Victory Wild Devil

Check out this thread from the Mid-Atlantic board:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/victory-wild-devil.191172/

Apparently this batch is more brett forward than it was in the past- imo, you definitely don't need to age it this time around. Both times I had it recently there was a distinctive floral brett character, but it didn't overwhelm the rest of the beer.

 

I was not a fan and thoroughly disappointed. I was hoping for more balance.

 

To be honest, it's hard to put a finger on. It seemed like there was a sharpness to the hop presence and the "funk/sour" wasn't enough.I suppose I was hoping more for a well made sour that had a nice hop character. Hey, you may like it.

 

I had this a little over a month ago and thought the Brett was much more pronounced this time around than previous versions. I enjoyed it and I kind of wish I grabbed a couple more bottles for comparisons sake. I'd say you're safe to drink now.

 

I'll be opening some soon...

 

I had a bomber a couple weeks ago and it was a very strong brett flavor. I was a little disappointed that it overwhelmed the hops and was much more wild than IPA. Closer to the Flanders' Reds than I've had than an IPA in my opinion, but you will like the beer if you like those kinds of of wild and sour beers. Overall I liked it, but it didn't have the hop flavor or aroma to live up to my hopes for a "Wild IPA".

 

Brett DOES NOT equal sour. This was never supposed to be anything like a "sour" beer. It's their Hop Devil IPA with brett, nothing more. When you understand that and what flavors brett gives off (funk), this beer is well done.

 

The wild devil I remember from years ago was so brett heavy that it displayed an outrageous amount of leather and horseblanket character to the point where it was hardly recognizeable as "hop devil" any more. A very drastic transformation to say the least.

The new batch of wild devil I drank last week did not display any of the leathery brett qualities that were so prevalent in past batches. Perhaps it just needs more time but im not buying any more with the hope of a drastic transformation.

 

I had a pint of Victory Wild Devil at the Victory Brewpub. The Brett character (funk) was noticeable. IMO, it did not overwhelm the hops. IMO, the Brett induced flavors and the hop flavors were pretty well balanced.

Cheers!

 

I thought wild devil was exceptional.

The mouthfeel on this one is creamy and and with a bit of softness underlies a powerful collection of earthy and funky flavor with some fruit and a soft breaddy sweetness that keeps you going back for more as a sharp bitter finishes this one dry.

 

I had a similar experience with this latest batch. It was missing a lot of the brett characteristics I recall from the versions I had a few years back. It was obvious it was not a typical IPA yeast -- it had a lot of saison and belgian qualities -- but it lacked that earthy, leathery, horsey funk I enjoy.

 

Throw me in this camp as well. I don't recall aging my Wild Devil the first time around, but I definitely found this batch to be much more tame/balanced than the 2009 version.

 

You do know it is Victory's Hop Devil IPA with a different yeast strain, correct? I'm not sure why you would ever think it was a sour, it's a brett infused IPA, I would think that was pretty clear.

Totally disagree. For me the 2009 was way more Hop Devil-y and less brett-y. This version for me is just the opposite. The hops are somewhat subdued and the brett is more pronounced even when fresh. I aged the 2009 specifically to get more brett from it, and it worked. I aged it 6-9 months (a few bottles) and the brett definitely came out more. I'll probably age one from this year (still have 3 left) for 6-9 months and see how it tastes but I fully expect it to become very brett-y.

Overall I think this batch is excellent.

 

I hate sours more than I can express in words, and I didn't mind that beer at all (had it at a Total Wine Beer Tasting)

 

Probably cause it's not a sour....

 

It's not a sour.