Tasting: Mango Chipotle

Well, I've had this nice beer in the bottle for about a month now, and it's really evolving and coming into its own. I believe it also took first place in the Maryland State Fair Homebrew Contest (the same one that killed my Berliner). I'm awaiting my score sheets, but my name is listed as the winner of the Specialty beer category and can only assume this is the one. This will be the first tasting, but I'm excited to see how it will develop in the coming months.

Aroma: Tropical notes of pineapple and mango, mixed with cherry, apple and followed by a rush of smokey chiles. The brett isn't overly noticeable, but there's a bit of tart funk in the nose. Smokey bacon is certainly there but pretty quiet as the fruit really dominates.

Appearance: Extremely cloudy, dark but bright orange color with a big, fluffy off-white head that dissipates to a thin covering. The cloudiness is both attributed to brett's terrible ability to flocculate and all the fruit.

Flavor: On the palate, this thing really sings. You first get a wave of slightly tart mango with not sign of sweetness, followed by an encaptivating smokey chile flavor and finishing smooth and spicy. The heat is definitely not overbearing, but the chipotles let themselves be known. If you've ever had a salsa with both mango and spicy chiles, this is basically the carbonated liquid version of it. The residual balance of sweet and hot is really the pinacle. Again, the brett just brings in some light funk and tartness (perhaps the Acidulated malt helped too?), but is not as prevelant as it can be with a finishing yeast.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is medium low and the body is close to a medium without and slick or thick feelings. The spicy heat definitely hits all around your mouth adding another degree.

Overall: I'm really pleased with this beer. If I had to make any changes, I think I would just skip the brett and make it will a neutral ale yeast. It really isn't contributing as much tropical flavor as I hoped (or that can peek through all the spice and mango). However, I think I used the right amount of chiles and mango, neither of which fight eachother, and I think it's quite balanced. I'm excited to see the score sheets from the competition, and will hold onto some more bottles to perhaps enter in another.
Recipe and notes