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If you’ve been following this blog, you may have noticed a lot of reviews lately, and they’ve been a few weeks old. I’ve been really trying to get caught up, and finally have. It’s Memorial Day weekend, and I’ve been planning to homebrew for the first time in over 6 months. I’ve got the boil going and it was time to take a break and grab a beer. My beer fridge is packed, as I’ve been waiting to enjoy a lot of these beers until I could get caught up. I was feeling a little hoppy, so I reached for the first IPA I could find.
This beer from Lucky Bucket Brewing was given to me by my sister’s friend Courtney. Thank you Courney! I loved getting this because I hadn’t actually heard of Lucky Bucket until I got this beer. I love discovering new breweries as well as new beers. I checked their website and learned I probably haven’t heard of them since they are onlycurrently available in Nebraska and Iowa.
Location: Bottle enjoyed at home in Bloomington, IL
Numbers: 6.3% ABV, 65 IBUs, ~ 200 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It was darker than I expected, as it was a very dark amber color with a deep reddish-brown tint. It was slightly cloudy and had a few pieces of sediment in it. There was a big, creamy, tan head on it which (as you can see) left some nice lacing on the glass. There was a good grassy, floral-citrus hop aroma with a bit of caramel maltiness. I picked up on a hint of bubblegum-like fruitiness as well.
Taste & Feel: The beer had a medium body and the mouthfeel was creamy. Although, there was a bit of a carbonation and hop bitterness tingle up front. There was a bitter sweetness throughout, but it started with a hint of maltiness before a solid resiny, grassy bitterness coated my mouth with a hop-oil like bitterness. It finished with an even bigger resiny bitterness that stuck around for quite a bit in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: With this type of IPA – one with grassy and resiny hop flavors – I like to pair it with spicy foods. I think this would go perfectly with a plate of chicken wings. The hoppy flavors don’t kill the spiciness (they actually help to spread it), but the resiny hop flavors add a different flavor complexity to the mix, which I enjoy.
Overall Impression: Thank you Courtney for sending this beer, as I really enjoy discovering new breweries and trying their beer. This IPA had a lot of hop bitterness in it, and as I mentioned, so much so that it almost seemed to coat my mouth in an oily bitterness. While it had a medium body and seemed to have a pretty good malt backbone, the hop flavor overshadowed it quite a bit. If you’re a hop head – like me – you’ll definitely like this one, and its a bit of a change of pace from all the citrusy hop flavored IPAs.
My Rating: 
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