-Jim McGlasson, CraftBrewVegas April 18, 2021.
I recently learned, from a reliable source, that a local gas station and convenience store chain, Speedee Mart, was a good source for several Vegas craft beers. I was told that the inventory varies from day to day and store to store. Check out Speedee Mart's website at www.speedeemart.net to find a location carrying craft beer near you!
Armed with this valuable bit of information, I set out for the Speedee Mart closest to my home. At the Speedee Mart located at 6703 West Alexander Road, Las Vegas, I discovered a nice variety of local craft beer. Today's selections included beer from both Big Dogs and Lovelady breweries. Since I recently reported on the two Big Dogs varieties available at this Speedee Mart, I selected two Lovelady craft beers for our tasting. I purchased six packs of Princess LEIA, a Northeast style IPA with 6.8 % alcohol and Love Juice, also a NE style IPA with 5.5 % alcohol.
First up was the Princess LEIA which I enjoyed with two slices of leftover cold pizza. Perfect! Princess LEIA, a refreshing, light NE style IPA, is brewed by the Pink Boots Society, Las Vegas Chapter, using their Pink Boots hop blend. Leia's slightly sweet, fruity nose was exactly the right complement to my lunch. This smooth IPA would be a good choice with burgers and dogs after a summer evening softball game or while hanging out with friends on a hot Vegas summer afternoon. If you've never tried NE Style IPA you will find it to be much smoother and less hoppy than the NW IPA style. Nice to find an alternative to the usual NW IPA most often found here in Vegas. Proceeds from sales of Princess Leia go to benefit the Pink Boots Society an organization providing assistance, inspiration, encouragement and education to professional women in the beer profession.
For our second pairing, my wife Linda and I decided tangy barbecued spare ribs, smokey baked beans, home-made potato salad, and hot, crusty cornbread, would provide a nice array of flavors and textures with which to sample our second NE style IPA from Lovelady Brewing. "Love Juice", a Hazy IPA made with a blend of barley, oats and wheat features a hint of tropical fruit on the nose, making for a very easy drinking beer, and the perfect complement to our BBQ dinner.
All in all, Love Juice provided a delightful complement to the rack of sweet and spicy ribs, hot off the grill! I plan to keep a supply of Love Juice in the fridge in the garage, icy cold and ready to enjoy after an afternoon of yard work or while grilling out on the patio!