Lunch
Maine Beer Company

LunchLunch
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From:
Maine Beer Company
 
Maine, United States
Style:
American IPA
Ranked #12
ABV:
7%
Score:
97
Ranked #586
Avg:
4.38 | pDev: 7.99%
Reviews:
1,043
Ratings:
6,162
Status:
Active
Rated:
Saturday at 11:04 PM
Added:
May 10, 2011
Wants:
  1,209
Gots:
  1,718
Our “East Coast” version of a West Coast-style IPA. Intense hop flavors and aromas of tropical and citrus fruits and pine dominate. A subtle malt sweetness brings the beer into balance. Hops listed as Amarillo, Centennial, Simcoe.

Lunch is a special whale that has been spotted off the Maine coast since 1982. She has what looks like a bite taken out of her fin, which adds to her unique character. We dedicate this beer to her determination and persistence.

Keep on swimming!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by pjkelley82:
Photo of pjkelley82
Reviewed by pjkelley82 from New York

4.83/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Wow...

I visited Maine February 2013.... went to several beer pubs/brewerys and took the beer bus tour... fabulous I might add.... Maine was the forefront for me to become a fan of IPA's. The reason being.... I think.... besides they make kick ass beer... is the water they use... it's sooo smooth. They make alot of my favorite beers so I would urge anyone who hasn't tried a beer made in Maine to try one cause it's worth it... now....

Bottle read; Enjoy this beer fresh, hoppy beers do not age well. Which appears twivery. Pour carefully a fine layer of yeast is on the bottom please chill upright. Bottle conditioned (my favorite ).

Bottled on 5/21/13. Enjoyed on 6/18/13 not bad I'd say.... says to drink within 90 days of date.

Poured into a tulip glass....

Thick thick thick head... nice golden copper color with plenty of bubbles. Again.... very thick head.... stayed a ridiculasly long time. lacing was sticky and stayed a long time... pretty much until my last 3 sips . now's the time to smell it... wow.... to me, more hoppy piny taste but there goes the grapefruit and the citrus.... very clean smelling... smell again.... very nice piny lemony smell... a great looking beer and smelling beer...

Keep in mind I know how smooth Maine beers are so now I'm dying with anticipation...

Wow.... did someone just smack me on the tongue with a sack of hops.... but just like that first good iPa I drank in Maine in February 13 it slowly faded away so smoothly, like it was never there... but so crisp that you want more and more... anyhoo... big bold hops is forward and pretty much stays there throughout the taste experience but the other flavors start to pull out almost immediately after the initial hop shock.... grapefruit, citrus and lemon, to me very light but very malty... what I like. Finish is superb just like any Maine beer. Very crisp... a tad dry bit beautiful... leaves the pleasant hoppy aftertaste you are looking for. You want more and more. 7% alcohol is slightly hidden but all categories in this beer are perfectly balanced so it's there but it's not....

Quite frankly to date the best IPA I've had... now... I've had better beers... DIPA's, tripels.. etc... but far beats alot of the ones I have personally had.

I gave it a high ranking because of the ranking within the particular beer style.
Put it this way... if you see it on the shelf and are into IPA's than I'd say without a doubt get it. This is a beer I would highly recommend to IPA fans.
Jun 18, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of Eleschhorn
Rated by Eleschhorn from New York

4.68/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Great "light" IPA at 7%.
Saturday at 11:04 PM
Photo of AdmiralOzone
Reviewed by AdmiralOzone from Minnesota

4.29/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Pours slightly cloudy apricot orange with a thick white head. Abundant lacing. Aroma is a blend of citrus, pine, malt and biscuit. Flavor follows the nose, a touch of sweet fruit followed by an intense hop bite. Feel is light and well carbonated. Overall, a very fine beer.
Mar 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.48 by Monkeyknife from Missouri

Mar 16, 2024
 
Rated: 4.18 by buzzedup from Pennsylvania

Mar 16, 2024
 
Rated: 4.33 by BradtheGreat7 from Ohio

Mar 02, 2024
 
Rated: 4.41 by dofo777 from Maryland

Feb 16, 2024
Photo of Scotchboy
Reviewed by Scotchboy from Idaho

4.6/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Beer # 2900 on BA.

500ml bottle procured in California and muled back to Idaho for future enjoyment. On a trip that featured North Parks award-winning hazies and my return to Pliny, Lunch was such a pleasant surprise...

A: Pours an effervescent gold, moderately clear with a touch of haze, slightly amber-ish in the glass with a towering, creamy cap of off-white head lacing. Glows with inviting warmth...elegant.

S: Pleasant, subtle, balanced...definite notes of lemon, grapefruit, citrus peel, pine....crackery biscuit, sweet bread, earth...herbal resin, orange juice.

T: Refined and unobtrusive; proportionate. Bready, citrus juice, rindy & piny bitterness blended with layers of dehydrated fruit and a mild earthy smoke. Impressively integrated and categorically expressive.

MF: Creamy, smooth, mild bitterness, pleasantly useful dryness; clean.

O: Wow; this one captivated me. It may not seem as though I am at a loss for words, but I am. This surprised me, not that it did anything out of the ordinary, but in that it did EVERYTHING so damn excellently for a WCIPA. I cannot imagine a more shining example of the style, approachable and yet expressive and complete with balance. Well done MBC.
Feb 09, 2024
 
Rated: 4 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Jan 31, 2024
 
Rated: 4.48 by Onestroke from Alabama

Jan 30, 2024
Photo of vickersspitfire
Reviewed by vickersspitfire from Texas

4.71/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours out a semi cloudy golden color, reminds me of a hazy sun rise, the head is thick and fluffy and sticks around for a while. The aroma is very nice, lemon zest, grassy tones and herbal fragrances come through well balanced with a hint of malts that slowly grows stronger as it warms up. Lemon zest and sweetened oranges peel at first, very very tasty followed by some herbal flavors, malts and medium hops, this flavor leaves longing for another sip. Crisp for an IPA and very refreshing with no alcohol taste in the aftertaste. Very fun IPA to drink on a cold night.
Jan 15, 2024
Photo of mikeinportc
Reviewed by mikeinportc from New York

4.35/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottled 21Nov23. Had this before, but never anywhere near this close to bottling date.

Bright amber-orange , with light, off-white head.

Smell is pine, grass, fresh orange and candied orange rind.

Taste is grapefruit, grapefruit pith , pine, and a bit of orange rind near finish. Medium bitterness, that lingers awhile after finish.

Feel is medium, lightly slick/oily at first, with moderate, sharp carbonation bite. Drying sensation after finish .

Lives up to its reputation . Nice old-school IPA. A pleasure !
Jan 03, 2024
Photo of highdesertdrinker
Reviewed by highdesertdrinker from Arizona

4.1/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours a deep orange gold with medium head. The smell isn’t strong but there is some citrus and malt. The taste is mostly grapefruit, some orange, pine, herbal hops, malt. This is a throwback for sure and it’s good but it’s not a wow beer for me but glad to get my hands on one to try it, cheers!
Dec 29, 2023
Photo of Seejae
Reviewed by Seejae from Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours orange and clean. Aroma is sweet, citrus/malts. The profile is both pine and citrus. The malts are in play as well and provide a chewy feel. A bit old school, but well done. Good beer.
Dec 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.4 by Jtracecars from Maine

Dec 17, 2023
 
Rated: 4.45 by Hendrick24 from Wisconsin

Dec 15, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by TheWaySheGoes from Illinois

Dec 06, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by JLaw55 from Missouri

Dec 02, 2023
Photo of phl_bos_beer
Rated by phl_bos_beer from Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
i kind of always get this on draft whenever I see it. exactly what I want in an IPA.
Nov 14, 2023
Lunch from Maine Beer Company
Beer rating: 97 out of 100 with 6162 ratings