterness reemerges well after swallowing. Much like the nose, the palate is overall sweet and very fruity, with mango dominating above a tropical/fruit backdrop. The finish sweetness seemingly adds to the fruity character. It's not that bitterness and some more traditional late hop elements are not there, but rather they seem swamped by the overt tropical fruit and sugary balance in the beer. The bitterness level supports the IPA moniker, but the balance seems to do it a disservice. To my mind, a somewhat more attenuated and drier finish would improve the beer. That said, it's very drinkable, and the fruitiness will appeal to many. Considering food pairings, I'm thinking the beer would mate up well with some good southern fried chicken -- I'd probably go through two pints, so take my criticisms lightly.