Big Lake Brewing has a history of augmenting and supplementing its flagship Lake Haze IPA with different adjuncts. Some beers have traditional flavors like the Blood Orange Haze. While others are more out there, like the Cotton Candy Haze. No fewer than five such beers are available in their Holland taproom as of this beer review. Today, we’ll be getting into the Mango Habanero Haze.
Upon pouring Mango Habanero Haze into a glass, we’re greeted with a completely opaque gold-orange, typical of a modern Hazy IPA and appropriately reminiscent of mango juice. The beer had a thin, white head that didn’t linger for very long, but left lacing on the sides of the glass. An initial sniff presented tropical-fruity hops and mango, which became more and more apparent as I drank it.
There was no habanero character present on the nose. Fear not though, the habanero was present as advertised with the mouthfeel. The fruitiness of the pepper wasn’t quite present and was lost in the mix. After the first few sips of light mango and hop flavor, the heat began to slowly reveal itself, building and lingering as time went on. The beer felt crisp with the habanero heat providing a lingering tingle on the lips and tongue. All of this was quite pleasant.
I think habanero was a good choice of pepper here. I believe japapeño may have been too vegetal and not hot enough to stand up to the mango sweetness. Anything hotter than habanero might have been overbearing and could run the risk of coming off too gimmicky. The mango and habanero work in tandem with the heat and sweetness balancing each other out.
RELATED: Big Lake Brewing w/ Zach Dreyer | #MichiganBeer Series 26
It isn’t always easy to find a food pairing for a Hazy IPA, but the added flavors in Mango Habanero Haze make it a strong candidate for grilled chicken or white fish. No matter what your summer activity is, this beer goes perfectly with it, especially if you’re grilling, out on the lake (a big or small one), or just on your porch. The sweet heat of Mango Habanero Haze makes for a very nice beer for a Michigan Summer!
READ MORE ABOUT BIG LAKE BREWING:
March Draftness Returns for 2022
The List – 20 Beers You Need to Try at the Winter Beer Festival (2022)
The List – Fall Clean 15 Festival of Beers Preview (2020)
0 Comments