Jun 23, 2016

Maine Beer Company Lunch

Maine Beer Company’s Lunch is one of those beers that receives a large amount of hype. I mean, bottles don’t even fully make it onto shelves before they disappear into the ether. This sniping of limited-release beers isn’t anything new, but it starts to plant seeds of doubt before even tasting the IPA — is Lunch really worthy of the hype?

I don’t recall hearing about a release when I happened across a couple of bottles (I was only allowed to purchase one as has become the norm) during an early May beer run on the way home from the office. I decided to let the beer sit in the fridge for a couple of days before I cracked it open. I didn’t want my eagerness to try it to affect my thoughts on the beer and beers like it across the market.

Lunch is a darn good beer. It’s lively with a nice array of flowery, grassy hop character, light citrus notes and gentle pine notes. The effervescent mouthfeel is nice as it carries everything over the tongue with a good amount of hop bitterness in tow. It finishes clean with a lasting hop tingle that teases for the next sip and refreshes nicely.

I really enjoyed my experience with Lunch. Is it the best beer I’ve ever had? No. Are there other IPAs in the craft market that are readily available at the drop of a hat that are just as good, if not better than Lunch? Of course. I don’t know what’s driving the fervor behind this beer’s release, but it’s a bit silly. Yes, Lunch is a darn good IPA that I would gladly drink again and again, but not at the expense of having to wait in a line or be limited to only a single bottle. I can easily pick up a six pack of an equally well crafted and tasty IPA right next to it on shelves.