Duende
Creature Comforts

DuendeDuende
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From:
Creature Comforts
 
Georgia, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #42
ABV:
8%
Score:
97
Ranked #611
Avg:
4.43 | pDev: 5.87%
Reviews:
35
Ratings:
88
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 30, 2023
Added:
Nov 18, 2016
Wants:
  24
Gots:
  14
Duende is a hazy marigold in appearance with fluffy white foam. This beer is elegant for a Double IPA which leads to surprisingly easy drinkability. First impressions are a bright almost citrusy pine note that quickly switches gears to huge fruit notes: orange, grapefruit, apricot, and tangerine. There’s a consistent fruit flesh flavor to the beer that adds a wonderful complexity to the bright citrus notes as the overtones dance around the fleshy notes, supporting without ever getting in the way. As the flavor finishes there’s subtle earth and berry notes that come through and the beer finishes with a perfectly balanced bitterness that rounds out the alcohol sweetness and immediately invites you to take another sip.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of suzannepd
Rated by suzannepd from Georgia

4.83/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Piney with some citrus. Smooth. Delicious.
Sep 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.33 by wisegreensoul from Idaho

May 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.35 by BeerBeast from Florida

Feb 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.19 by sd123 from Georgia

Feb 22, 2023
Photo of ATL6245
Reviewed by ATL6245 from Georgia

4.56/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Hazy pale gold, white head, good retention

Aroma: Citrus fruit, tropical fruit & pine. No alcohol.

Flavor & Aftertaste: Citrus fruit, lime, berry, pepper and pine. Mild alcohol. Low to moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied. Drying. Medum length finish.

Overall: This Hazy DIPA is as good as any available. CCB did a lot of things right, especially with the hops selection: Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe; which all complement each other. You can distinguish four distinct hops characteristics: citrus fruit, pine, and berries with a peppery/spicy note. Unlike many hazy IPA's, it has enough bitterness to offset sweetness; but at the same time is not overly harsh. It's drying start to finish with a medium length finish and trailing bitterness. The 8% ABV is very well hidden in the aroma, flavor and mouthfeel; you can't smell it at all and can only detect minor presence in the mouthfeel. Very well crafted beer from CCB.
Feb 09, 2023
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Arrives slightly hazy with a one finger head forming above the golden liquid

Smell: Tropical tones of papaya, guava and peach; somewhat dank with some citrus pith

Taste: Papaya, guava and peach forward with hints of melon; citrus pith emerges, in the middle, bringing moderately dank and bitter flavors to the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Well-crafted and nicely balanced
Feb 21, 2022
 
Rated: 4.6 by WLS4190 from Georgia

Jan 18, 2022
Photo of donspublic
Reviewed by donspublic from Texas

4.17/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured from can into tulip, good 2+ finger cream colored head, good retention and great lacing. Bright hazy golden in the glass. Citrus, pine and some hop astringency on the nose. Taste is sweet malt, candied orange, pineapple, pine and some dank notes in the middle. This beer is past its due date (gift from a friend who doesn't check dates) but it is still drinking good. Where in the beginning I was getting more dankness/ripe pineapple, it mellows out as it warms. Finishes on the dry side with a good grapefruit pith bitterness on the finish. Nice beer, would like to try this when it is a little fresher. The rest of this 4 pack has moved to the front of my beer fridge
Jun 29, 2021
Photo of MagicJeff
Reviewed by MagicJeff from Georgia

4.27/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look: Beautiful body. Golden straw with a nice off-white head retained throughout drinking. Spider lacing throughout glass as I consume. Some hazy sentiment at the base of the glass.
Smell: Candied oranges. Pineapple. Peaches. Slightest aspirin-y floral, grassy, piney notes.
Taste:Nectarine and navel orange notes. Kind of a dryer finish like a orange juice mimosa. Grapefruit pith, tannin-like finish. Very complex.
Feel: For me, the Dryer finish makes this not as quaffable as some other people are saying. And I definitely get a slight alcoholic burn on the back end. I would love to have this paired with food at a good restaurant to see what the chef/beverage director came up with.
Overall: Most excellent offering from CC. I think this will be one of their most popular offerings going forward. Accessible to people who might be hesitant to a hazy IPA but also complex at the same time. Great beer.
May 22, 2021
Photo of Newtobeet345
Reviewed by Newtobeet345 from Georgia

4.38/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Overall before I rate it. The flavors are the most pronounced of any beer I’ve had in my short time. I collect wine, drink this is like a $50 bottle.

L-hazy yellow
S- apricot, grapefruit and orange come bursting through
T-same as scent but a slight sweetness on the finish to complement the fruit. At 8% you could get drunk quite easily
F-just a good feel, nice carbonation
O- a really nice beer for someone who likes a fruit forward beer
Apr 23, 2021
Photo of JohnnyHopps
Reviewed by JohnnyHopps from Indiana

4.44/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance - The beer poured a hazy yellow color with a white head.

Smell - The nose was a bit like orange sherbet.

Taste - The profile had a pleasant bitterness with a nice orange undertone. There was a creaminess that brought to mind sherbet. The finish became progressively more bitter after the initial sweetness.

Mouthfeel - The body had was viscosity and low level carbonation.

Overall - Creature Comforts makes great IPAs.
Apr 02, 2021
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

3.91/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Appearance: Presents a well-hazed look, softened orange-yellow tone with a medium-sized, white head.

Smell: Guava and pineapple, sliced scallions and peppered citrus, gooseberry and muscadine all atop the usual raw grain component.

Taste: Smooth, creamy raw graininess with the tropical and citrus vibes from the aroma as well as the mild onion, spiciness, stone fruit and berries. Slight pinch of bitterness. Tangy acidity. Juicy and herbal as it picks up some raw graininess into the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Cushiony mouthfeel but also exhibits good effervescence.

Overall: Pretty solid.
Mar 14, 2021
Photo of SierraNevallagash
Reviewed by SierraNevallagash from Maine

4.12/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pint can - dated 04/02/20 - poured into a squat flared pint at 38°F.

Big thanks to Mark for this one!

Pours a fully hazy pale orange hue, topped with over three fingers of dense, rocky, slightly off-white head with outstanding retention. Thick, tenacious rings of lacing are left circling the glass at the head slowly recedes.

Nose: A typical modern pale malt base sits beneath huge aromas of Citra and Mosaic hops, with just a kiss of Simcoe behind them. Notes of juicy ripe pineapple, guava, lychee, papaya, and kumquat form the foundation, with secondary notes of melon, mango, orange, grapefruit, peachy stone fruit, white grape, and a herbal grassiness. There's a whisper of some deeper, musty dank notes from the Simcoe, but it's mostly buried beneath the fruit, juicy aroma of the other varietals.

Palate: The beer greets the palate with big juicy melon and papaya notes, presumably from the fruitier side of Simcoe. There's some ripe pineapple notes, accompanied by a hint of hop acidity which really reaffirms it. Hoppy flavours of lychee, mango, guava, and plenty of citrus. The malt is slightly sweet, and towards the finish, reveals a little wheat bread note. The fruitiness of the hops subsides, allowing some pithiness to surface, along with some rind notes. A mild bitterness accompanies this, and then some Simcoe-driven peppery notes emerge, pairing up with that wheat bread and citrus pith, in a slow fading finish.

Mouthfeel/Body: The ale is medium-bodied with a soft, round fullness to it - primarily the smooth malty sweetness. It isn't heavy, fluffy, or particularly full, but there's definitely some softness. It remains relatively crisp for the ABV, but this is right at the gate of double IPA territory. Effervescence is zippy and lively, and helps keep this fairly crisp. A bit of stickiness, but it dries out fairly well.

Overall: This is a well-made New England-style IPA, and personally, it reminds me of several Bissell Brothers offerings - in terms of flavour. Now, I'm not a huge fan of dry/late hopped Simcoe. I've said that a million times. More often than not, Simcoe ruins a NEIPA for me. It's not too heavy here, but it definitely lends that earthy, musty, overripe character. Looking past that, I see no flaws with this beer, and I can't dock it for a hop i don't like. A little less sweetness would benefit it, but as it stands, it's a great IPA, and many people will fall in love with it.
Jun 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by EMH73 from New York

May 29, 2020
Photo of Pinz412
Reviewed by Pinz412 from Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Look - poured into a craftmaster glass, Duende is a bright and vibrant yellow orange haze with translucency setting in around the edges of the glass. The head was ample with large fluffy CO2 clouds that settled into a thin and persistent foam cap.
Smell - Citrusy hops with a touch of alcohol astringency.
Taste - The flavor builds from a quick hit of bitterness and then fades into a juicy finish. Candied hops, orange, and nectarine provide a sweet balance to the initial bite.
Feel - The fluffy head was foreshadowing for a soft pillowy texture.
Overall - High quality haze with a very nice juicy finish. Easy drinking and satisfying.
May 25, 2020
Photo of rajendra82
Reviewed by rajendra82 from Georgia

4.3/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Hazy, juice like pour, as is the norm for the style. The body was golden in color, and the head was two fingers thick. The smell was that of tropical fruits, such as pineapple and guava. The taste was heavy on pineapple. There was bit of white pepper in the finish. Alcohol was very well hidden. The finish was acidic and the feel very soft. Nicely done beer.
May 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by godawgs from Louisiana

Jan 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.74 by sarpedon52 from Georgia

Dec 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4.29 by shivtim from Georgia

Dec 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.3 by crobinso from Colorado

Oct 28, 2019
Duende from Creature Comforts
Beer rating: 97 out of 100 with 88 ratings