IPA Fest at Lucky Baldwins: Day 1

As promised, I made a trip to Lucky's last night for the first day of the IPA fest. And, as expected, the folks at Lucky Baldwins brought in a vast list of IPAs and IIPAs . . . I imagine that there will be more on the way as the week goes on too.

First though, the bad news . . . no Pliny the Younger :-(.

Next, the good news . . .


Beer 1: Port Brewing Company's 3rd anniversary

Definitely not filtered, with a great golden color. Floral aroma. The taste is quite surprising . . . not as hoppy as I was expecting, far more malt though. However, it is fantastic and very drinkable!

Beer 2: Victory's ______ IPA

The blank is because for the life of me I cannot remember the name (and no, it was not Hop Wallop or Hop Devil, although they both were on tap last night as well!). This was your your standard IPA, not too hoppy, but still full of flavor. I sensed something a bit peculiar though in that the beer had a hint of sourness to it, but very slightly. And interesting touch to a superb IPA

Beer 3: Speakeasy's Big Daddy IPA

Although actually an IPA, this one is on the list as a IIPA for good reason. The Big Daddy is something special, something remarkable, something extraordinary. Its appearance is like no other IPA that I have ever seen . . . very translucent, straw like. The aroma: floral as expected. The taste: out of this world. Initially you wonder, "am I drinking an IPA or water?", but after about a second or so, the hops kick in . . . its like the Amarillo hops are fighting the warrior hops in your mouth, like a world war of hops in your mouth!! And, this lingers . . . . . for a while, making this beer a good one to sip! This beer really is a special delight. Thank you Speakeasy.

Well, that is all for now, I plan on making many more trips to the pub before the festival is over (especially since the IPAs are only $3 and the IIPAs are $4 . . . can't beat that). Keep checking back for more updates!! And lastly . . . they have Maharaja on draft . . . it is #2 on the list :-).

The bottom line: Stop reading my blog and go to Luckys!