Devil’s Staircase IPA
Back Forty Beer Co.

 

Had Devil's Staircase at Back Forty, Gadsden, Ala., on draft into shaker.

Pours light lemon-gold with clarity and 1-finger near-white head, with decent retention, leaving a coating of Belgian lace etched down the glass. Aroma of bitter herbs and mild lemon off pour, and sweet stone fruit and floral aromas as warms. On tasting, begins sweet, mild (pilsner) malt with a little lemon, and an immediate herbal hop bite, over the smooth malt body, then some sweet peach, for a fruity, herbally crisp but not bitter finish.

I like this beer, but it's a bit lacking in hop bite for any variety of IPA. Still, it makes an excellent, innovative APA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spiraling into a bitter, fruity and aromatic display of hops, this Back Forty beer is taking the thirst down.

Pale gold and with a standard dry-hopped haze, Devil's Staircase leads with a brisk and hoppy scent of citrus, herb, grasses and pine that floats boldly above a stark-white froth. Lightly caramelized flavors carry a malt profile onto the early palate along with a cracker-like breadiness and a hint of honeysuckle.

As the hops spring well above the malts, the flavors of citrus zest carry those essence of orange, lemon, grapefruit and lime across the middle palate. With the light malt profile providing a solid foundation, the beer quickly turns bitter with grassy, leafy and stemmy hop flavor and a resinous pine character to close.

Medium bodied, crisp and refreshing, the hops give the beer a lightly dirty character as the ale finishes. An aftertaste of grassy and bitter hops linger deep into aftertaste in that traditional IPA kind of way.

Devil's Staircase has a medium, white head and a yellow-gold, hazy appearance, with bubble streams and minimal lacing. The aroma is of white bread crust, citrus, and hop resins. The flavor is similar, with reserved bitterness. Devil's Staircase has a medium body, and a mostly-dry finish.

RJT