Devine Rebel - BrewDog

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a snifter)
Bottled 07/05/09
A- This beer pours a dense murky deep brown body with a garnet-red hue at the base. There is a thin film of big bubbles that soon fades.

S- The nice mix of toffee and toasted oak balance well and are rich.

T- The toffee is more rich and luscious than in the nose with some nice caramel flavors in the finish. It balances with the soft oak and some more toasted wood flavors come through as it opens. There is a fruity ester note in the finish with some peat hints and green herbaceous wood notes. There is a bit of a mineral water taste in the middle as it opens.

M- The medium mouthfeel has a hint of fizz and some soft alcohol heat that grows as the beer warms.

O- This beer has a Traquair House yeast character along with the great English barleywine character and a nice mellow oak flavor that blends in to the toffee. It does get a bit watery in flavor as it opens up but it is still a wonderful beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 14:47:02 | More by rhoadsrage

JayQue

Virginia

3.79/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pretty good English Barleywine. This must have been brewed more than once. I can't believe I kept a 12 oz beer for 4 years. Pours a hazy amber color with a fast fading, tiny light tan head. Nothing much in the way of lacing. Good aroma. Caramel malts, sugar, oak, and whiskey.

Taste is the same. This is a powerful sipping beer. Some good flavors, a bit of hops as well but not like an American barleywine.

The alcohol is overdone a bit. Takes from the overall effect of the beer. If this beer is really 4-5 years old, it must have been really hot when fresh.

BrewDog is a bit over the top and this beer is no exception. Interesting but not great.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 01:13:45 | More by JayQue

XicanoBeerRun

Texas

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reddish brown with a fizzy head that covered the surface but faded fast

Smells like oak, dates, cherry candies, and tobacco. Taste reflects smell. In addition I get chocolate, which I think masks the alcohol content. Slightly bitter, which I didn't expect. I taste licorice as it warms up. I'm amazed I don't taste booze.

Light carbonation, good mouth feel.

Not sure if they put this out every year, but I would have another.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 17:39:11 | More by XicanoBeerRun

ngeunit1

California

4.16/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Murky red-brown with a finger of frothy khaki-tan head. Fades normal.

S - Sweet caramel and caramelized malts, brown sugar, oak, vanilla, whisky, citrus hops, dark fruits, some booze.

T - Sweet caramel malts, caramelized and brown sugars, vanilla, oak, whisky, dark fruits, citrus hops, some hop bitterness, some booze.

M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet and warming finish.

D - Nice big barrel aged barleywine. Great overall balance.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 03:52:15 | More by ngeunit1

cigarchitect

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottled 07-05-09

Referred to as a "malt beverage aged in Scottish Whisky barrels.
Poured into a wine glass.

A: Pours a deep opaque amber-ish brown. Thin brief head with fairly aggressive pour. No lacing to speak of as I get to the bottom. Looks a bit like a cider.

S: Caramel, vanilla, hint of dark fruit, booze is evident.

T: Mostly bready toasty sweet with a slight tang of fruit. Maltiness is well balanced. Seems to lack that caramel-vanilla notes hinted at in the nose and expected considering it was aged in scotch barrels. Burnt Sugar slightly dry aftertaste.

M: Thinner than expected. Well carbonated. Very smooth. Booze is more evident in the nose than in your mouth. A dangerous sipper it seems.

O: I would definitely drink this again if I had the chance. It has some depth and character reminiscent of some of my favorite barleywines and old ales. I am no expert but I would guess that it is the champagne yeast that is causing some of the off notes I am getting on the finish. But those off flavors are hardly noticeable and are trumped by the delicious malty sweet bread notes.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 00:28:41 | More by cigarchitect

WorldWideStout

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Initially the pour produces quite a good head for a barleywine of this strength - over one finger of beige foam. It doesn't stick around for long, but it's still more than you get from similar beers. Decent legs.

S: Sherry and a bit of soy sauce. Uh oh - did I wait too long on this?

T: Phew. There is a touch of sherry at the beginning, but then a welcoming rum raisin taste, akin to JW Lees, floods in. There is still a tinge of alcohol, but not much. The aftertaste is the worst part; it is bitter and slightly metallic at times.

M: The mouthfeel does not detract from the taste, but I find it to be a thin for this style. It is certainly smooth, but doesn't carry the weight I would like.

O: A good beer. I won't particularly miss it, as I can probably find some JW Lees for less than I paid for Devine Rebel, but I'm glad to have tried it.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 04:54:15 | More by WorldWideStout

ckollias

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Pours a brown caramel color with a thin 1-finger tan head that quickly dissipates in to a wispy lace leaving no trail down the glass.

S: Very malty aroma with toffee and roasted barley background .

T: Sweet malty flavor with hints of scotch in the background. There are some complex flavors that would have aged nicely.

M: Very strong and boozy. Heavy body and medium carbonation.

O: Great sipping beer at 12.50% abv. Nothing I could drink more than one of.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 01:44:12 | More by ckollias

ZombiesAteMyDog

Indiana

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled on 07/05/09, so this beast is just over 3-years-old. I found this at a local liquor store in the On Sale bin for $3 a pop... It was originally $12.

A - Thin, chestnut-colored ale with no head or lacing. It's not too murky, and I don't see and large floaters.

S - Smells sweet with big malt, dark fruit, brown sugar, and some bready yeast.

T - Fallows the nose, but more complex. There's some nice peat smoke flavor coming through and a tad of vanilla/earthiness which lingers. The barrel-aging, along with the 3 year bottle conditioning, has done wonders for this one...Quite nice.

M - Very smooth for a 12+% brew. The alcohol is well hidden for such a high %. I'm glad this was only 25% barrel-aged because the heat would have been too much with a higher %.

O - I'm glad I stumbled upon this at a local liquor store. There was no reason for this to be marked down because age has done some nice things to this brew. A great find for the price. If I had paid $12, this may have been a different review.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 14:51:53 | More by ZombiesAteMyDog

womencantsail

California

3.15/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a copper/amber color with an off-white head. Nose is somewhat oxidized, but still plenty of sweet sugar and malt aromas. Toffee, caramel, brown sugar, and a hint of dark fruit. Light smoke/peat notes, maybe a hint of fruit and alcohol. The flavor is sweet and lightly boozy. Caramel, toffee, and a bit of brown sugar. Light peatiness, some oak, and a hint of cardboard. Not as good as the newer version.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 05:09:10 | More by womencantsail

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.8/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Review from 7/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a rich red brown, appearing viscous. Light head with no lacing. Barley wine aroma with clear wood barrel overtones. Caramel malts, dark fruit and moderate hops. Finishes somewhat hoppy for an English barley wine. Pleasant heavy mouth feel, but a bit boozy and not as well integrated as other barley wines.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 22:43:54 | More by LiquidAmber

JustinMatthew

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From the cellar.

Batch: 243, Bottled: 7/5/9 poured a murky muddy brown to a Russian River Belgo glass. Headless and still. Smell is a malt explosion, as to be expected. Raisins and brown sugar. Taste is well balanced between slight notes of oak and whiskey to dark fruits, raisins, and brown sugar. Very malty.. Stays Lingering. I dig it.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 22:49:48 | More by JustinMatthew

lnashsig

Texas

3.48/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

correction, this one is 94, not 93.

2010 bottle.

Poured from bottle into CBS snifter glass. Pour looks like liquified caramel or toffee. Super cloudy, auburn brown color. Pretty much no head at all, but not too surprising for 13.8% ABV. The site says 12.5, but the bottle says 13.8. Smell- rough boozy raisins, caramel, fennel alcohol. had this on tap about a yr ago, I remember a lot of dark fruits, but I'm not getting much aroma at all this time with the bottle version. Taste- WHOA. Huge sweetness comes in the form of caramel and toffee, and a surprising tight carbonation that I wouldnt guess was even here by the appearance pierces my tongue. Maybe a little bit of green apple tartness, but it seems the profile is just dominated by sweetness and caramel/raisins. This is closer to an old ale than anything, and could have probably aged for many many more years. I could see putting this one away fro 10+ yrs. The booze is really rough on this one, and thinking it might really mellow over time. Overall, this is a pretty big beer, an aggressive nightcap in which to watch my Astros get the shit kicked out of them yet again...

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 02:48:32 | More by lnashsig

Greywulfken

New York

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Despite being retired, these are still shwoing up, eh? My bottle has a bottling date of 7/5/09 and a 12.1% abv.

A: dark burgundy brown; bubbly head evaporates into a bubbly collar

S: dark fruits, sweet, malty

T: boozy raisins, bitter hops, caramel malt; miscellaneous dark fruits percolate through (plum, fig, dates); brown sugar

M: medium bodied, not overly sweet, well-bittered

O: been loving barleywines this year, and I really enjoyed this one - reminded me somewhat of a darker version of Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre (which is considered a strong dark ale) probably due to the raisin flavors that permeate the beer. Definitely worth a try while there're still some on the shelves.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 01:18:21 | More by Greywulfken

txbrewer

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark reddish brown with a reddish tan head that just went away. No lacing in the pint glass.

S - Malty, cereal and sweet alcohol

T - alcohol and bitter followed by malty coffee/bittersweet chocolate

M - For the smell and initial taste I expected more but it flows away rather quickly leaving only a mild bitter after taste

D - not so much

I like beer to have flavor and be easy drinking. This has the flavor but the bitter is just over my limit so I would only enjoy this on occasion. Not a bad beer by any means, but I have had better (for me at least).

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 20:31:55 | More by txbrewer

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

2.23/5  rDev -43.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bottle from Beer Deluxe. 2010 version.

A - Dark brown/dark copper kinda colour. Tons of fizzly carbonation that's close to sparkling wine fizzing up above the body even. Two fingers of brown head that fades fast. Hazy kinda body. No retention and no lace.

S - Dark fruit, whiskey, and some light hops with a good alcohol dose. Classic American style Barleywine.

T - Rough combo of heavy/dank hops and whiskey with some boozy fruitcake. Strong dose of alcohol. Tea, eggs, spoiled fruit. Kinda not tasty at all.

M - Strong carbonation, full body, and a bitter/boozy/spoiled fruit finish.

O/D - Combine off flavours with tons of alcohol flavour and nothing really to keep you interested and you either have an infected beer or a plain old bad beer. Sadly this is probably just bad. Not a whole lot I can enjoy here. A failed effort.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 08:31:29 | More by tbeckett

SLeffler27

New York

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Murky old copper brown with a minimal, beige head that quickly fades, leaving no lacing. The Dogfish Head snifter does collect carbonation and a viscous film.

The aroma profile has the familiar figs, dates, rum, raisins, with a backbone of toasted malt. Sweet toffee and bourbon comes out with warmth and towards the end I am perceiving plum pudding.

The flavors are as suggested by the aroma, although perhaps more sweet with a hint of hop bitterness. There are also notes of cherries in the long, subtle finish. This barleywine warms very well.

Has a smooth, syrupy texture with light carbonation and alcohol about as expected.

Easy to consume for the style and develops nicely with warmth. This would be fine for reading, deep conversation, or bold food.

This bottle was capped 05 July, 2009

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 19:47:35 | More by SLeffler27

mrfrancis

Kentucky

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy amber with a creamy beige head.

S: Aromas of caramel, toffee, honey, and roasted nuts are present on the nose.

T: Notes of caramel, toffee, roasted nuts, dark bread, prunes, cocoa, raisins, woody spice, and heather honey wash across the palate. The finish is sweet and smooth with notes of honey, dried fruit, toffee, and alcohol.

M: Full-bodied and somewhat syrupy. Alcohol presence is pronounced, but not particularly biting. Carbonation seems oddly active and firm.

O: This is a very good barleywine, and I think the blend of aged ales that went into making this beer was particularly effective. This may not be the most traditional English barleywine in the world (as a matter of fact, it is far from it), but it is a very good take on the style nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 13:28:19 | More by mrfrancis

thegodfather2701

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from notes taken on 7/21/11
A-Amber with a tan head that dissipates leaving only a small ring of foam. It looks very dense.

S-Alcohol is nearly overpowering, but then there is caramel, hints of wood, scotch, earth, and fruit. It is a strong nose that is complex and different.

T-Caramel, toffee, scotch, earthy and woody, with hints of fruit. Tons of alcohol as well. Tea like hop flavor.

M-Thick and syrupy.

D-This is an intense, bold beer. The alcohol is not masked that well which makes this a sipper and hinders its drinkability.

Overall, this is a very good beer, it just seemed very, very intense for me. It would be nice to age a bottle for a couple of years.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 17:41:21 | More by thegodfather2701

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Looks fine enough, opaque brownish rust color, not much head but for a beer this old and this big, no surprise or worry.

A total knockout, aroma-wise. Smells just like a good barleywine ought to. Big lumbering gobs of vanilla, toffee, molasses, apple cider, and smaller hints of smoke and just a touch of the Scottish whisky barrels that 25% of this was aged in. Man.

Taste-wise it's pretty candy-like, a bunch of caramel and toffee up front, a healthy dose of vanilla, hints of wood, whisky, apple, tobacco, raisin and alcohol. Something kind of bitterly pungent/pungently bitter in the finish, almost sour or lemony, keeps me from liking it more. Still quite the treat.

Beautiful texture, just as it should be: gooey, chewy, thick, but still having enough carbonation to give it some energy. Luscious, silky, and so many more adjectives...

So what's the problem here? Not much that I can tell. That weird bitter/astringent/lemon thing at the back of the sip is probably the only thing keeping this from going over the top into total insane greatness, but it gets so close, and was very much worth the price. Wouldn't expect any less from BrewDog or Mikkeller.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 23:10:35 | More by Metalmonk

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2010 bottle, ABV is 13.4%

Hazy chestnut brown colour, ring of off white head, no lace. Smell is malty and sweet, brown sugar, dark cherry and dark fruit, some alcohol, oak and vanilla as well as caramel. Taste is fairly sweet, caramel and vanilla upfront, more oak and whisky in the taste than the nose. cherry and overripe berries, fruity and mildly bitter, some chocolate notes every so often, some alcohol as well. Medium carbonation, thick and full bodied, lightly syrupy. Good slow sipper, ABV fairly well hidden here and quite nice overall.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 18:31:17 | More by peensteen

Gobzilla

California

3.45/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: poured a dark brown in color with brown highlights with almost no head and left virtually no lacing sticking to the glass.

S: I managed to sniff out maple syrup, molasses, caramel, and a little smoke character but could definitely detect whiskey heat.

T: the whiskey flavor was more potent on the taste alongside caramel, maple syrup, molasses, and a touch of smoke.

M: the brew was medium in body with a low amount of carbonation which had a sweet, boozy, slight smokey, and sticky finish.

O: it drank below average due to the ABV but had some complexity to it and was pretty tasty as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 21:00:04 | More by Gobzilla

danieelol

Australia

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown-red with large head which recedes rather rapidly.

Smell is malt, toffee, and firesticks (smoke and alcohol). There are dark fruits and a strong vinous quality (Sauternes). Definitely has some rum-like qualities also. Alcohol is present and accounted for but works well with the silky caramel backbone. The smell sells it well. Bit of hoppy nuttiness. Somewhat similar to Samichlaus but for my money this beats Samichlaus somewhat.

Taste just makes me think Creme Brulee at first. Lots of vanilla and caramel here. Also some strongly-present-slightly-behind-the-foreground-but-not-overbearing ash.

Mouthfeel is quite slight with a decent amount of carb for the style, emphasising the bitter ashen qualities of the Scotch casks, which thankfully aren't too dominant. It is not massive bodied but is spirit like. A bit of the original sweetness is evident but the peat largely overwhelms it. I think again this could do with a bit more sweetness. BrewDog tends to not quite give their Scotch-aged beers enough malt/sweetness to hold up to the barrel. Nevertheless this is a whole lot more balanced than Bitch Please.

A high quality sipping beer. Like this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 05:21:11 | More by danieelol

vfgccp

New York

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A – Khaki head leaves a light lace and sticks around with ok retention. Mahogany body with ruby rust highlights.

S – Raisin bread, black cherry, caramel, malt, nutmeg, and a hint of sweet booze.

T – Sweet with raisin, caramel, cantaloupe, maple syrup and old wood. Rolling booze on the backend keeps its teeth to itself and stays relatively placid.

M – Medium-full body. Soft with a lingering, sweet boozy warmth.

O – Complex with an interesting semi-tropical note, but edging a shade too sweet.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 01:29:02 | More by vfgccp

cps98

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bought a bottle tonight so I had to try it.

A: Light brown head, fairly thick. Very clear with an inviting brown/reddish color.

S: Sweet, Toffee, caramel. I didn't get any alcohol aroma either.

T: Light on the hops, creamy caramel. Pretty well balanced.

M: A bit thick but went down smooth. Carbonation was very good.

Overall: ABV's were high but it didn't come through in the beer.

Serving type: bottle / regular pint glass / slightly chilled before opening.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 12:27:59 | More by cps98

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's today.

Oh boy... another extreme beer from Brewdog (this is the 2010 version; 13.80% per the beer menu at Max's).

The beer pours a brownish amber color with minimal head retention and lacing. On the nose, this beer is pretty impressive, with smokey peat, toffee and a hint of sweet orange citrus. On the palate, this is a serious BW, and clearly not for the faint of heart. The beer is quite sweet, but showcases considerable peat, vanilla, toffee and butterscotch. The beer is also very, very boozy, and it's unimagineable drinking more than a sample size glass. Mouthfeel is full and fairly long, with a goodly dollop of alcohol in the finish.

I don't know... this is an interesting beer, but it's so damn boozy, it's hard to call it very enjoyable. Glad I got to try, but I doubt I'll be ordering this one again any time soon.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2011 23:03:58 | More by johnmichaelsen