Monday Night Lundi IPA
First released in August of this year, Lundi IPA is the newest addition to the Monday Night Brewing year-round offerings. The lightly hazy IPA weighs in at a respectable 7.1% ABV and teasing 55 IBU – driven by a solid helping of Mosaic, Simcoe and El Dorado hop varieties.
The nose is gentle, yet inviting with a balanced blend of leafy hop notes, grapefruit, soft citrus (orange/tangerine), crackers and soft pine. It just entices you want to drink it. Despite that higher alcohol content, drink it you do – and quite easily. The well balanced nature of the aroma is carried over to the flavor profile quite nicely. There, a bit of resinous pine steps forward a bit, adding another dimension to this approachable IPA.
A key for me with Lundi IPA, is the malt backbone. Yes, the hop profile is key in any IPA, but the light sweetness and cracker grain notes give balance to the citrus and grapefruit, as well as playing a key role in keeping that teasing hop bitterness in check. Everything peaks incredibly smoothly before fading oh-so-slowly to a lasting and lightly drying finish.
Lundi IPA is way too easy drinking. It’s stupidly effortless nature doesn’t mean it’s simply by any means – there’s a good amount of flavor presented with each sip and enough hop bite to remind you it’s an India Pale Ale. I can see why the brewery made this one available all year. It’s just so damn smooth.
This is a review of a promotional sample.