Monday, March 4, 2013

Lunch, it's what's for beer!


Lunch (7%) is an IPA brewed by Maine Beer Company.  It is described as "“East Coast” version of a West Coast-style IPA".   I'm not sure exactly what that means.  I wouldn't compare this in any way to the BIG west coast IPAs I'm used to drinking.

That's not a bad thing.  I liked Lunch.  I just don't get the comparison. 

Almost like champagne, a floof of foam erupted from the bottle when I popped the cap.  Not a lot, but there was a bit of foamy overflow.  It poured hazy amber with a big, fluffy white head.  

The aroma was very citrussy, but not citrus like bitter grapefruit.  It was more of an orange-like aroma, sweet, with piney back notes.

This is not an in-your-face bitter IPA, it's more subtle.  There is some caramel malt sweetness, some orange and yeastiness.  All of this is balanced by a slight piney hoppiness.     None of the flavors in this beer stand out overtly, nevertheless, this is a tasty, drinkable beer.  

As the head would suggest, this is a nice bubbly beer with a good, medium mouth feel.

Overall - good. 




Could  Lunch have been better?  Maybe. For freshness and maximum flavor, most of Maine Beers are meant to consumed within 90 days.  I picked up a bottle in New Hampshire a few months ago - the end of November - and I probably should have drank it sooner.  It was still good, but the hops had surely mellowed.  Or had they.  I'd need to try a fresh one for contrast.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've tried two month old Lunch and it is far inferior to the fresh stuff. I wouldn't go beyond 4 weeks.