I love coconut. Have I told you that? I think I have. That being the case, Dogfish Head Lupu Luau IPA was a natural for me. Of course, this is a little bit of a different coconut beer which we shall see shortly. My question, though, is about availability. Dogfish says it is a February – December release. Seriously? What do they have against January? Why not just call it year-round?
However you slice it, Dogfish head Lupu Luau was introduced in 2016 and I got my first taste in late January of 2018.
From the website:
Sam set out to make a hazy, overly pale beer but the test batches weren’t quite there yet. However, during that process he found out how great coconuts work in an IPA and decided that the new goal was to make an IPA using as much coconut as possible. We started with a combination of Pils malt with flaked barley, rolled oats, and malted and raw wheat to get it all hazy. Then we introduced coconuts three ways by adding toasted coconut, dehydrated coconut water and an experimental hop variety that provides a unique coconut & woody aroma.
The result? A lupulin-loaded, coconut-centric ale. Our Lupu-Luau IPA!
Dogfish Head Lupu Luau IPA has an alcohol content of 7.3% by volume with 45 IBUs. It runs $13.99 a six-pack in bottles-rather high.
Dogfish head Lupu-Luau IPA pours to a hazy orange color with a thick rocky head and a gentle Pina Colada nose. Taking a sip, the beer is soft malty up front with notes of coconut milk and pineapple. There’s a bit of grapefruit peel too, I think, and the beer finishes with the coconut milk coming forth again and a dry softly bitter finish.
Mostly this is fruity, though, and I love the way the real coconut flesh flavors manifest from the coconut water. That is what makes the difference beer, and the coconut is very pronounced. The price is a setback for me, though I would still buy this beer. I will take back a half star on the rating because of it. Is it an IPA or a fruit beer? The coconut dominates for me, so I’ll call it a fruit beer, though you could argue for either.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft