What on Earth is a “Milkshake” IPA?
People new to craft beer ask this a lot. Do not worry, we still ask ourselves this question. To get a better picture of what a “Milkshake IPA” actually is, we have acquainted ourselves with five (of several) interesting creations from the “Marbles” series of the Illinois-based More Brewing Company. The first three beers feature berries: strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry, respectively. The fourth one takes a step closer to dessert territory with an orange creamsicle-inspired recipe. Lastly, the fifth specimen takes us to the beach with a Piña Colada-interpretation.
STYLE GUIDELINES
These beers are being evaluated individually as a Fruit and Spice Beer (29B) with the Specialty IPA: New England IPA (21B) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). Note that the Specialty IPA: New England is a provisional style as of this writing, with its working definition published on the BJCP website. The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
“Milkshake IPA” is not an official style, but it refers informally to New England IPAs brewed with lactose or milk sugar, which is a type of unfermentable sugar.
“Strawberry Marbles” Milkshake IPA (6.5% ABV)
Strawberry Marbles was brewed with Mosaic hops, lactose, strawberry puree, and vanilla.
TASTING NOTES
Pale gold under natural light with a white-yellow head. The nose gives an impression of strawberry peach cream pie. Medium-bodied with a juice-like mouthfeel. Ripe strawberry, peach, pineapples, and a drop of lemon for the flavor. Low bitterness. The aftertaste is quite interesting– tart strawberry jam mixed with vanilla.
THE VERDICT
Impressive.
“Blueberry Marbles” Milkshake IPA (6.5% ABV)
Blueberry Marbles was brewed with Mosaic hops and additions of blueberry and vanilla.
TASTING NOTES
Thick dark purple-colored beer with a nose of lychees, vanilla, and blueberry. Medium-bodied. Moderately-low carbonation. Fruit juice-like mouthfeel. The flavor palate mirrors the aroma sans the vanilla. Light pine and grass-like hop accents put on a show to end.
THE VERDICT
Overall, it is underwhelming relative to the others in this line-up. Maybe more fruity ripeness or sweetness could add to the charm.
“Raspberry Marbles” Milkshake IPA (6.5% ABV)
Raspberry Marbles was brewed with Mosaic hops, lactose, raspberry puree, and vanilla.
TASTING NOTES
Opaque pinkish brown color with a light purple foamy head. Raspberry-flavored Fruitella candy on the nose with some meringue. Bottled juice-like on the palate with carbonation higher than usual. Raspberry, strawberry, and grapes with hints of graham crackers are noted for the flavor profile. Sweetness is soft and fruity, while bitterness is very low. Strawberry iced tea aftertaste.
THE VERDICT
Very good.
“Orange Cream Marbles” Milkshake IPA (6% ABV)
Orange Cream Marbles was brewed with Citra and El Dorado hops with additions of lactose, oranges, and creamy vanilla.
TASTING NOTES
This beer looks like orange soda with good head retention. Orange soda float with marshmallows and Starburst candy on the nose. Tasting this beer gives an impression of a sweet orange puree with Starburst candy and green tea. Bitterness and citrus acidity are also present but at very low levels. The aftertaste evoked meringue, green tea bitterness, and anise.
THE VERDICT
Overall, it is a refreshing and flavorful “milkshake” IPA that really reminded us of Starburst candies.
“Piña Colada Marbles” Milkshake IPA (6% ABV)
Piña Colada Marbles is a “Milkshake” IPA concocted with Citra and El Dorado hops, vanilla, pineapple, and coconut.
TASTING NOTES
Hazy pale gold with a white head. Coconut, gummy candy, and light vanilla notes on the nose. Medium body with moderately low carbonation. Mouthfeel is slightly watery relative to the others in this line-up. Light but sweet pineapples and sweet coconuts make up the flavor profile. Low bitterness. The aftertaste leaves an oily impression and hints of vanilla and pineapples.
THE VERDICT
Overall, this cocktail-inspired “Milkshake” IPA got the pineapple ripeness right. Not much vanilla as expected, but this beer is still quite a juicy treat. This is not the first Piña Colada “Milkshake” IPA we have tried and it appears that pineapple and coconut are favorite combinations for these milk sugar-driven IPAs.
SUMMARY
Since the “Milkshake” IPA is not yet an official style, it lacks a coherent set of guidelines. But with More’s “Milkshake” IPAs, here are some things we have learned so far. First, lactose or milk sugar is definitely a must for these beers. Lactose tends to complement the fruity and sweet characteristics of the added ingredients, e.g., fruits and fruit purees. In fact, lactose is unfermentable by brewer’s yeast, and the addition of this ingredient leads to sweeter, fuller, and creamier beers.
Second, “Milkshake” IPAs are, so far, hazy like New England IPAs, but with a wider spectrum of colors determined primarily by the featured ingredient. For instance, the dark purple color of the Blueberry Marbles is due likely to the blueberries used. The same goes for raspberry and the pinkish-brown color of the Raspberry Marbles. In the Philippines, The Marc’s & Tony Brewing Co. released Dragon Tears, also a lactose-driven IPA brewed with dragon fruit and vanilla. The reddish-pink hue is most likely from the local dragon fruits used. Also from the same country, HideOut Craft Brewery’s Ube Milkshake IPA donned a purple color and the said hue was contributed by the ube or purple yam the brewer included.
Third, these “Milkshake” IPAs tend to have low to very low levels of perceived bitterness. It is either the lactose and adjuncts dominate the aroma and flavor profiles and/or brewers tend to use fewer bittering hops than usual. Maybe there are other reasons, but we can only speculate. Should these trendy milk sugar beers still be considered as IPAs? Well, this is something to discuss next time.
There are still a lot of things to learn about this “new” and evolving beer style. As brewers around the world continue to push this creative style further, we are left with no choice but to seek more of these “Milkshake IPAs” in the name of science. In this case, more is definitely better.
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