Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

For the times when you say ’I want a little complexity with my wicked buzz’. Smells like candied peaches, cured meats and alcohol. Flavor has great sweet alcohol bite that you yearn for on a cold night. Like rum cake made with cheap rum and pit fruits. The hops come at the finish with a rush of bitterness at the end that lingers awhile. Hits the spot for a very specific niche but is very hot to handle. Thank You Founders. 12 oz.

Pours a murky bruised peach-amber with a thin, creamy light beige head. Aroma is huge caramel, lots of citrus hops, light woodiness, a hint of berry candy, light toasted granola and sweet hay. As it warms more ethanol, caramel and light fruity notes come out. Flavor is dark caramel,toasted granola, a hint of honey, a nice bright pine note - like somebody put the whole tree through a chipper and made a beer with it - seems very fresh and lightly woody, ethanol, light toffee, a touch of mango, roasted nuts. As it warms more ethanol, some floral honey and lighter citrus notes come out. Finishes with lightly bitter citrus, pine, some grassiness a hint of wood and a sweet caramel, toffee, tropical fruit salad backbone. Palate is creamy on entry, lightly carbonated and still fairly creamy to the finish, slightly sticky and oily on the lips, it fits the profile wonerfully. This stuff is pretty amazing, I really wish it was a little more fresh, I don’t know how old this is exactly but I would imagine it would be even more amazing right out of the bottling line.

A red, deep amber hazy color with a small white head. Light smokey hop scent accented with caramel and malt sweetness and a touch of alcohol. Robust medium bodied mouthfeel with big hop flavor and plenty of malt for balance. The finish is crisp, hoppy, and short to average in length with a touch of alcohol hidden away.

Poured reddish amber, sweet, hoppy, alcohol, caramel, malty, citrus, bitter finish.

bottle shared with maniac. Semi-clear reddish amber with small tan thin head. Nose is massive sweet maltiness and slight cherries. Amazing job of hiding the abv. After a year of age, this has mellowed nicely.

12oz bottle from Binny’s River Grove. Pours dark reddish orange with thin white head. Aroma is citrus hops, sweet malt, caramel, and some light booze. Flavor is loaded with sweet malt, caramel, citrus, hop bitterness and finishes boozy and overly sweet. I bought the bottle at room temperature and threw it in the freezer and found it quite enjoyable when it was really cold, but as it warmed it turned into a cloying sweet boozy mess. Almost had a cough syrup quality at the end. Reminded me of a poorman.s DFH 120. I love Founders and DIPAs but I am not digging this.

Poured from bottle into Nonic Imperial Pint. Burnt reddish-copper with thin head and slight lacing. Aroma of sweet fruity malts, grapefruit and citrus hops, some alcohol noticeable in the background. Hop onslaught - definite grapefruit and citrus. Complex sweet malts, with caramel, toast and fruit. Somewhat bitter at the finish. 112 IBUs? - not that I can tell, but I am sure the 12% alcohol is tempering the bitterness. However, the hop oils really do coat the tongue. Slight taste of alcohol (less than expected). Thick and chewy, extremely smooth, low carbonation. Warming. Excellent slow sipper (I took an hour). Overall, great balance of hops and malt but the relatively low bitterness makes this seem more like a hop-forward Barleywine than an Imperial IPA.

Bottle. Moderate to heavy malt aromas of roasted and caramel, heavy orange and spruce for the hops, moderate broth for the yeast, and date, cherry brown sugar and tobacco in the background. Head is small creamy/frothy, off-white, with fair lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is clear orange/red. Flavor starts moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then the long finish is lightly sweet and acidic, and moderately bitter. Palate is medium to full, creamy, with a soft carbonation and a heavily alcoholic finish. A softer carbonation than I expected, but this is still a world class DIPA.