Mango Mosaic

This American Pale Ale pours golden color with bright clarity. A white head quickly fades leaving a scant trace throughout the drinking of the beer. On the nose, a low and sublime spicy hop aroma provides a base note with a moderate-high aroma consisting of tropical fruit (mango and papaya) taking the stage. As the beer warms, the aroma falls outside of being hop derived and seems slightly artificial. Malt aroma is very sublime in relation to the hop character. Fermentation character is low and the esters are reminiscent of peaches and blends harmoniously with the fruit aroma. In the flavor, a low grainy malt character blends with a moderate spicy hop flavor and hop bitterness. The moderate tropical fruit flavor looses its intensity noted in the aroma after the swallow due to a harsh character that lingers on the palate. The beer is balanced towards this harshness after the swallow. Peach esters are slightly present but are also lost to this lingering harshness. The body of this beer is medium-thin with moderate carbonation. The beer has a slight astringency that dries out the tongue and sides of the mouth. Overall, the biggest detractor from this beer was the lingering harshness and astringency, which interfered with the balance, smoothness, and refreshing character the APA style is known for. Though I found the tropical fruit aroma and flavor to be very complimentary to the overall flavor profile of the beer. Perhaps, altering hop additions will make this beer much more quenchable.