Well, I spent most of the day running from the car dealership to the credit union, but we finally closed on the minivan we were considering… just in time to pack it up and head to my old stomping grounds at the University of Missouri-Columbia for Homecoming. We took the kids around to look at the house decorations and got back to the hotel late. I was hoping to find a new type of seasonal beer in Columbia, but with all the running around, I wasn’t able to find one. However, I brought this beer along, and while it’s not a Marzen or Pumpkin beer, I think it (admittedly, somewhat loosely) fits the criteria for a seasonal October beer – and with the name Devil Dancer, it’s perfect for the week before Halloween. The bottle says it has 112 IBUs and is 12%ABV, perfect after a long day of running around.
In the plastic hotel cup, it appeared to be a hazy orangish color, and there was no head on it. There was a bit of a muddy, grassy hop aroma that is a little hard to describe. It’s a hoppy smell, but a mashup of piney, grassy, floral, and earthy hop aromas.
You can guess that at 12%ABV, it’s pretty full bodied, but with little head and carbonation in it, it’s almost syrupy smooth. There’s a very sweet hop flavor up front, which gives way to a much bigger sort of muddy, grassy, and piney hop flavor. The hop flavor lasts well after the finish and it is almost like sucking on a hop. There was also on obvious alcohol heat coming through after several sips of it.
Much like other enormous IPAs, it’s not meant to be paired with a food. It’s meant to be tasted and sipped all on its own. It reminds me quite a bit of Avery’s Maharaja, but with a bit more hop bite in the finish and aftertaste. Overall, I thought it was an interesting beer with the huge hop and alcohol they were going for, but I think I prefer the double IPAs to this Triple IPA.
UPDATE: 1/5/11 – I had another one of these from the 4 pack I originally purchased, and it was much improved. The hop flavor was a little clearer and better tasting. I’ve still got a couple I’m sitting on, but I’m not sure how much more I want the hop flavor to fade.
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