Name: Pink Drops
Brewer: The Marc’s & Tony Brewing Co. (Philippines)
Style: Fruit and Spice Beer (Base Style: Specialty IPA: New England IPA)
ABV: 7%
Review Year: 2020
Tony Sindayen of The Marc’s & Tony Brewing Co. creates the first big batch of Piña Colada-inspired beer in the Philippines– Pink Drops.
Fresh from competing in the second round of A Half Baked JamBEERee, a brewing competition that featured coconut as its special ingredient, Tony returns with a new surprise, Pink Drops— a New England IPA (NEIPA) brewed with fresh Philippine pineapples and coconuts, rum, and cinnamon.
Read More: A Half Baked JamBEERee: Round Two
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated 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.
TASTING NOTES
Pink Drops, as the name suggests, pours like pomelo juice with a white head. The color is obviously different from the standard New England IPAs. While the color is an obvious deviation from a typical NEIPA, its haziness makes up for it. The nose evoked interesting notes of fresh celery from the grocery store, fresh coconuts, and hints of pineapple juice.
This beer conforms to style with its medium body and carbonation. Meanwhile, the palate opens up with notes of coconut (candied, preserved), while the pineapple juiciness adds a bright and tropical twist. There is also a noticeable bittersweetness at the end which continues after the sip. We think this is due to the interplay of the bitterness from the hops used and the sweetness from the milk sugar. It is not the first time that Tony added milk sugar in his beers, so lactose in this batch of Pink Drops is not a farfetched idea.
THE VERDICT
The verdict: Pink Drops is another creation worthy of being labeled fun and flavorful from The Marc’s & Tony Brewing Co. Although this beverage is not for the hop heads and the like, it is a very good way to introduce quality and tasty craft beer to your average drinker.
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Hello, I revised the statement below after consulting with brewer friends on the contributions of lactose in beers.
Original:
“There is also a noticeable bittersweetness akin to milk sugar or lactose towards the end and continues after a sip. It is not the first time that Tony added milk sugar in his beers, so lactose in this batch of Pink Drops is not a farfetched idea.”
Revised:
“There is also a noticeable bittersweetness at the end which continues after the sip. We think this is due to the interplay of the bitterness from the hops used and the sweetness from the milk sugar. It is not the first time that Tony added milk sugar in his beers, so lactose in this batch of Pink Drops is not a farfetched idea.”
Thanks to Tony of The Marc’s & Tony Brewing Co. and Lee of Brewlab 2021 for pointing this out.
-Miguel