Session IPL
Devils Backbone Brewing Company

Session IPLSession IPL
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From:
Devils Backbone Brewing Company
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
India Pale Lager (IPL)
ABV:
3.8%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.87 | pDev: 9.56%
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
82
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 22, 2016
Added:
Dec 30, 2015
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  9
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Beejay:
Photo of Beejay
Reviewed by Beejay from Virginia

3.17/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75
A: A dusty yellow color with an off white head.

S: A delightfully delicate fruit and grain aroma. Light and flowery with a bit of tropical fruit.

T: Less delicate than the aroma, lemon bitterness up front, with a lingering earthiness, and something quite odd in the finish. The flavor calms a bit as I drink, but man the bitterness in this one is heavy handed.

M: Light, with high carbonation and a dry finish.

O: The aroma is delicate, while the flavor is quite rough. Abrasive. A lot of session beers miss the mark on flavor, this one seems to have over corrected that issue. The whole idea of a session beer is one you can have a few of without getting hosed.. this one makes me want to reach for something else.
Feb 19, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours a hazy straw color with a one-finger foamy white head that reduces to a ring around the edge of the glass

S- smells of orange marmalade, citrus pith, fresh cut grass, red berries & ready malt undertones

T- tastes of citrus peel, tangerine pith, grass, mango and guava, clean toasted finish

M- medium-light body with medium carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a crisp dry finish, high drinkability

O- one of the best <4% beers I've had to date, it packs plenty of balance & flavor, while remaining remarkably drinkable
Jul 22, 2016
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: The bubble show produces a two inch foamy head that squats on the clear golden liquid; squiggles of lacing linger

Smell: Bready and pithy, with grapefruit undertones

Taste: A touch bready, but the hops really shine, bringing grapefruit and papaya; crisp, clean finish, with lingering tropical fruit bitterness

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with crisp carbonation

Overall: I left this one in the fridge long after I finished off the others in the series but it is still quite good, six months after its release
Jun 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by AGB from District of Columbia

May 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.71 by gratefulbeerhead from Indiana

May 15, 2016
Photo of delta490
Reviewed by delta490 from Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a slightly cloudy deep gold with a big foamy white head. The head has great retention aided by steady carbonation and leaves nice amounts of small sticky lacing. The aroma leans to the IPA side, albeit more mild. It brings tropical fruit, citrus, and floral notes. The taste is good but it doesn't quite live up to the aroma. The hops almost immediately disappear and the lager notes don't quite fill the void. The body has a nice weight to it, just slightly thicker than you'd expect but not heavy at all with a good carbonation throughout.
May 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.62 by thewilliamhart from Virginia

Apr 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.79 by Biggiekrock627 from Maryland

Apr 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.1 by foghornleghorn22 from Virginia

Apr 15, 2016
Photo of jmasher85
Reviewed by jmasher85 from Maryland

4.46/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Clear light amber pour with great, foamy head that holds a nice little plateau shape even as I drink around it.

Scent is pine, cut grass, mandarine oranges, pineapple, and mango.

Taste is more mandarine oranges, apricot, pineapple, cut grass. Fruity, without being sweet.

Crisp, clean finish that leaves just a hint of dry bitterness on the tongue. Good fresh, even better after a month or two in the cellar - unusual for a hoppy beer.

Okay seriously, of the entire Devils Backbone Adventure Pack, this is the one that I most want to be able to buy in a sixer. Which is really weird for a session beer. I mean, 3.5% alcohol?? And more delicious than anything else in its sampler pack?? But let's be honest here, this is a truly unique (to me), flavorful, crushable yet savorable alternative to so many IPAs out there. And with so little alcohol and calories, I don't even need to feel bad about it. If you're listening DB, MAKE MORE FOR ME!!
Apr 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Apr 10, 2016
Photo of OldSwampy
Reviewed by OldSwampy from Virginia

3.16/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Although it is called a lager, the overall impression I get is more IPA than lager. There was some variety in the smell and taste that lift it above the typical IPA, and I suppose some of that is the hybrid character coming through, but this variety was minimal and not as well balanced as it might be. I prefer lagers more than IPAs, and might think of this more favorably if it were less of an IPA type (yet called a lager), but I can't blame the two breweries involved in producing this for the attempt, or "collaboration," as it is called on the bottle (NoDa is the other brewery involved with Devil's Backbone). I can imagine plenty of people will find it attractive. The "session" aspect for me would have more to do with the ABV rating than the flavor. It's an interesting beer for the low ABV, but just not that pleasant for something labeled a "session" beer.

Brew date: 25 Jan 2016 (on bottle).

I had another of these on 17 April (also brewed on 25 Jan). My opinion in general remains: it reminds me more of an IPA with a reduced but pleasant nose. It's quite hoppy (60 IBUs). In some ways a bit watery beneath the hops. A note on appearance: it has a nice apricot color, but the head was nearly non-existent with large loose bubbles that dissipate quickly. Aftertaste was not entirely agreeable. I lowered my rating a bit (was 3.43).
Apr 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.58 by SlothB77 from Virginia

Mar 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Iamjeff6 from Virginia

Mar 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by seanchai from Virginia

Mar 26, 2016
Photo of hopphead31415
Reviewed by hopphead31415 from Virginia

4.16/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
This session IPL has 3.8% ABV and 60 IBUs which I thought was odd, but it works.

Look-It has decent clarity and a golden color with a thin white head and sparse drooping lacing.

Smell-Spicy, leafy, grassy, hoppy, earthy, fruity, and citrusy.

Taste-The taste is very crisp and clean. I get plenty of earthy and grassy hops with some citrus. The bitterness is low, but much more noticeable than I’d expect from a LAGER and a session at that (the so-called session IPL). I get plenty of spices and herbs like coriander, nutmeg, and black pepper. Then a tinge of malt sweetness that is fleeting yet melts the spices with the citrus and grassy hops. There is a hop oil resin that coats the tongue which I really didn’t expect. It is quite nice though and goes well with the lemon, orange, and tangerine notes that appear after the grassy hops and honey-suckle malts.

Overall-There is a lot going on with this beer and it is far more surprising than I anticipated.
Mar 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.71 by baklo from North Carolina

Mar 17, 2016
Photo of oldn00b
Reviewed by oldn00b from Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a bottle dated 1/29/16. This is a gorgeous beer. Pillowy white head faded only slightly and retained through the duration of drinking the beer. Nice fat sticky lacing. Color is crystal clear gold and the carb level looks right on. I give the look a perfect score.

Nose is a bit muted - definitely pick up some subtle floral hop notes but not overly so. Lager traits pull through and a bit of a bready malt bill.

Flavor is really nice. A lot of depth for for a sessionable hopped lagger. Fruity, floral hop notes. Nice drying bitter. Really well rounded. Finish is long on the bittering hops (nice for my liking but definitely big on the bitter hop aspect and a bit light on other hop notes).

Great mouthfeel here - soft and a bit creamy. No rough edges.

This is surprisingly good and doesn't drink like a 3.8% sessionable IPL.
Mar 11, 2016
Photo of Lucular
Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland

4.55/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Incredible how much tropical fruit-like juicy aroma and flavor is packed into this little 3.8% IPL. It looks great too with impressive lacing. Better than 95% of IPA's out there (and also far superior to the "double dank" cream ale and the "Double Pacific Ale" from the collaboration pack). I would buy a 12-pack of this beer any time of year.
Mar 11, 2016
Photo of ThisWangsChung
Rated by ThisWangsChung from Maryland

3.12/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.12/5: Fairly full-flavored for 3.8%...problem is, the dominating notes are onion and pine; it improves as more is drunk at least
Mar 06, 2016
Session IPL from Devils Backbone Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 82 ratings