Lunch
Maine Beer Company

Sweet old-school hoppy, slightly malty, and a lemony-piney citrus nose on this one! Taste follows with a piney hoppy, slightly malty, and a lemon-citrus bitter swallow. This is a proper east-coast style old-school west-coast IPA! It leans more to a softer finish then a crisp one and it has a nice balance between the malty sweetness and the piney bitterness from the hops. Well done!

One of the all time greats. Real smooth

 

Bottled 2/23.

Pours a hazy cooper color, good foamy head with solid lacing.

Bright and fruity aroma, citrus, bready malt

Taste is less complex than the nose. Piney hops, some grapefruit and tangerine, honey, malt. At first I was a bit disappointed but the more I drink it the more I appreciate the mellow flavors coming together. Great bitterness in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is spot on.

Overall it’s a great beer. It really is, but it is definitely overpriced

 

 

 

 

Decent at best. Just nothing special or memorable. Probably a good IPA for the average beer drinker since it’s not too sweet, sour or heavy.

Very good, not helpful I know, but it’s very good!

This one is nothing short of extraordinary. The balance between "east coast" and "west coast" is dang near perfect. In the 500ml bottle or on draught at our local, Egan & Sons in Montclair, NJ. I don't know how they do it, honestly, the consistent excellence. Hands down, my desert island IPA.

Always have to go back to this one to appreciate simplicity and balance. Classic ipa. Crisp. Clean. Flavorful. It's an easy purchase at $8.50 as long as it's no more than 30 days of the stamped-on date.

This is an Easy Coast version of a West Coast IPA, and I'm not impressed. It's a hazy copper with a white head, and the hops are present on the aroma. The pine notes mix with the hop notes and produce something that's not really pleasant. As a bonus, the flavor lingers around as the mouthfeel coats the tongue.

Pours out pale yellow with a nice white head. Smells faintly bitter. Faint carbonation gave it a an almost flat taste to me. Taste was nice at first with a touch of hoppy bitterness and citrus. Finish was really poor--seemed to get more bitter on my pallet. Would not drink this again.

 

 

On tap in Sacramento. Pours less than clear gold/light amber with short white head leaving spotty lacing. Nose is mild citrus and pine. Taste follows in a rather muted way. This is much milder than expected but wouldn't hesitate to drink again.

Excellent

L: slightly hazy, light amber. Lots of foam.

S: hops, pine, a hint of earthy herbs

T: hoppy, resinous, malty, some citrus. Lacks complexity.

F: medium/heavy body, good carbonation

O: I don't see the reason for the hype this beer attracts, based on the bottle I had. It's well made but, for me, nothing special. It's also expensive and quite alcoholic for its taste level.

Bottled on December 6th.
Poured into a rastal Teku.
Pours clear with big foamy head.
The aroma is endless and easily the best attribute of this beer.
The taste is solid but nothing crazy.
Overall a solid IPA but nothing that knocks my socks off.

 

 

Crisp, refreshing, maybe a little too light? But delicious!

Pours a slightly hazy, golden orange in color with hints of copper. A plethora of fluffy foam sits on top after the pour and has solid lasting capacity. Ample lacing as you drink. Carbonation looks to be average with bubbles rising up from the bottom. A superb look for the style.

The overall aroma is fresh hops, and quite the variety, too. Piney, citrusy, fruity, floral, some earthy herbalness and even a hint of bubble gum; balanced with a sweet, toasty maltiness in the background. Pine comes through more as it warms. You have my attention.

Mmm, fantastic. Hoppy from start to finish but with the perfect balance. Starts with buttery malts and lemon rind up front with notes of melon, pine and grapefruit. The maltiness is very doughy with a very slight, crackery toastiness. Finishes bitter, but not overly so, with lingering grapefruit and lemon soapiness on the tongue. This is entirely within my lane of what I enjoy in a good IPA.

This is solidly medium bodied with ample chewiness. The carbonation is spot on, almost becoming zesty on the swallow but not quite and otherwise staying out of the way. It's just super smooth and clean, while being very hop-forward and flavorful it does not wreck the palate. Very drinkable at 7% ABV.

I am ashamed to admit I have never heard of this beer or this brewing company, I picked this up on a lark while browsing for single bottles in the supermarket. What a great find! The bottle immediately reminded me of Russian River (Pliny, Bling Pig), and strangely, the beer does as well. Less pine forward but equally well crafted. I will now seek out other offerings from this brewery. This might very well be the beer of the year for me. Cheers!

Look - slight hazy golden
Smell - floral, fruity, hoppy & pine
Taste - floral, hoppy, fruity, resinous bitterness, melon
Feel - medium body, medium carbonation
Overall - Really good IPA. Has an excellent resinous hoppy aftertaste that lingers. Reminds me of Sculpin. Pair it with Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits for ultimate enjoyment.

 

 

 

 

500 ml bottle, date reads SEP 20, 2022. Maybe it's a best by date, I don't know. Finally excited to try Lunch from Maine Beer Company, my first new beer from this brewery in quite a while. Currently ranked as #8 American IPA.

Poured to a Camp Crystal Lake stemless tumbler.
Body is a beautiful golden orange, Sunset like in appearance. Finger and a half of frothy white head that leaves excellent scattered lace. Hazy, cloudy, but not in a disgusting "juice" way, in a natural unfiltered way. Appears sticky and well carbonated. It does look very nice, I'll give it that.
Aroma is super clean - bready, malty, herbal, grassy, floral. It's light, but it smells super pure & natural.
Taste follows: super clean, pure flavors. Bready, biscuity, doughy pale malts coupled with some naturally grassy, piney, herbal presence. Bitter, but not "West Coast" bitter, just dry enough to keep you coming back for more.
Body is smooth, crisp, extremely light & quenching.
Overall an excellent high quality IPA from Maine Beer Company.

Maine Beer Company Lunch -----4/5.

Clear orange color, very effervescent, forming an airy head. Sweet citrus and tropical fruit notes, light malt, in the nose. Delicious to the taste, with a dry, well-attenuated mouthfeel, good bittering hops, light malt, and a lovely hop flavor profile of juicy pineapple, bitter orange. Mouth feel is full but not heavy despite the high strength. Very good beer. I picked this up at whole foods thinking "lunch", that must mean a light session IPA that I can have while still working. It's a bit stronger, but, hey, at least it's friday.

Extremely well-balanced beer. Very citrus forward, bright, crisp, I LOVE IT.

 

Had this on tap at Greeks Pizzeria in Greenwood, IN. Had been wanting to try since all the good reviews on this site. It lives up to the hype. One on the smoothest IPA’s I’ve ever had . Dark in color for an IPA. Very balanced and a nice 7% ABV punch. Top notch!

Pours a slightly hazy yellow. Thin foam. Light fruity hop aroma. Different than I expected. Good clean hop body. A little buttery. Fades to a nice pronounced malt profile. Easy transition. Finishes slightly bitter. Great from start to finish. I'd have this for lunch any day.

 

Appearance: Slightly hazy gold, frothy white head with very good retention.

Aroma: Tropical fruit and berry. Not aromas we quite muted, got no citrus or pine.

Flavor: Hop forward, flavor follows aroma. Moderate bitterness

Mouth feel: Medium body, creamy smooth.

Overall: I was actually a little disappointed, but this sample was about 3 months old. Aromas and flavors were more muted than I expected. I got berry and tropical fruit but very little citrus and no pine per the description. It can be hard to find Maine Beer Co in my area that is less than 60 days old unless you just get lucky. While it did not live up to the hype, I enjoyed this more than most IPA's because the bitterness balanced sweetness well, didn't overwhelm and destroy the palate. It has a nice creamy, smooth mouth-feel. 7% abv is very well hidden, would not know it is that high. Enjoyable beer, but was very overpriced for what I got. Based on price/enjoyment I would not purchase again simply because it is expensive.

 

16.9 oz bottle dated 5/22/22. Poured into a pint glass, fridge temp.
Orange gold, short fluffy white head.
Fresh green piney hop smell with grapefruit and citrus notes.
Taste is of an IPA fresh poured at a local brewery. Not too bitter, not sweet, not funky, but a familiar dank is present.
Feel is on the light side of medium, smooth, medium bubbles.
Overall, good fresh beer, price point is OK, this is a simple and unpretentious glass of good.