Beer Review- Lucky Bucket IPA

Josh Scutella over at Bounty Bev is an avid beer aficionado like myself. When they recently introduced Lucky Bucket Brewing Company to the Nashville market, he HIGHLY recommended  the IPA. He thought that it had similarities to Caldera IPA, which was more than enough to peak my interest. The problem was that Lucky Bucket IPA was in limited supply and was flying off the shelves. Lucky for me, I got the second to last six pack at J Barleycorn. Don't worry, more fresh six packs will be here any day now.

Lucky Bucket IPA

Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. -LA Vista, NE

ABV: 6.3%  

Smitty's Review: Sampled at 50 degrees. Pours amber orange with a frothy ivory head that dissipates to a ring. Nice inviting floral hop aroma. Lighter side of medium bodied with steady carbonation and resiny texture. Caramel malt backdrop with a bold piney and grapefruit rind bitterness, with just a hint of orange. Less residual sugars than usual, making this lean toward the dry side. Long hoppy and grassy finish with a bit of a peppery bite at the very end. I picked up a very slight hint of astringency as well. Overall, a nice IPA for those that like an aggressive bitterness. Is it as good as Caldera? There are two ways to find out. The first is to find my review of Caldera. The second is to have a beer with me an ask me in person. What I can tell you is that this will be a repeat buy.

• Rating*: 8.5 out of 10
• Recommended Food Pairing: Spicy foods- Thai, Mexican, Cajun. Buffalo Wings, Pepperjack Cheese.
• Value: Moderate at $11 per six
• Beer Audience: Hopheads
• Where to buy: Craft beer specialty stores like Midtown, Frugal MacDoogal, J Barleycorn, etc.

* rating system based on aroma (1 pt), appearance (1pt), palate (2 pts) flavor (3pts), comparison to other commercial examples of the style (3pts)

Many thanks to the good folks at Bounty Bev for bringing the craft beer to Nashville. Look for this brewery at the East Nashville Beer Festival. Tickets are still available, but they are going fast. This is a festival you will not want to miss- trust me on this. I have had beers with the organizer Matt Leff and it's going to kick butt. Don't forget to join the Nashville Beer Geek Facebook group. Cheers

Smitty