Devil's Milk
DuClaw Brewing Company

Devil's MilkDevil's Milk
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From:
DuClaw Brewing Company
 
Maryland, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
Ranked #167
ABV:
10%
Score:
87
Ranked #17,829
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 11.69%
Reviews:
144
Ratings:
439
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 30, 2023
Added:
Nov 02, 2003
Wants:
  37
Gots:
  98
Our award winning barleywine will seduce you with its assertive hop bill (that changes each year to make each vintage unique), citrus flavors, and warming 10% ABV. Devil’s Milk is best served in a snifter to accommodate its ABV and allow complex flavors to emerge as it warms in your hands.
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Ratings by smithj4:
Photo of smithj4
Rated by smithj4 from New York

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Oct 16, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of RitzyBusiness
Reviewed by RitzyBusiness

5/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This is probably my favorite beer, it feels like I am drinking a mix of hot chocolate, coffee, and bourbon all wrapped into one beer that's best served very lightly chilled as to not lose the complexities of its flavor.

It goes down very smooth for how high it's alcohol content is. Lacks the funky flavor of similar tasting beers. Literally is as close to adult yoohoo has you can get, despite tasting nothing like that it's the words that come to my mind.
Jul 30, 2023
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

3.99/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Nearly clear copper/amber pour with 2 fingers of off-white head. Nicer ring of lacing... a good bit of sediment at the end of the pour.

S: Hops and malts/grains. A bit of booze and spice.

T.F: Big and malty up front. Caramel and toasted grains. Sweet... piney malts and spice. Some booze... tea... bitterness comes in later. Warming and complex. Medium bodied... with moderate carbonation.

O: A well done American Barleywine... big and flavorful. Kind of dangerous with the drinkability.
Sep 20, 2022
 
Rated: 3.98 by Jonathan-Morgan from Florida

Sep 30, 2021
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours an amber color, might be one of the lighter appearance wise barleywines out there. 2/3" white head. Not too many white head barleywines out there. Aroma was bitter pine like hop notes, barley, almost a salty caramel presence my mind was wondering how that could be. Didn't have the big malt/barley presence, I think someone else said it best when it kind of was more like an imperial red/amber at this point, little if any Maris.

Taste drinks like a hodgepodge of styles. Imperial hoppy amber ale could be a fitting namesake. Its a high ibu barleywine. But it also has a lesser malt structure than your average one too, thereby exacerbating the bitterness. Despite those 'issues' it is still a relatively easy drink for a double digit abv beer, you just have to kind of put your old school ibu wars hat on. Its overall score seems indicative of imperial advocate once again, but at the same time, I think its a decent beer to cut your teeth on.
Aug 24, 2020
Photo of mvanaskie13
Reviewed by mvanaskie13 from Pennsylvania

3.81/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a small goblet: color is transparent amber, head is very light tan and presents 1 finger thick with fine bubbles, head laces the glass some.

Smell is malt, caramel, hint of esters, then strong pine, citrus rind, and herbal hops. Aroma seems more like imperial red/amber ale with strong caramel and hop aromas, less fruited malt from aging.

Taste follows but works with strong malt, caramel and unrefined sugar, light molasses, big pine/citrus/herbal hops, some boozy heat.

Mouthfeel is low/moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, lingering bitterness and some drying from alcohol.

Overall a good beer, leans more big DIPA/IIPA/Imperial Red/Amber Ale in flavor than Barleywine due to less aged malt flavor and strong hop presence.
Jun 28, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by robotic_being from Illinois

Jun 08, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

May 19, 2020
Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

4.04/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12 oz can, canned 10/28/19, purchased from Cottage Hill Package Liquor in Mobile, AL.
Parish Teku.

The snap of the can brings foam seeping to the top and surrounding the can, and then a golden liquid pours out to form a really nice glowing amber color with a tall off-white creamy head of 3 fingers, receding to 2, but leaving the stickiest, thickest lacing I've seen in awhile. Very nice. Lots of hops action.

Aroma is huge with pineapple, just tons of pineapple...and then mango, grapefruit, passion fruit, strawberries, and then orange pekoe tea, with some toffee backbone, ethanol, and slight blonde crackery malts. Might not be your typical English Barleywine but to me this nose is incredible.

Flavor opens with some toffee and brown sugar laced with red hots, then a nip of pineapple and mango, and then tons of bitterness in the form of pine, grapefruit rind, and dry grass. The bitterness clings like the most brutal quadruple IPA ever, and will not let go. I was kinda hoping the fruity nose would translate to the flavor but instead it takes a back seat to the bitterness and toffee. Some ash on the finish, nearly leathery or molasses-like, due to its intensity.

Feel is sticky, hot, intense, and indeed feels like red hots or cinnamon gum. High alcohol heat, but not too much, about right for the style but maybe a tad over the line for 10% - feels more along the 11.0-13.0 range.

Overall, an intense barleywine that deserves better ratings than it gets - but do not be fooled - this is technically a tongue-scraping quadruple IPA. Very intense. It's good now but would like to age some for 4-6 years to see what that does. I'll bet it's a fricken monster by then.

Price paid : $15.99 / 6 pack
Would buy again : maybe - this will keep me busy for awhile
Apr 24, 2020
 
Rated: 2.49 by joekoz007 from Maryland

Apr 12, 2020
Photo of milkshakebeersucks
Rated by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland

4.14/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Translucent amber appearance, minimal head, light lacing. Well carbonated bittersweet mouthfeel that continues to develop. Warm, lingering finish.
Feb 29, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by EatonHops from Massachusetts

Jan 19, 2020
Photo of micada
Reviewed by micada from New York

3.47/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
2019 Duclaw Devil’s Milk. First time brew for me. Seems more like an IPA than a barleywine. Lots of piney hops on the nose. Lots of carbonation in the amber body. Very bitter up front. Medium thick mouthfeel. Slight booze heat lingers. Maybe it needs time on a shelf to mellow some of the vibrancy.
Dec 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.03 by cozmo from New York

Dec 08, 2019
 
Rated: 2.62 by Gaddabble from Ohio

Jul 15, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by alexsergio from New York

Jul 06, 2019
 
Rated: 3.67 by Spaceman_Jer from Colorado

Jul 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.09 by Avitra from California

May 22, 2019
 
Rated: 2.73 by SaveWaterDrinkBeers from Maine

Apr 12, 2019
Photo of Gajo74
Reviewed by Gajo74 from New York

4.17/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours a relatively clear dark amber, with visible floaters. A creamy head retains very well, persisting as a frothy film with lacing.
The aroma imediately announces its hops presence. Leafy, minty piny and grassy hops evoke a green forest. This is followed by citrusy and orchard fruit, of which I detect apple cider in particular. Notes of biscuity malt and caramel round out the aromas, as does a touch of alcohol.
In the taste, a full and chewy caramel, bready and cookie dough malt flavor is balanced with a moderately bold hops bitterness. Fruity esters and fruity hops flavors impart notes of grapefruit, melon, apple cider, pear and apricot. There is a big herbal hops presence that is piny, grassy and with a big resiny finish. The finish also has a significant presence of alcohol spice that provides warmth.
Full bodied with a chewy and sticky mouthfeel. Complex yet balanced well between the full malty flavors and the hops. The alcohol spice is defibeyely there, yet, it is not boozy and it is dangerously drinkable.
I don’t get why this is not rated higher. It’s so tasty and easy to drink for a high ABV beer.
Apr 02, 2019
Devil's Milk from DuClaw Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 439 ratings