Spider Bite
Devils Backbone Brewing Company
- From:
- Devils Backbone Brewing Company
- Virginia, United States
- Style:
- Black IPA
- ABV:
- 4.2%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.72 | pDev: 12.1%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 17
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Aug 04, 2017
- Added:
- Sep 29, 2013
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 16
SCORE
85
Very Good
85
Very Good
Dark yet light bodied with a snappy hop bite from Columbus, Bravo, Cascade and Simcoe hops plus a touch of black pepper.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by briandschorr from North Carolina
4.4/5 rDev +18.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.4/5 rDev +18.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Had this beer during my short tenure at Brewology in Speonk, NY. The look is nothing special overall but the smell and taste are what won me over. I got a raisin black flavor with a bready sweet taste. The head is tan and I normally saw great lacing. head. great lacing. Grassy smell is what some customers reported. A fairly light body and I noticed the bitterness of an IPA. Overall a good beer that some may like but others may dislike due to the razor edge bitterness that IPA lovers like and that I do not care for. Worth a try if you find it in your area.
Aug 04, 2017
Reviewed by Pencible from Virginia
3.55/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.55/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A: This poured a translucent dark garnet with a little white head.
S: It smelled like light citrus and creamy wheat.
T: It tasted like citrus and wheat bread, with a little earthy barley and coffee. It had a clean earthy and bitter aftertaste.
M: It was oily with a little carbonation. Nice slick body.
D: This was a decent black IPA, with simple but nice scent and taste. The body was smooth, and the finish was mellow, so it was easy to drink. Not great, but not bad.
Sep 15, 2016S: It smelled like light citrus and creamy wheat.
T: It tasted like citrus and wheat bread, with a little earthy barley and coffee. It had a clean earthy and bitter aftertaste.
M: It was oily with a little carbonation. Nice slick body.
D: This was a decent black IPA, with simple but nice scent and taste. The body was smooth, and the finish was mellow, so it was easy to drink. Not great, but not bad.
Reviewed by KomodoDragon from Virginia
3.49/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
3.49/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
Pours raisin black. Quiet, with a tan head. great lacing. Grassy smell.
Weak upfront, finishing with bready wheat, some sweetness, and earthy hopiness. Flavors seem to be at war with each other. Smooth, albeit partially from the light body.
Some nice roast from a black ale, some bitterness of an IPA, but altogether more confusing to the palette than welcomed. Not an experiment gone wrong, but one not quite gone right
Jan 02, 2016Weak upfront, finishing with bready wheat, some sweetness, and earthy hopiness. Flavors seem to be at war with each other. Smooth, albeit partially from the light body.
Some nice roast from a black ale, some bitterness of an IPA, but altogether more confusing to the palette than welcomed. Not an experiment gone wrong, but one not quite gone right
Reviewed by HerbMeowing from Virginia
4.5/5 rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2015 Adventure pack (bottled OCT-15)
Source: Sam's Club (warm)
Served in pub pint glass
---
Label: Session Black Wheat IPA
Pours a rich brown ... fat fast fading head and moderate lacing.
Strong aroma ... a delicious blend of dark malt and pungent hops (tropical and pine).
Light body ... dark malt lurks in the background ... clean finish ... hop-forward sans pucker.
Tasty ... low ABV makes it eminently sessionable.
Jan 01, 2016Source: Sam's Club (warm)
Served in pub pint glass
---
Label: Session Black Wheat IPA
Pours a rich brown ... fat fast fading head and moderate lacing.
Strong aroma ... a delicious blend of dark malt and pungent hops (tropical and pine).
Light body ... dark malt lurks in the background ... clean finish ... hop-forward sans pucker.
Tasty ... low ABV makes it eminently sessionable.
Reviewed by rjs246 from Virginia
3.94/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.94/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
What's that you say? A black ale from the folks who already killed it with the Schwartz Bier? Fine, give it to my facehole. Spider Bite pours black, hits you with that deep roasted flavor and, keeps you coming back with a low abv. A very nice session alternative.
Dec 02, 2015
Reviewed by 88caprice from Virginia
3.75/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Now don't freak out, but I could best describe this as having the malty/roasty bitterness and body of DB's Schwartz Bier with the grapefruity hop punch of Lagunitas' A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale.
Oh, calm down!
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a glass.
Look: Deep cola color, nearly black. Lingering head and lacing.
Smell: Floral, a little grapefruity.
Taste: Initial grapefruity, floral, piney hop burst that settles down into a low bitterness. That's when the malty/roasted bitterness comes in, and it's hard to tell where the bitterness is coming from. But there it is on the back of the tongue... and for a while.
Mouthfeel: Light, with noticeable carbonation.
Overall: I'm not an IPA head, so a bit hoppy for me, but far from a hop bomb. An enjoyable, style-worthy brew nonetheless.
Dec 02, 2015Oh, calm down!
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a glass.
Look: Deep cola color, nearly black. Lingering head and lacing.
Smell: Floral, a little grapefruity.
Taste: Initial grapefruity, floral, piney hop burst that settles down into a low bitterness. That's when the malty/roasted bitterness comes in, and it's hard to tell where the bitterness is coming from. But there it is on the back of the tongue... and for a while.
Mouthfeel: Light, with noticeable carbonation.
Overall: I'm not an IPA head, so a bit hoppy for me, but far from a hop bomb. An enjoyable, style-worthy brew nonetheless.
Reviewed by Owlish1 from Virginia
2.65/5 rDev -28.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
2.65/5 rDev -28.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Look - dark brown color, dense one finger head that lasts a while, leaving lacing
Smell - Strong hoppy, grassy scent
Taste - Immediate and intense hops bitterness. Tastes very green - grass, pine needles
Feel - high carbonation, medium mouthfeel
Overall - It looks good but the taste is overwhelmingly bitter to me.
Dec 02, 2015Smell - Strong hoppy, grassy scent
Taste - Immediate and intense hops bitterness. Tastes very green - grass, pine needles
Feel - high carbonation, medium mouthfeel
Overall - It looks good but the taste is overwhelmingly bitter to me.
Rated by MarkLinton1 from West Virginia
4.09/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Black as a Porter. Very smooth with dry finish with a subtle, almost sweet hoppy bite at the end. Devils Backbone never disappoints.
Nov 28, 2015Rated by beerrat from Virginia
4.78/5 rDev +28.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.78/5 rDev +28.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Black on color.Taste like a dark IPA should.I am not A IPA fan but I know what they should taste like.This should be a top rated beer.
Oct 16, 2015
Rated by AndrewMichael from Virginia
3.5/5 rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle. I like the style and bitterness.
Oct 11, 2015
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia
3.6/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.6/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Bottle dated July, 2015:
Pours a wonderful deep color - definitely looking black in contrast to the almost white head that sits atop the pour. Head lasts and provides some lacing.
Nose is standard black IPA, with a balance of roasted malt and hop bitterness - grassy in the long run, although woody and piney came out early on.
Taste is strong on the bitter, grassy and herbal initially, but warmth brings in the roasted malt bitterness. In the end the combination makes the bitterness take on a woody taste. The pepper isn't quite noticeable in the taste unless I look for it, when I can get some of the spice bite lingering after the taste otherwise seems over.
For 4+%, the body stands up so that the beer isn't hop water, but the bitterness and maybe even the black pepper does tend to rip at the tongue a tad.
A bitter beer that balances being drinkable and taking your time to let your tongue settle down for the next swig.
Oct 04, 2015Pours a wonderful deep color - definitely looking black in contrast to the almost white head that sits atop the pour. Head lasts and provides some lacing.
Nose is standard black IPA, with a balance of roasted malt and hop bitterness - grassy in the long run, although woody and piney came out early on.
Taste is strong on the bitter, grassy and herbal initially, but warmth brings in the roasted malt bitterness. In the end the combination makes the bitterness take on a woody taste. The pepper isn't quite noticeable in the taste unless I look for it, when I can get some of the spice bite lingering after the taste otherwise seems over.
For 4+%, the body stands up so that the beer isn't hop water, but the bitterness and maybe even the black pepper does tend to rip at the tongue a tad.
A bitter beer that balances being drinkable and taking your time to let your tongue settle down for the next swig.
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