Victory HopDevil

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

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

Not overly hoppy, smooth IPA. Probably the best Victory beer I have tried.

Yes. I’m a rookie in here. However, this beer is fantastic! My 1st go with it was with a variety of sausages and sauerkraut. This has established a love affair. I had my 2nd go with it about 2 weeks later. Initially sharing it again with a smoked sausage and sauerkraut from European Street Cafe. There was however a little competition with the shortly thereafter consumed Rubin Sandwich. Still worked for me though. You know... the way you put up with the person you love’s little odd "tasting" moments but you keep going anyway? Yeah that’s what I mean. Now that being said I absolutely love this beer. I don’t have all those fancy descriptions to apply to it but for the most part they sound like something I’d say if I knew what Pine-in-a-beer tasted like. If I wasn’t certain of what hops tasted like.... I can’t say that anymore.

The color is very attractive being a rusty copper with a full white head that leaves fantastic sheets of lacing behind. Lovely full citrusy aroma with a strong twinge of pine. There’s a nice light aroma of apple and grapefruit in this that is rather nice. Some other delicious notes of sweet caramel drizzled over a bouquet of cotton candy. There is also an underlying earthiness that is really quite nice. Wow, what a complex aroma! The taste is surprisingly more mild than I expected...not mild in general, just more than I expected. Having said that, I really don’t feel much bitterness from this one. Straight away the flavor reminded me of grape candy, soft sweet fruits like apple, a grapefruit with sugar, and caramel with a small touch of coffee just to give it a balance of bitterness. It’s rather incredible that a beer this big can be so smooth, the hops are tamed by the sweet candy malts. The finish is about medium with the bitterness coming in a bit there.

bottle Aroma: light malt, heavy hops, yeast is there but it is overwhelmed by the hops, citrus fruit highlights and a tinge of ear wax (seriously); Appearance: large, creamy, mostly lasting, off-white head, good lacing, normal, normal (tiny particles) body and amber hue; Taste: heavily acidic, moderately bitter and average duration; Palate: full body, dry texture, lively carbonation, and moderate alcoholic finish; Overall: I am partial to hops beer but this does have a good clear hop profile. Not a beer for food really but to be consumed for itself. It will clean the palate and TexMex, and spicy Chinese will be enhanced by this beer

Bottle. Pours clear amber-orange, thick foamy white head remnant and lacing the glass. Aromas pleasant but not particularly distinguishable, just floral, citrus and tropical. Medium to full body for the IPA; sweet pale and dark malt flavours overly the bitterness, but the combination leaving a somewhat spicy, bitter and chewy finish. The beer is less hop influenced than i expected, but still a nice one nonetheless.

12 oz. -> Eng. Pint. The bottle was one of 12 hand-delivered by a buddy from Delaware - thanks, Scott! Pours a burnt orange, amber-ish color with a subtle pink (!) undertone. Head is eggshell, and dissipated quickly. Minimal lacing. Slight haze, but generally translucent. Smells syrupy, resiny, grassy, and slightly malty. Tastes of hard citrus and pine bitterness - think the most awful grapefruit ever made into a smoothie with pine needles - before mellowing slightly with a balancing shot of malty sweetness. Nothing too extreme; just enough to take a bit of the bitterness off. An overall excellent beer, enjoyed while listening to a mix consisting of Radiohead, Eric B. & Rakim, Aphex Twin, The Police, etc. Choice.

12 oz bottle. Pours slightly transparent amber topped by a tan frothy head. Suprisingly light lacing as consumed. Nose is strongly dominated by grapefruit with just a sprinkling of sweet maltiness. Mouthfeel is a suprising combination of silky smooth and oily slickness. The flavor is YUMMM!!!!! The grapefruit bitterness leaps out before the caramel nutty sweetness can get it in check, but it does hold it in check. Holds a nice balance after the initial hop bomb, then closes out with a pine resin finish. Very pleased with this selection and at 6.7ABV it is worthy of a few more pours.

Pours a hazy almost Orange color with a nice white head. Aroma of pine, grapefruit, and hop flowers. Taste is exactly what you would expect from the aroma. Started out more of a grapefruit/Hop flavor while cold, but when it warmed a little, then it turned a little toward the pine/Hop side, that may be a tart cherry flavor in the first sips....a mellow German malt bitterness, compliments each other nicely. No Lacing. Wow, 6.7% I never would have guessed.