beauty and the brew

Looking out the giant windows of my office on my lunch break is what inspired me to write this post.

Last year, if you remember, summer was ungodly scorching hot. Not only in Michigan, but everywhere. And I'll be honest, I love it that way. I study Latin American art for a reason, I love the heat. I love the moist tropical heat of Nicaragua and the dry, arid heat of the Andes in the warmer months. I am just a person that likes to be warm.

This summer hasn't been nearly as hot, especially in the past few weeks, I might actually consider this a "cool/normal Michigan summer." But today is different. Today boasts skies so blue and clear, it looks like they would ripple if you somehow could touch them. No wind, no humidity. Just nice, dry, solid warmth (we're not quite up to heat yet). This definitely gives me hope for days to come.

So, to celebrate to forecast showing clear skies for five straight days in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I want to talk about my top five beers from this year that I want to grab when the weather is so beautiful that it should be spent on your porch and not in an office.



5. Sunspot - Greenbush (6% abv)

This is probably my go-to Michigan Hefe. If you're looking for something a little less experimental for summer, definitely go for a Sunspot. This particular style definitely serves well ice cold, and carries nice biscuity aromas and traditional banana wheat flavors with some baking spice. It's crisp and surprisingly complex. Just picture yourself holding a pint of this in a wicker chair on a hot summer day, feeling the cold glass perspire between your fingers. Drink and say "aaaaahhhh." Repeat.


4. Mango Magnifico - Founders Brewing Company (10% abv)



Just reviewed this, so you can read the long discussion here, but just to reiterate, this beer is a perfect option for summer. Just perfect.


3. Duchesse De Bourgogne - Brouwerij Verhaeghe (6% abv)




This flemish red ale isn't super easy to come by, nor will it be easy on the pocketbook, but boy do I crave it when I'm sitting on the porch at dusk watching fireflies. This beer is heavily laden with fruity tannins with flavors of tart raspberry, cherry jam and passionfruit. Served chilled, this highly carbonated beer is super refreshing and drinks like a really good sour. I have dreams about this beer.


2. St. Lupulin - Odell Brewing Company (6.5% abv)




This hoppy masterpiece is enough to make me want to pack my bags and drive out to Colorado tomorrow. It's the perfect blend of citrusy hops and herbal flavors that make this beer scream summer. It's got just enough bitterness and piney resin to balance perfectly with the touches of honey throughout. A great American Pale Ale.


1. Anniversary Ale - Short's Brewing Company (10% abv)



This limited release American Wheatwine is one of my favorites from Short's Brewing Company out of what I have tried so far considering their portofolio is ENORMOUS. It's brewed with multicolor peppercorns, corriander, orange peel, blood orange zest and 225 lbs of blood oranges, which makes it incredibly refreshing for summer with a nice kick in the pants from the peppercorns. I love Nicie Spicie because it has the citrus and peppercorns, which both come through beautifully, but this beer takes it to the next level in flavor and in abv considering it's a wheatwine. The richness and tartness of blood orange versus valencia oranges really brings this beer up a notch in comparison. It even looks like summer in the glass, as it pours a beautiful copper orange creamsicle.

Most photos taken respectfully from the internet as I haven't personally photographed the beers recently. Click the image to see its original source.

Ok. Here it is. Finally.

THE REVIEW.

I figured if I was going to take such an extreme hiatus to get better, I might as well choose something good and interesting.

So I ended up choosing Mango Magnifico con Calor from Founders Brewing. This is the 7th installment from Founders' Backstage Series, so it was a very limited release in a 750ml bottle. They describe it as a "high-gravity fruit beer brewed with mango and Michigan-grown habaneros," which is right up my alley. I think I've said before that I love a beer with nice, balanced heat, so I have been anxious to try it since Founders announced its release.

I have heard mixed reviews from a lot of people, but I was really a fan of this one.

Mango Magnifico was a gorgeous, jewel-toned amber. It was really carbonated in the glass, as you can see from the photo. Nice powder-white head initially, but almost no retention whatsoever. The head dissipated and the beer quickly resembled more of an orange colored cider. Really subtle aroma, with soda biscuit scents and some tropical sweetness way down in there. There's a little bite, more like black peppercorn than habanero.

On the tip of the tongue, there's a lot of overripe mango that comes through. The mouthfeel is as soft as a mango is naturally and then the heavy carbonation plays in with the heat. It starts to fizz right as the habanero hits the palate, and when it comes, it really hits hard. It doesn't stay on the tip of your tongue, as not to overwhelm the soft mango flavor, but in the back of your throat it really burns, and it leaves the same warmth on your lips as a nice plate of spicy Mexican food.

Fortunately, your palate adjusts to the heat and it doesn't burn as vigorously as the first few sips once you get further down the glass. The heat lingers and it acts as an excellent counterpart to the sweetness.



Honestly, it's like drinking mango chutney. And these are the things I don't complain about. I don't mind when a beer reminds me of a food very specifically, I don't think it messes with my senses at all, but rather it gives me a new and interesting textural platform to enjoy these flavors from.

This bottle is definitely meant to share, because these flavors are robust and distinct, and 350ml is quite a lot to handle, especially at 10% abv. But while you can grab this brew, I would absolutely recommend snatching up a bottle at your local fine beer distributor, and if you're not much of a mango person or even much of a spicy beer person, grab a sample on tap. It's different, it's interesting, and it's worth the experience. I promise.