Victory HopDevil

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

Red amber body, toasty colored head. Aroma is floral with some resin present. Bitter flavor, mostly hops with some sticky resin notes. Finishes out with a bitter aftertaste.

Maybe I just got spoiled by the Mikkeller IPAs last night but to me this Hop Devil is sort of bland. It’s good, no question, definitely above average, but the taste seems to be just hops and a bit of "smoky" character or something. Slightly "dirty", but in a good way. Interesting brew, but leaves something to be desired. Hop Wallop is better by a wide margin.

Victory Brewing Company--Hop Devil India Pale Ale--12 oz. Bottle. 6.7% ABV--65 IBU’s. 2002 Release. (4.5 / 5.0) Clear thin amber color. Medium floral earthy front. Sweet lightly toasted balanced creamy caramel body. Big earthy hop lingering sweet toasted end. Thick laced head. Sweet light citrus notes. Sampled 3/17/2002. 2004-A Release. (4.0 / 5.0) Clear amber golden color. Mild lacy head. Huge earthy floral hop front. Sweet bitter rich caramel malt hoppy earthy crusty spicy mild citrus fruit body. Rich tart bitter hop end. Unbalanced Big Hop Brew. Sampled 3/8/2004. 2004-B Release. (4.25 / 5.0) Rich lacy head. Clear bright amber color. Rich earthy floral hop front. Smooth malty mild toasted caramel dry sweet crusty earthy body. Creamy balanced mild hop spice end. Easy over-hyped IPA. Sampled 12/12/2004. 2007 Release. (4.25 / 5.0) 3 @ $2.49 Each. Mild lace head. Bright BC hazy rich amber orange color. Malty mild toasted earthy floral hop front. Crusty rich creamy caramel mild sweet citrus ester earthy body. Tangy balanced bitter hop end. Sampled 11/27/2007.

Poured into a Unibroue Tulip Glass, has a very nice reddish color with a good amount of carbonation, but not too much. Aroma comes out more as it warms up, strong hoppy scent, but not overwhelming. Smooth balance of malt and hops, but hops definitely dominant. Strong hoppy aftertaste -- if you like that sorta thing. The hops mellowed out a bit as it warmed up. Slightly fizzy feel, but not in a negative way. I can usually drink about two of these in a row before I have to move to an ale or witbier to cleanse the palate, just because the hops are so prevalent. This beer just exudes hops.

Nicely balanced beer with a strong hop presence. I wasn’t expecting a great beer (not sure why), but was pleasantly surprised by this brew.

Beautifyl golden brown color. Nice small bubble carbonation. The nose is piney, citrus, and peppery. The head stays around for a while (or it was the way the waiter poured it, not the best work I’ve seen since it overflowed the glass and went all over the table). The finish was a bit gritty, and oily not sure why. It was not as flavorful of the finish as it was in the begining.

12 oz bottle from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, served in an English pint. Pours deep amber with tall frothy off-white head. Good head retention and good lacing. Aroma is mostly hoppy, but hops are paired with a fair amount of malt. Hops are piney and floral, with a touch of citrus and grass. Malts are caramel and grain. Flavour is mostly bitter hops but malts manage to peek through, providing a slightly sweet character. Finish is long and malty. Medium in body with a sticky texture and soft carbonation. An excellent IPA overall, much better balanced than many American IPAs that try to beat you over the head with hops. This one is hoppy, but it doesn’t neglect malts. Alcohol is well-hidden; it’s hard to believe this one is 6.7% ABV. Very sessionable; one of my favourite IPAs. 2010-03-10

little too much crystal in this for me in a ipa but still a descent beer on its own