Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Clear, ripe crimson appearance, hot in looks alone, so far, with a big, creamy, near-tan froth above, slow to simmer down. Aroma: good Lord, it’s good, a barleywine aroma, huge, malty, fruity, rich in dark fruit, berries, cherries, grapes, with an extra brandy-ish, boozy twist, yes, sharp and strong as we drink it in well, damn, it’s invigorating! Not smelling as much like an IPA, triple or not, but a big, fat barleywine. Alcoholic heat gets hotter, and it nears a cognac-y feel, definitely a brandy-ish sort of barlleywine, more than any kind of IPA, despite what the label tells you. Taste, already!...Lush, rich, thick, and utterly delicious...very full, malty feel all over the sensory receptors, turns the entire mouth into a playground for these huge malty flavors, a fat fortress of fruit and malty sweetness, a swelling ground for verdant wonders, plush delights, fantastic flavors...the booze rarely clashes with the enjoyment of it all, for it meshes so well with the flavor that it’s almost hard to notice...almost, for it so surely does it’s trick, of sneaking in it’s strength, that, I fear, it’s nighty-night time! "Triple IPA", a la the label, is way too cute. It’s a hot and hugely flavorful barleywine, but it’s way beyond an IPA, sorry, folks. Classify elsewhere, for this has successfully stretched beyond the boundaries and doesn’t beong to that category any longer. Mouthfeel is thick and vinous, finish is long, fruity, alcoholic, and sticky, body is full as can be... Why it’s in a mere 12 ounce bottle, and then how they can get away with $4 per, is a big fat mystery to me. Put it in a bomber size serving, then bring the price down, just a smidge, then you’ll have the MidWestern Equivelent of Stone Double Bastard, and then some! But, if it needed to be said, Founders has proven themselves with this brew, as if they hadn’t already! Having said the above, I’ve nothing left to do, but let this thick, rich, slick, toasty,oily, malty brew slosh about my mouth and rinse my tongue over and over...the 13% ABV hasn’t punished me yet, but we’ll know in the morning, maybe...for the moment, as I finish it, it’s a hit, a hell of a brew, the kind of thing I wish I had more of,...for special occasions, when the irristible urge for devil dancing inevitably arises!

Damn good stuff. Pours an unfiltered amber with a slowly diminishing head. Immediately I smell the barley, searing bitterness, citrus zest, woodiness, booze and plastic. I taste more barley than hops in this beer but there’s still a lot of them to go around: piney, strong wafting and woodsy. Quite the brew!

This imperial IPA is as claimed by Founders: "massive in complexity." I have sampled it fresh, one year old, and two years old (but not at one sitting). Each vintage was different, but all three were fantastic. I liked the one-year old most.

12 ounce bottle. This is a big IPA. Pine, spicy, citrus hop character. Some caramel/crystal malts to balance the bitterness. The hop resins are dominating my palate. A good beer. I would find it hard to drink more then one of these in a sitting.Big and resiny.

This is what I expect of a double imperial IPA every time. that said. Poured on tulip. copper color almost no head with a clear and clean body and it looks dense and very oily. The hop aroma is very predominant that makes it hard to define other aromas but i do smell some roasted pine nuts. taste is heavy on the hops up front, malty and tiny hint of sweetness at the end. the best part is the body which is oily, and creamy.

29th August 2009
Hazy deep red-amber beer. Light silky palate. Immediate alcohol aniseed and rich bitter hops. Lingering rich malt and a long bitter hop aftertaste. An intense IPA with some barleywine character. Carbonated bite to finish. Marvelous!

Draught from Tiger’s founders event. HUGE ass beer with hardcore hops and some nice maltiness. Well camou’d alco. Danger Will Robinson....

Bottle. Pours a cloudy copper with small white frothy head. The aroma is floral hops and grapefruit.  Thick mouthfeel with a sweet hop and nice light bitter finish. Easy to drink a very impressive IIPA from Founders. 

Draft at Mugs Alehouse. This beer needs to be consumed when fresh and fresh it was. Intense aroma of complex hops, Lovely golden colour and not too dark, pretty intense on the palate, lively carbonation and mouth feel, I get hops and honey not too much caramel which is good and some alcohol on the finish. Would drink again in moderation of course.

Draught@Founders Brewer Night of The Pony Bar, NYC
Deep red, slightly hazy color, small off-white head. Very hoppy nose has berryish nose: rasberries, strawberries - I would say even marijuana. Full-bodied. Fruity, very hoppy flavor. Did I say ganja in aroma? It’s also in the flavor. Berries, grass, very resiny flavor. Marmelade malty backbone.

Bottle. Pours copper with almost zero head. The smell on this is ultra hops with some caramel. Taste is as bitter as out gets and the palate thick as hell. This is killer but be warned, a bit of booze on the finish. If you are not afraid of some alcohol bite in your DIPA, this is awesome. "Triple" IPA.