Yardley Brothers “Mango Sticky Mango” Imperial Gose

Name: Mango Sticky Mango
Brewer: Yardley Brothers (Hong Kong)
Style: Fruit Beer (Base Style: Gose)
ABV:  9%
Review Year: 2021

Inspired by Thailand’s mango sticky rice dessert, Mango Sticky Mango is an “Imperial Gose” with mangoes brewed by Yardley Brothers (Hong Kong).

STYLE GUIDELINES

This beer is being evaluated as a Fruit Beer (29A) with the Historical Beer: Gose (27A) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The said guidelines were used since we reviewed this beer before 29 December 2021, the date of publishing of the 2021 update. The most current version can be found on the BJCP website.

TASTING NOTES

Hazy pale gold with no head. This beer had strong and enticing ripe mango aroma with accompanying impressions of coconut, peach, and a hint of lactic acid. Medium-bodied; moderately high carbonation. Like the aroma, ripe mango was the dominant flavor, which manifested juicy and rich. Aside from the mango, supportive flavors of peach, coconut, and a hint of lime were also present. A sticky rice/tapioca-like backbone held these fruit flavors together with moderately low lactic acidity. Mango Sticky Mango finished with lingering ripe mango, some tartness, and a sticky rice-like character.

THE VERDICT

Mango Sticky Mango is a mouthwatering twist on the classic tart and fruity wheat ale; it is a beer that lives up to its name as it translates juicy ripe mangoes, sticky rice, and coconuts into liquid form. The perceived mango, both aroma and flavor, is probably the ripest and juiciest we have noted in any beer so far. The perceived sticky rice was definitely something new and memorable. Acidity is notable but balanced and even enhanced the fruitiness of this beer.

Mango Sticky Mango is twice the ABV of a traditional Gose (hence the “Imperial” qualifier) but it is equally drinkable and refreshing like the base style. The signature coriander aroma, which could manifest as lemon-like, was not explicit and may have been traded in for the mango. The light saltiness, which could be sweet-enhancing at low levels, was, as expected, not explicit as well. Overall, we think this is an excellent contemporary take on a fruited Gose.

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