HopDevil
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

 

RB transfer

 

Very drinkable IPA. Clear, golden color with a decent, white head. Not the usual nowadays tropical fruits bomb. Well balanced, with a nice bite of bitterness and hoppy aftertaste.

 

L= Root beer, Bourbon Beauty.
S= Grape ,Banana Bread
T= Bitter Fudge Forward.Hoppy After Glow.
F= Mild Pop Rocks, juicy hop puddles
O= Masterfully balance hop malt blend. Gorgeous explosion of hops with a seductive malt backbone.

 

 

Review: 2155
Name: Hop Devil
Brewery: Victory Brewing
Location: Downingtown, PA
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.7%
Date: Unknown, but I know it is fresh
I've been eager to try this beer for some time, and I'm grateful to David for providing me with the opportunity. Served in a Belcher glass at 44 degrees, the pour creates a frothy, dense, two-fingered, light tan head with excellent retention. The slow dissipation leaves bits of lacing all over the glass. This IPA is a darker shade than most, charting at SRM 14 dark amber with rust orange hues, yet it maintains a clear to brilliant clarity. The lazy carbonation bubble adds a touch of intrigue to the overall appearance, which I would rate as above average.
Nosing the glass, I get those classic bright West Coast Hop aromas of grapefruit, pine, resins, floral blossoms, and light oranges. A massive malt profile anchors the hops firmly with caramel, biscuit, bread, and toasted malt aromas. Other aromas I notice are yeast and light earthiness. The beer is pure American IPA with no frills, and I love it.
The extensive malt profile does hinder the hops a touch, but not enough to hide its aggressiveness. The hops are floral blossoms, oranges, bay leaves, grapefruit, pine needles, and resin. The malt profile is a toasted bread crust with caramel, toasted malts, notes of biscuit, and malty sweetness. Other flavors are light phenol from the yeast.
The mouthfeel is astringent, and the finish is somewhat tannic. The body is medium and has medium carbonation.
While I was expecting a more pronounced hop explosion, the malt backbone in this beer, while cumbersome, adds a delightful malty sweetness that somewhat overpowers the hops. This is a lovely IPA that's easy to drink and enjoy. I'm grateful for the chance to savor it and look forward to doing so again.

 

Pours a clear dark amber with thick, fluffy head.

Smell is fruity and a bit sweet. Notes of peine, red berries, citrus, caramel and sponge cake.

Taste is fruity and a bit sweet with a solid bitterness. Notes of pine, wood, citrus, caramel and red berries.

Mouthfeel is medium, a bit sticky and well carbonated.

Overall, a very nice, classic IPA.

I had this beer at the very beginning of my beer journey. Set absurd expectations for IPA and what hops are.

 

 

Not as good as I remembered it from back in '08.

From a fresh tapped sixtel keg. ...Tastes like an experiment. If there was a target, they missed it. Has a lot of good in it, but the combination doesn't work. Sort of like an Oktoberfest or Marzan trying to be a high gravity/bubbly IPA. But it looks luscious, creamy head, nice nose, but then goes South.

 

 

Poured a semi-lucid copper color from a 12 oz. bottle (Best by Feb. 15 23) into a standard pint glass with a creamy barley colored finger high head that clings to the glass as it recedes. Aroma is mainly malty with overtones of cereal grain and grapefruit. Taste is bitter throughout but very well balanced with the malty sweetness and spicy alcohol flavor on the follow through. The bitterness lingers with creamy thickness in the mouth for this medium to full bodied brew. There is even a nice carbonation tingle on the tongue. It's been so long since I've had one of these that I had forgotten how good they are. This is an iconic ale that lives up to the hype.