It’s the season of mangoes! Despite the cruel heat, and news of a slow start to the mango season, I’m sure all of you still do love mangoes just as much as I do, if not more! Long story short, we’re all really looking forward to gorging on some delish fruits in a cosy, shady spot under the sun.
It should come as no surprise then, that a handful of us brewers decided to give mango beers a shot, for some sweet summertime fun. Typically, the base beer that we cook up is a very simple style, like a 50-50 pilsner-wheat grain bill, brewed to moderate ABV, with a very mild hoppy bitterness.
Once the fermentation is complete, the mango pulp or purée is added to the beer to allow for the flavours to blend over a number days of maturation. The end result can either be sweet, or just give off a reasonable mango aroma and flavour. It all depends on whether the sugars in the mango were allowed to ferment out, and thus, retained in the beer.
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A mango for all saisons
Notable mango beers in namma uru at the moment are the Mango Saison at Windmills Craftworks in Whitefield, and the Mango cider at Brooks and Bonds Brewery in Koramangala, as well as the upcoming Mango Wheat at Red Rhino, also in Whitefield. The guys at Biere Club usually put out a Mango Ale as well, but there isn’t any official word out as yet. If they do put one on tap, I can guarantee it will be worth a visit, as their Brewmaster Rohit is a master of blending exotic, interesting ingredients into beer.
I’m sure, as the summer progresses, there are going to be a few more mango beers out there. I hear a Mango Cider is in the offing soon, and I do have my fingers crossed about that summer treat.
Purée and simple
In a lot of cases, people expect a mango beer to taste as sweet as actual mangoes do. However, this isn’t necessarily the case, unless you’re drinking a Mango Cider. There are Mango IPAs out there that are bitter like they should be, and use the mango flavour to balance out that flavour. Go ahead and have a sip - when it comes to craft beer, only you can be the best judge of taste!
While I cannot tell you what to expect in terms of flavour and aroma, I can say this – drink it, follow the notes that I’ve been sharing on how to judge a beer’s character, and make your own decision on whether the beer suits your palate, or not. My personal tastes lean towards a bitter IPA type beer with a light sweetness coming through from the mango.
In the meantime, I’ve got to get into the brewery and purée almost a 100 kilos of mango before I can get down to my next column. Happy mango days people!
George Jacob is the Founder of The Beer Chronicles.