Mango Kiss Milkshake IPA

My first beer from Rochester Mills Beer Company out of Auburn Hills, Michigan. When I saw this Mango Milkshake IPA, brewed with milk sugars, mangos and vanilla on the shelf at my favorite craft beer seller, I made a bee-line to it. This sounded like a perfect fit for my taste buds. Unfortunately, it did not turn out as I expected. I was expecting a thick, creamy mango milkshake with notes of vanilla from what the can advertised. What I was not expecting was the amount of bitter in this brew. In fairness, the can does tell you that it has 45 IBU’s (for those not sure what this means, Fuller’s ESB has an IBU of 43). I am not used to paying attention to the IBU’s as I tend to choose beers with lower IBU’s and it is therefore not an issue. I was surprised by the amount of bitterness in this beer. The poured a nice hazy amber with light notes of mango on the nose. Though the bitterness was definitely a surprise for me, it was balanced with the mango and vanilla so that it was not particularly harsh. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good beer. I think as long as you go into this understanding that it is NOT going to be a true “milkshake experience” you will enjoy the beer.

Rating 8.5