Devil's Backbone
Real Ale Brewing Company

Devil's BackboneDevil's Backbone
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From:
Real Ale Brewing Company
 
Texas, United States
Style:
Tripel
Ranked #149
ABV:
8.1%
Score:
87
Ranked #17,884
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 13.77%
Reviews:
216
Ratings:
904
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 10, 2023
Added:
May 18, 2005
Wants:
  56
Gots:
  364
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by SmellsofMahagony:
Photo of SmellsofMahagony
Rated by SmellsofMahagony from Texas

4/5  rDev +3.9%

May 20, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.97 by Sinister-Palm from Mexico

Sep 10, 2023
Photo of RobertTexas
Reviewed by RobertTexas

4.75/5  rDev +23.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
This is my go 2 summer and fall beer, pale golden in color with a bit of spice that goes down smooth with a slightly sweet finish. Great flavor and aroma!
Aug 06, 2023
 
Rated: 3.93 by Mardinae from Texas

Apr 22, 2023
Photo of PersonFella
Rated by PersonFella from Texas

4.47/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Best on tap. Best summer barbeque beer. Best to drink at a wedding.
Apr 09, 2023
Photo of Bluerabbitbell
Reviewed by Bluerabbitbell from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3/29/23 12 oz bottle at Fat Boy Burgers in Johnson City TX. End of a good day in San Antonio.

Clear amber

Slight Belgian aroma. Sweet, malty.

Taste follows. Bubble gum. Spice a bit.
Mar 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.24 by KensWorld from Florida

Mar 16, 2023
Photo of NorsemanOne
Reviewed by NorsemanOne from Utah

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle poured into a shaker pint

Pours a clear and neat gold with a finger white head

Spiced, boozy and candy sweet aroma

Mild hops, alcohol burn with even sweetness

Warming and full bodied
Mar 01, 2023
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Super tall boy can, best by 2023/06/11
Pours a frothy semi creamy 1/2 finger frothy head with good retention, some messy lacing, mostly clear slight chill hazed orange-gold color

Nose big sweet candy malts, biscuity, a bit of toffee, buttered crusty biscuits and bread, golden sweet malt, a little buttery diacetyl, fair amount of vanilla almost as if barrel aged, orange vanilla spice, general fruity esters especially the citrus side, candied orange, little tree fruit, banana, light peppery phenol spices

Taste brings more sweet malts up front, sweet golden biscuity malt, again buttered biscuits with a little buttery popcorn diacetyl, a little toasted bread dough and biscuity, with a hint of sweet candy, and a nice sugar cookie, into the fruity esters, candied citrus and apple/pear pome fruit, a bit of banana again as well, then more vanilla orange, vanilla spice, with some phenol general floral spices, a bit of bitterness, light perfumey alcohol, mild sticky sweet finish with more lingering mild spicy hop

Mouth is med bod, a little creamy and buttery, med to a bit higher frothy carb

Overall pretty nice, diacetyl is OK is moderate levels, nice alcohol levels and yeast additions, quite nice on that side, I would love to see this barrel aged in like a wine barrel or something
Feb 21, 2023
Photo of stormsj
Reviewed by stormsj from Texas

4.36/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
I had to review this beer here mostly because I am quite sure that real ale has refined it since I last tried it a few years back. Prior it wasn't bad, but technically had a more German Doppelboch sorta character almost than a Belgian Trippel. I just decided to try it again more recently and realized it's a proper Belgian Trippel style now. If you are in TX and want a good and bit more affordable than other imported Trippels this is a totally viable option now.

I don't know that it's ranking against other Trippels on here is fair or not... But will say it probably has a bit higher IBU and bit more of the IPA bitter than a proper Trippel tends to have. It's not a bitter beer at all... Just more than well known actual Belgian Trippel. Very good beer though if you want an affordable Belgian Trippel and wasn't the case not so long ago with the same beer.... Good on Real Ale for refining this beer.
Jan 22, 2023
Photo of jgalaz
Rated by jgalaz from California

4.02/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Interesting and yummy, slightly bitter beer!
Dec 24, 2022
Photo of tyden46
Rated by tyden46

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pretty smooth; orange pith flavor with a little wheat flavor. Pretty mid.
Dec 10, 2022
 
Rated: 1 by Ajc2936 from Texas

Aug 09, 2022
Photo of Kaze1233
Rated by Kaze1233

1.4/5  rDev -63.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
Tasted like straight up cloves like another reviewer said.
Jul 16, 2022
 
Rated: 3.83 by beaulabauve from Louisiana

Jun 27, 2022
 
Rated: 3.94 by Walnut from Missouri

Jun 25, 2022
 
Rated: 3.93 by nyrblue2 from New York

May 18, 2022
Photo of JohnniEMc
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
The attempt at fitting two twelve ounce cans' contents into a clear glass liter mug had to be paused. Perhaps it's because the cans were at room temperature, or maybe it's because of an abundance of carbonation, but a gentle pour still produced billowing white foam on top of the liquid. Often, wheat in the wort can provoke such a result. The head is nearly stark white, in contrast to the light and bright copper-amber color of the brew. The beer is almost translucent and many bubbles just keep appearing. As the foam receded, it left almost no lacing. Hops, yeast and alcohol can be detected by the nose, but the overall is somewhat vague, perhaps piney. The mouthfeel isn't as effervescent as all those bubbles had indicated. The hops are fairly bitter and in a piney sort of way. There's only a hint of a malty backbone to compete with the hops and alcohol burn. A significant amount of the sweetness comes from the alcohol and grain mixture. Then, at the finish, it's like the alcohol switches sides and with its burn, augments the bitterness of the hops. This emphasis on the alcohol isn't all negative, as it is an Imperial or Tripel IPA and that is the defining measure. There is very little yeast to its taste. Yes, it does have some transitional properties and that gives it a reasonable taste experience. Even with some wheat included, the body is at least mediocre, a compliment for many wheat infused beers. However, if this would be consumed simultaneously with something like The Alchemist's Crusher, which basically has the same ABV and doesn't shortchange the barley malt to include more wheat, this rating would drop precipitously. This is a tolerable, but not necessarily pleasant way to get buzzed by a nine plus percent ABV.
May 10, 2022
 
Rated: 4.03 by mfigueroa713 from Texas

Mar 29, 2022
Photo of UrbanCaveman
Reviewed by UrbanCaveman from Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12 oz bottle, poured into a tulip at ~40 degrees F.

L: Pours a slightly hazy clover honey-gold, and forms a couple fingers of white head with okay retention.

S: Bready malts, ripe wheat, and an array of spices - coriander, cardamom, clove, and pepper.

T: Citrus and spice hits front and center, heavy on the coriander and orange pith. There's a bready malt backbone beneath, and some fruity notes: pear, peach, and white grapes, with a hint of banana. Faint ghosts of the other spices from the nose play about the edges.

F: Fluffy and full.

O: Not a bad tripel. I enjoyed it.
Feb 18, 2022
Devil's Backbone from Real Ale Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 904 ratings