Bona Fide 

• Mike Riedel

We're taking a look at a couple of ales this week that come from two of the emerging IPA subcategories that (officially) don't really exist. Now, of course these beers exist, but as far as judging and style guideline committees are concerned, they still need to prove their popularity with consumers.

A decade ago, most breweries in the U.S. had the very popular black IPAs in their portfolios; style guidelines promptly adopted them, but the style quickly waned. Those committees have since become a little more cautious about recognizing new subcategories. Our two IPAs this week—one, a fruited IPA, the other a cold IPA—hope to become recognized as legitimate subcategories some day. What do you think of their chances? Here are my impressions of these local examples.

Shades - Mango India Pale Ale: This fruited IPA is mango-hued, with an unfiltered appearance. Grassy mangoes come to mind as I lean in for a whiff—juicy-ass mangoes with a light brushing of grassy hops. It's very sweet, very thick and very juicy, with even a touch of tartness in the back end.

Wow, what a huge mouth feel—heavy, thick, and sticky as they come! Chalk up another check mark in the "mango juice" column! At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if this is a beer, or alcoholic mango juice. Aside from some light grassiness here, and a faint bready malt there, this beer is nothing but mango. In the end, the hops do begin to emerge, pushing out some countering hop bitterness. At this point, the IPA part of this beer shows you what it is.

Overall: This 5.0 percent ale didn't quite turn out like I expected, though it was a pretty good evening sipper either way. Like an adults-only version of Minute Maid's mango juice, this is one where if you have a glass before dinner, you'll be off to bed in no time. A sweet and savory IPA, no doubt, but not in your typical "big-sweet-beer" kind of way.

Epic - Yelling at Clouds: This cold IPA pours a thick foamy off-white head of a creamy consistency over a golden amber body, very clear with ample carbonation. The aroma consists of earthy, resinous and fruity hop numbers, less potent with grapefruit and pine varieties. Hop aroma is the dominant characteristic, while the bitterness is moderate at most.

The drinkability is one of the most appealing features of this beer; there's very little in the way of graininess or heavy bread tones, just a solid pale malt base with a mellow earthy sweetness and little jarring malt complexity. This could certainly be thought of as a lager, with a touch of residual light caramel syrup sweetness thickening up the mix a bit more than the usual lager would. A lingering mineral note in the background makes this reminiscent of earthier Epic IPAs. The hop character shines in the flavor with bold tropical fruit notes and floral characters, adding a bright, appealing complexity to the flavor, where the pine is subdued. There's less hop bitterness than the aroma gave off, with the exception of a mild dragging resinous note on the tail end. Its 6.5 percent alcohol is very drinkable and approachable.

Overall: Epic crafted a beer unlike anything else I expected with this release, and it turned out better than I had expected, too. The hops provide good bitterness to round out the overall grains. It's another welcome addition to the Epic seasonal lineup.

Will IPAs like these move on to become "bona fide"? Those choices will ultimately be up to you as you continue (or don't) to buy them. As always, cheers!