Maine Beer Company’s Lunch
India Pale Ale. IPA. Over the past few decades, the three simple letters “IPA” have gone on to take on entirely new meanings, interpretations, and expectations. As the variety of hops and the ingenuity of brewers progresses, the craft beer community continues to see new forms of IPAs being released. Imperials, Doubles, Triples, Sessions, West Coasts, Blacks, Wet Hopped, Dry Hopped, the list goes on and on, but it seems more and more that the American craft beer community has become so intent on coming out with something new that they’ve forgotten about the good, classic American IPA. Not Maine, though. Nestled along the charming coast of Maine, just 20 minutes north of Portland, sits Maine Beer Company. Easily identified by their clean, minimally designed labels and 16 ounce bottles (the label actually says “1 pint .9 fl. oz.”), Maine Beer has a fairly limited selection of beers they distribute, only about ten different brews or so. Like their label, Maine’s beers aren’t flashy: they’re not the hoppiest, they’re not the highest gravity (alcohol content), they’re not made with any crazy ingredients. Maine Beer Company just makes simple, yet profound, beers.
Arguably their most prolific beer is their East Coast version of a West Coast style IPA, Lunch. I was first turned onto Lunch by my friend Kyle a few years ago after he picked one up for me during a trip to Vermont. Back then, distribution for Maine was pretty tight so it wasn’t available in the greater New York area. I remember picking up the bottle, a bit skeptical, though entirely unsure what to expect as Kyle is not one to lay a finger on any beer even a hair below superb. I was blown away at how such a simple beer could be so perfect.
Fast forward several years. I’m sitting at the Black Sheep Ale House, my favorite local spot on Long Island, waiting for the Devils-Rangers Stadium Series game at Yankee Stadium to start (this is the last time I will ever mention that game). As I craned my neck to scan the tap menu (which I already scoped out ahead of time on Beer Menus), it dawned on me that I could not bear to live with myself had I walked out of there without ordering a Lunch. As the glass was placed in front of me, it had this beautiful, slightly hazy, orange colored body with a foamy off-white head about 3/4 inch. Glass in hand, I was quickly drawn in by fresh tropical and citrus fruit aromas, slowly showing hints of sticky hop bitterness as it died out. The taste is distinctly orange zest, notes of citrus juice and a big piney hoppyness. There’s hardly any malt to be found, though instead, this beer opts to finish in a slight sticky sweetness.
Be conscious of “Bottled On” dates for any bottled beer you purchase
For me, this beer is the epitome of American IPAs; it has a complex, pungent hop profile, the malt is kept to a minimum, and it makes for quite the refreshing drinking experience. This beer has quickly found a substantial amount of acclaim from the craft community, ranking it up there with the best of them (it’s currently ranked 100 on Beer Advocate’s Top 250 Beers). It should be noted that this beer is best consumed fresh, so if you do happen to find a bottle, look for the bottled on date (or “born on date” for Maine’s beers) on the label to ensure that Father Time hasn’t stolen any of that holy hop purity. (The bottle pictured above is Weez, another Maine Beer Company treasure that I will be reviewing shortly).
Overall Rating: 9.7/10
Cheers.
Brave Brew World 