HAPPY NEW YEAR! Apologies for the absence of beer reviews in the last couple of weeks. I thought heading into January would mean more time for myself. Who could have guessed that running a pub is a full time gig!! While it has prevented me from writing reviews it certainly hasn’t stopped me from drinking beer.

One of my lovely friends from work gave me a selection of Laine Brew Co. beers for Christmas. Laine aren’t a brewery I’ve reviewed on here before but, as a pub owning brewery, I have visited one of their venues in East London a few times. First up from the selection is ‘Mangolicious’ a pale ale at 4.7% with added mango and passion fruit.

On the pour, the beer has a slightly clear, burnt orange colour to it with a slightly off-white head. Super inviting and pungent mango puree on the nose! Absolute mango juice flavour on the body, thanks to the added mango, and then a sharper, fruity bite on the end from the passion fruit. Light, juicy and very easy drinking. Could easily see myself having a few pints.

A quick note on the can art: You don’t often see actual photographs of people on beer labels often and I’m not entirely sure if it works here. A bit quirky and standout but perhaps a little messy too!

There are some beer purists out there who would argue once you add the fruit extract it not ‘proper’. I’d definitely agree that is far more impressive to get those flavours naturally through the hops. However, if the beer tastes good then it’s a good beer. ‘Mangolicious’ is definitely tasty and very drinkable. Using both the mango and passion fruit gives it a balance and prevents it from becoming too sweet, which can often be the case. If I was looking for a beer to session on in a pub garden this would be a solid choice!

Score: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

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Additional Information:

• Hops: Citra and Mandarina Bavaria
• Malt: Not Available
• IBU: Not Available
• ABV: 4.6%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: Yes!