Ale Of Two Cities
Devils Backbone Brewing Company
- From:
- Devils Backbone Brewing Company
- Virginia, United States
- Style:
- Kölsch
- ABV:
- 4.7%
- Score:
- 84
- Avg:
- 3.65 | pDev: 7.67%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 11
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jul 25, 2017
- Added:
- Jun 29, 2016
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 5
SCORE
84
Good
84
Good
A blend of traditional German brewing tradition and American hops. Ale of Two Cities has great malt character up-front with a crisp clean finish. Low ABV and very drinkable.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by SLeffler27 from New York
3.48/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.48/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
A fluffy white half inch head builds over a clear gold (SRM 5-6) Kölsch. That head quickly settles to a creamy quarter inch for the duration. Plenty of random carbonation sparkles within a T-Zelfae stange. A nice webbing of lace rounds out the picture.
White bread and hay combine with faint caramel to form the background of this aroma. While there is some oxidation, white bread dominates throughout.
The flavor is malt forward with toasted white bread. Oxidation is also present. The finish is long, heavy and unpleasant, reminiscent of water crackers.
A smooth woolly texture blankets the medium body as a hint of alcohol warms within. Modest fizzy carbonation. This beer lacked the crisp, subtle simplicity I expect from the style.
The bottle date was worn, making it difficult to determine. But I suspect this beer was beyond its prime.
Jul 25, 2017White bread and hay combine with faint caramel to form the background of this aroma. While there is some oxidation, white bread dominates throughout.
The flavor is malt forward with toasted white bread. Oxidation is also present. The finish is long, heavy and unpleasant, reminiscent of water crackers.
A smooth woolly texture blankets the medium body as a hint of alcohol warms within. Modest fizzy carbonation. This beer lacked the crisp, subtle simplicity I expect from the style.
The bottle date was worn, making it difficult to determine. But I suspect this beer was beyond its prime.
Reviewed by SoccerSeuss from Virginia
3.93/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.93/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
It seems almost unfair to review a beer that's 'boned' date is a year ago 5-20-16, but was taken from a buddies beer fridge and poured into a stang glass.
Very nice clean look, blonde colored, with a nice finger of head that faded to a ring as I drank it and bubbly. Nice lacing on the glass.
Malty with a hint of fruit/grass in the smell ... may have been stronger had the beer been a bit 'younger'
Mild taste with a touch of sweet, hoppy finish. A very drinkable beer.
May 24, 2017Very nice clean look, blonde colored, with a nice finger of head that faded to a ring as I drank it and bubbly. Nice lacing on the glass.
Malty with a hint of fruit/grass in the smell ... may have been stronger had the beer been a bit 'younger'
Mild taste with a touch of sweet, hoppy finish. A very drinkable beer.
Reviewed by 88caprice from Virginia
3.52/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.52/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottle into a cylinder.
Look: Slight haze, golden, bubbly, minimal head, lacing.
Smell: Hints of yeast, pale malts, lager beer twang, and a distant fruity sweetness.
Taste: Pale malts and a light spicy hop character up front. Juicy Fruit gum with a slight metallic edge. Malty. Floral.
Feel: Sparkly. Medium to light body.
Dec 31, 2016Look: Slight haze, golden, bubbly, minimal head, lacing.
Smell: Hints of yeast, pale malts, lager beer twang, and a distant fruity sweetness.
Taste: Pale malts and a light spicy hop character up front. Juicy Fruit gum with a slight metallic edge. Malty. Floral.
Feel: Sparkly. Medium to light body.
Reviewed by hophugger from Virginia
3.36/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.36/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Look is golden, head appears and vanished very quickly. Aroma is malty and taste is good for the style, with a nice malt backbone. Didn't expect a lot of hop flavor and that is exactly what I got. Crisp, clean, slightly malty finish.
Sep 25, 2016
Reviewed by Pantalones from Virginia
3.92/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Last bottle of this one from the variety pack; bottling date is unreadable (smudged) but I believe the others from the pack were all May 28th or somewhere in that range.
First thing I notice is that this beer looks REALLY nice -- very clear shiny golden color, tons of rising bubbles coming up from the bottom, and a decent little layer of foam on top (shrinking into a thinner cap with a thicker ring around the edges after a few minutes, but not starting to fade away entirely just yet.) Foam has a very nice look/texture to it even after it shrinks to a smaller size, and leaves some decent little trails on the sides of the glass as it goes.
The smell is... well, best way I can describe it is "beery." That Noble hops + lager-ish yeast + pale malt in the background sort of smell that I get from a lot of paler lagers. There's also a bit of a sweetness hiding far in the background, detectable on the end of a sniff usually. There's a sort of doughy quality to the beer's smell overall. After a couple sips, I'm occasionally noticing something that oddly enough almost reminds me of a white wine, maybe like champagne? A little odd but nice.
Taste is mild but very pleasant. Mostly malt stands out here, in contrast to some of the hoppier American kolsch-style beers I've had in the past. It's a very nice doughy, dry-grassy (that may be some hop influence too), slightly sweet but overall more dry thing. After the first sip that slight almost champagne-like thing is present in the flavor too, popping in for just a moment toward the end. Hops? Yeast? Maybe even the malt? Some combination? Hard to tell, but it's interesting.
Mouthfeel is pretty nice -- it does get slightly prickly at times, but it's not to an unpleasant extent, and this beer is definitely very very drinkable, without ever seeming TOO light or watery. It's difficult to take small sips, or to let this beer sit and warm up any -- I just want to keep drinking it!
Overall, this is a very nice beer -- definitely one of my favorites from the "Family Beer Project" pack. I've actually told the brewery directly (well, via Facebook comment at least) that I really enjoyed this beer and would be interested in seeing it bottled again, so if by some miracle that ever happens, remember to thank me! XD
Aug 16, 2016First thing I notice is that this beer looks REALLY nice -- very clear shiny golden color, tons of rising bubbles coming up from the bottom, and a decent little layer of foam on top (shrinking into a thinner cap with a thicker ring around the edges after a few minutes, but not starting to fade away entirely just yet.) Foam has a very nice look/texture to it even after it shrinks to a smaller size, and leaves some decent little trails on the sides of the glass as it goes.
The smell is... well, best way I can describe it is "beery." That Noble hops + lager-ish yeast + pale malt in the background sort of smell that I get from a lot of paler lagers. There's also a bit of a sweetness hiding far in the background, detectable on the end of a sniff usually. There's a sort of doughy quality to the beer's smell overall. After a couple sips, I'm occasionally noticing something that oddly enough almost reminds me of a white wine, maybe like champagne? A little odd but nice.
Taste is mild but very pleasant. Mostly malt stands out here, in contrast to some of the hoppier American kolsch-style beers I've had in the past. It's a very nice doughy, dry-grassy (that may be some hop influence too), slightly sweet but overall more dry thing. After the first sip that slight almost champagne-like thing is present in the flavor too, popping in for just a moment toward the end. Hops? Yeast? Maybe even the malt? Some combination? Hard to tell, but it's interesting.
Mouthfeel is pretty nice -- it does get slightly prickly at times, but it's not to an unpleasant extent, and this beer is definitely very very drinkable, without ever seeming TOO light or watery. It's difficult to take small sips, or to let this beer sit and warm up any -- I just want to keep drinking it!
Overall, this is a very nice beer -- definitely one of my favorites from the "Family Beer Project" pack. I've actually told the brewery directly (well, via Facebook comment at least) that I really enjoyed this beer and would be interested in seeing it bottled again, so if by some miracle that ever happens, remember to thank me! XD
Reviewed by Beejay from Virginia
3.08/5 rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.08/5 rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
A: slightly yellow in color, mostly clear, with a large white head.
S: Light malt with a hint of straw, and subtle bread.
T: Light bread and toast, with some slight tart notes. Some light hop aroma.
M: Medium light in body, with moderate carbonation.
O: Overall... meh. Not getting the hop thing, and otherwise it's kinda forgettable.
Aug 04, 2016S: Light malt with a hint of straw, and subtle bread.
T: Light bread and toast, with some slight tart notes. Some light hop aroma.
M: Medium light in body, with moderate carbonation.
O: Overall... meh. Not getting the hop thing, and otherwise it's kinda forgettable.
Reviewed by argock from Virginia
3.63/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.63/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint.
A: Clear gold with 1-finger white frothy head with decent retention and splotches of lacing.
S: Cereal grains with light kiss of orange hops
T: Cereal graininess carries the flavor too with a coarser character than most kolsch beers I have had. Mild fruity orange hops mainly in the finish as it warms up.
M: Not as dry as I expected with a light body overall.
O: A fine well-crafted beer but pretty one-dimensional.
Jul 29, 2016A: Clear gold with 1-finger white frothy head with decent retention and splotches of lacing.
S: Cereal grains with light kiss of orange hops
T: Cereal graininess carries the flavor too with a coarser character than most kolsch beers I have had. Mild fruity orange hops mainly in the finish as it warms up.
M: Not as dry as I expected with a light body overall.
O: A fine well-crafted beer but pretty one-dimensional.
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!