Belgian Congo Pale Ale - Devils Backbone Brewing Company

Boone757

Maryland

4/5  rDev +3.9%

03-05-2013 23:24:54 | More by Boone757

ipas-for-life

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

05-14-2013 22:38:27 | More by ipas-for-life

JayQue

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

OK beer. Nothing special. Hardly a Belgian IPA like it says on the label. Really nice clear, bright amber color with a fairly big bubbly white head....thicker and frothier on a hard pour. More like an IPA when it is cold, Some bitterness in the nose and taste. A fairly substantial alcohol bite as well. As the beer warms, there is more evidence of some sweetness (fruit) and a little Belgian yeast.

Mouthfeel is a little on the light side. More alcohol bite while cold....becomes more mellow as the beer warms.

Not bad, not great. I enjoyed it out of a chalice while barbequing.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 02:00:01 | More by JayQue

jmutoml757

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

05-02-2013 22:35:29 | More by jmutoml757

cyclonece09

Virginia

4.11/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter. Pours a cloudy red orange with a small white head. Smells of orange, fruit, and grain, very sweet profile. Tastes of balanced grain and slight citrus with orange dominating. Beer is carbonated correctly and goes down great for its light body. Overall a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 00:03:43 | More by cyclonece09

AndrewMichael

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

04-28-2013 00:02:57 | More by AndrewMichael

ChrisKayler

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

04-25-2013 18:39:31 | More by ChrisKayler

Dave1999

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale yellow with very little head.

The smell is grapefruit, lemon and malts. It's actually very pleasant.

The taste is lemons with some bitterness, pretty light with a sweet finish which I'm guessing is the Belgian part.

The mouthfeel is light with medium carbonation.

Overall I wasn't that impressed, this beer is pretty weak and light. Drinks more like a pale ale, a better local Belgian ipa is raging bitch, much better.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 23:45:14 | More by Dave1999

teromous

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Transparent golden body with a good amount of small bubbles floating to a fluffy white head. Not much lacing to match the head.

S: Some apricot comes through, along with a little tangerine. There is a faint but unfortunate metallic scent back there. Otherwise it smells very nice.

T: It has an interesting taste. There's a light citrus bitter flavor up front, but nothing at the back of the palate. Very faint pine. I don't get any Belgian qualities from the beer at all. It's a pretty good pale ale, but there is no Belgian quality at all. A bit of alcohol flavor comes through after a few sips, and tends to stay in the forefront while finishing the beer. It's a bit off-putting for 6.5%.

M: Sipping the beer leaves the mouth a bit dry, but not completely. The beer is medium-bodied. It is very easy to drink. Light on bitterness, but a bit on the high-end for this style.

O: Overall it was a good pale ale, but I did not get any Belgian quality from it. I wouldn't really recommend it as a Belgian Pale Ale. Aside from this, the only real drawback is the boozy taste that lurks around at first, then dominates the flavors towards the end. I wouldn't be sore about drinking it again, but I wouldn't grab it off the shelf in a hurry.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 16:39:08 | More by teromous

Cosho

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

04-19-2013 20:54:06 | More by Cosho

DaveBlack

Virginia

3.96/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I'm not sure if the new The Congo Belgian IPA is technically the same beer or not. In any case, the review goes here for the time being.

A: Honey-colored beer. Maybe 1/2 a finger of white, creamy head with a long retention and a lot of lacing.

S: Bready, biscuity, with some fruit and citrus notes. Not an overpowering aroma for such a potentially flavor packed beer.

T: bready at first, quickly followed by a hefty hit of woody hops. The typically Belgian yeast flavors are present, as well as a peppery phenol taste, and they almost compete against the flavor of the hops for the prominent flavor spot. That being said, they actually compliment each other fairly well, and the more I drink it the more I like it.

M: Moderate body with a healthy amount of carbonation.

O: Another good showing from DB. Flavorful, but readily drinkable. A nice balance between the styles, and surprisingly does not come off as a muddled mess like many cross-style brews do.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 20:19:38 | More by DaveBlack

hef

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

04-08-2013 03:24:42 | More by hef

GaryMarkle84

Virginia

4/5  rDev +3.9%

03-31-2013 01:29:54 | More by GaryMarkle84

nickfl

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.9%

03-27-2013 03:27:23 | More by nickfl

e30todamax

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

03-21-2013 19:31:29 | More by e30todamax

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.08/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First of all, this beer is now a Belgian IPA clocking in at 7.5%. Same artwork.

Served in a DC Brau tulip.

A: Poured about as clear as you can possibly get, with a solid gold flair and a soft white head. Beautiful beer!

S: I got the Belgian yeast strain but it wasn't in your face the way many in this style do (Raging Bitch, for example). Fresh clean linen, citrus, and marshmallow.

T: Nice flavor, a bit more on the sugary side as opposed to the citrus one, but since I'm hit or miss with the Belgian funk in an IPA setting, that suits me just fine. Again, I got that candy "Mallow Creme" quality. Interesting.

M: Like I said, this was sweet and Cream Ale-esque, but not too cloying. The lacing was only mildly splotchy.

O: I've yet to try a single Devil's Backbone brew I haven't liked, and this was no exception.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 01:42:15 | More by Chaney

Eriktheipaman

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -28.6%

03-16-2013 13:25:06 | More by Eriktheipaman

cfinch2

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

03-13-2013 17:49:53 | More by cfinch2

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.29/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – Pours an amber color with a two finger white head. The head fades over about a two minute time frame to leave a good level of lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell- The aroma is heaviest of a bready and doughy smell mixed with some fruity notes of a citrus and peach nature. Yeasty smells as well as well as a tiny bit of spice are also present in the nose but these are relatively light.

Taste – The taste begins with flavors of a bready taste with some fruity flavors of citrus. Mixed with these is a grapefruit hop taste. As the taste advances some yeasty flavors greet the tongue as well as some spice flavors of clove and cardamom. The yeasty and Belgian spice flavors stay throughout the taste, but remain forever relatively light. Some more herbal and grassy flavors come to the tongue at the end leaving a slightly bitter and biting off flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel- The beer has a moderate level of creaminess and thickness with a carbonation level that is slightly below average. Both were OK for the flavors of the brew, but were really nothing too exceptional.

Overall – Nothing too special here. The taste was a bit off at the end and really it had nothing too great about it going on. Not one I would go to on occasion.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 02:43:55 | More by Darkmagus82

Pinknuggets

Vermont

3.13/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Bottle to HFS sniffer

A: orangey yellow that is essentially see thorough with a white head not going to lie it looks like Budweiser

S: There is a very light smell of the belgian yeast but other then that there is basically nothing there it smells like beer but nothing distinctive pretty disappointing

T:it has pale ale flavors I can taste the malt and there is a light amount of hop but not that much and there is Belgian yeast taste it is there but its seems like a totally separate taste from the rest of the beer. Its actually pretty weird the taste is there but its not integrated at all idk why it is really there.

M: Thin and watery kind of oily it has a crispness to it and it is light and drinkable but nothing special here

O: Well I got this as an extra so I can't be disappointed and it is drinkable for almost 7% abv but that is about the only upside as it is a yellow fizzy mess in all other regards, I'm not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 04:28:50 | More by Pinknuggets

mrterdferguson

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

12-17-2012 03:01:41 | More by mrterdferguson

ncaudle

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

10-13-2012 14:57:03 | More by ncaudle

HopHeadCnK

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%

10-04-2012 20:13:30 | More by HopHeadCnK

Brubaker

Virginia

4.3/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- The beer is a rich looking yellow. lightly carbonated. Big pouring head that dissipates slowly. medium lacing. Clear

S- A nose-full of Belgian yeasts and fruity hops. Maybe some sweet. No alcohol. Good aroma strength.

T- More of the Belgian yeasts & hops but with a good balance of malts linking the two. A lingering pleasant hop finish. No alcohol so one can drink too much of this in a hurry. Lots of flavor.

M- Though its body is light it has a smooth character to it. The carbonation matches it to make a well balanced and good body.

O- I really enjoyed this beer. Could spend all day with it.

Would Drink
Would Buy
Might Make

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2012 18:03:30 | More by Brubaker

KenC

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

08-04-2012 22:00:19 | More by KenC