Living the Dream Brewing Company - 7-Speed

7-Speed IPA presents a vibrant yellow golden color with a fairly hazy complexion, topped by a cap of off-white foam. This one is quite juicy in the aroma as it weaves a broad tapestry of fruity impressions. The complexity isn’t surprising given the use of eight different hop varieties in this brew. Look for a nice balance among citrus, tropical, and stone fruit notes, augmented by quite prominent floral tones and a light dash of piney herbaceousness. That central fruity and floral interplay takes center stage on the palate too, supported well by a lightly bready malt backbone with some wheaty tanginess, and a creamy medium body. We found the hop bitterness to be nicely firm and the carbonation spritely and lifting, making for a dry and quenching experience from start to lingering finish. For pairing options, fruity-sweet dishes like orange chicken or sweet & sour pork will both complement and contrast with this IPA. Fresh and spicy offerings sound good to us too, like Thai spring rolls with a spicy sauce, or fish tacos with a spicy pineapple or mango salsa. Cheers!

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you have imagined.” This quote by Henry David Thoreau forms a sort of mantra for Living the Dream Brewing Company, appearing on their website as a symbol to encapsulate their philosophy.

Living the Dream was founded in Littleton, CO by Jason Bell. Born in Chicago and raised in Iowa, he attended Iowa State where he initially studied civil engineering before switching paths to follow his interest in culinary arts. He apprenticed with a chef and graduated with a degree in hotel & restaurant management in 1997. After eighteen years of experience in the food, beverage, and hospitality industry, and years as an increasingly serious homebrewer, Jason – with the support of his wife Debbie – launched Living the Dream in 2014.

In their decade in business, the brewery has become a well known and popular hangout for the locals who appreciate a dog-friendly taphouse environment with excellent beer and an impressive rotation of gourmet food trucks. In May of 2020, the brewery took delivery of their own canning line, allowing them increased opportunity to grow their retail footprint. In fact, with the brewery now at capacity, Living the Dream is – as we write this – preparing to move to a new, larger, and quite a bit more polished location about a mile up the road. It’s the former home of Grist Brew Co., and will offer an even larger location for beer production, the taphouse, and events, and is expected to be open in mid-January 2024.

The brewery currently produces about five year-round canned beers along with a variety of limited availability beers (many of them being inventive variants of their award-winning flagship Powder Run cream ale), and their taproom has a larger selection of tap-only beers. For more info on the brewery, their tasty brews, and events, check them out at www.livingthedreambrewing.com.