Holidaily Brewing Fat Randy’s IPA

Gluten Free Fat Randy’s IPA

Brewed Dedicated Gluten Free in Golden, Colorado

I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time. It’s time to crack open Fat Randy’s IPA, a year round flagship brewed by Holidaily Brewing. If you haven’t heard of Holidaily, they are Colorado’s very first dedicated gluten free brewery, and seem to be very well loved in their home state and beyond. You can read about their taproom here.

Holidaily is based in Golden, CO and they’re in close proximity to Grouse Malt House, a dedicated gluten free roasting and malting facility that produces much of the grain used to brew our country’s favorite gluten free beers.

If you’re a fan of Holidaily Brewing, you can catch up on the previously released Buckwit Belgian and the Favorite Blonde here on the blog if you’re curious. But this is the beer I’m *second most* excited to try. I’m saving the most exciting one for last…their Riva Stout.

If you’ve been gluten free for more than 5 minutes, you know that a solid gluten free stout is RARE, and I can’t wait to crack it open and see how it stacks up. Anyway, back to the IPA in front of me…let’s pop it open and see how it tastes! Here’s what it looks like when poured…

The Taste Test

Fat Randy’s IPA

This IPA is packaged in a bright green 16 ounce can. The Fat Randy pours with a sunset orange color and a heavy haze. The color is vibrant when held up to the light, and much more muted otherwise. The head is strong, and the best part is the thick layer of lasting foam hugging the top of the glass as I write.

The foamy bubbles cling to–and seem to climb–the rim of the glass, much like a snow drift would climb the side of a building. This hoppy snow drift doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

The aroma is citrusy, flowery and bright. The taste is too. A classic American IPA if I ever tasted one. It’s medium body creates a satisfying mouthfeel, and the bitterness doses’t linger long after the swallow, unlike many west-coast IPAs. This isn’t necessarily a relief for me, but it may be for those of you who like a good IPA without the bitter punch in the throat following the swallow. This beer has just enough bitterness to keep me happy, without scaring off the rest of you. ;)

Speaking of bitterness, this beer rests at 65 IBU, a good happy medium for all. Fat Randy’s IPA contains a robust combination of eight different hop varieties. I’m not sure about all of them, but I know the list includes Centennial, Cascade, Citra, Simcoe and Bravo hops. This brew clocks in at 7% ABV.

As I continue to enjoy this brew, I have to say…I am becoming a huge fan of this Fat Randy’s IPA people. It’s smooth and easy drinking, despite the high ABV. What a treat. And honestly, how does Holidaily manage to make every one of their beers both satisfying and entirely unoffensive. Their knack for creating crowd pleasers is unparalleled. 

I’m now three beers into my Holidaily Brewing experience, and I must say, they set a high standard for gluten free craft beer in Colorado. I am so happy they exist. My only complaint is that their distribution is so limited that it’s difficult to acquire if you don’t live in the Centennial State.

Good news though…as of 2020, you can also purchase Holidaily beer in Arizona! I hope that if we keep asking, their supply will eventually catch up to their demand and a larger distributor will take them on.

I look forward to the day that I get to walk into their taproom and try absolutely everything they make. That will be a good day.  If you want to read about a guest reviewer’s experience at the Holidaily Brewing taproom, check out this review!

Cheers!

P.S. Like what I do for the gluten free beer community? Consider buying me a beer for my efforts! ;)