As I mentioned in a previous post, Magic Hat is one of my favorite New England breweries, so when I saw that they were coming out with a new year-around beer (OK, I subscribe to their newsletter, alright?), I had to give it a shot. Lucky Kat is an IPA, and though the beer's details can be found here, what you really need to know is that it weighs in at a hefty 58 IBUs. To put that in perspective, #9 scores an 18 on the same bitterness scale.
And man, can you taste the B in those bitter units. As I get older, I find my tastes (and perhaps personality) veer more and more away from the sweet and towards the bitter. I prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, and the IPA has gone from one of my least favorite beer styles to a near-favorite. I was surprised that Magic Hat was coming out with this since they already have their seasonal hI.P.A. in the spring, but Lucky Kat packs a bigger hops whollop and is really the bolder beer.
On the first sip, the hops crashes into your tongue--instantly refreshing. There's not much lingering flavor here, no big surprises. This beer is bringing one flavor to the table, and it does that well. It doesn't warm particularly well, however, so I would drink it relatively quickly or keep it well insulated.
I find that a fairly strong IPA like this one can kill the flavor of most foods, so when I have something this bitter I tend to pair it with something pretty spicy. In my case, I was eating pizza with a good dose of hot sauce, and they went together quite nicely. If you're trying to savor something with a rich but subtle flavor, I'd avoid a beer like Lucky Kat.
Verdict: very drinkable (if you're into IPAs), like popping a Warhead in your mouth, but bitter instead of sour.
