Striped Bass Pale Ale - Devils Backbone Brewing Company

mattsdenney

Tennessee

1.93/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bomber brought down by my sis in law.

A: pours a light gold, clear and transparent. Thick bubbly head with good lacing.

S: smells of light grains, corn, hints of strawberries. No hop scent to speak of.

T: light flavors of grassy hops, adjunct grains, white bread, and light malt. No aftertaste whatsoever. Very mild flavoring, underwhelming.

M: smooth, slick, and light bodied. Pretty refreshing.

O: nothing mind blowing here, pretty average and bland all around.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 02:57:09 | More by mattsdenney

CarolinaKevin

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -6.5%

05-20-2013 01:36:10 | More by CarolinaKevin

DeutschesBier

Maryland

3/5  rDev -6.5%

05-19-2013 13:31:15 | More by DeutschesBier

lupercmda

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -6.5%

05-18-2013 22:04:09 | More by lupercmda

AngusOg

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-17-2013 22:54:08 | More by AngusOg

Mattyb79

Virginia

3/5  rDev -6.5%

05-12-2013 01:41:14 | More by Mattyb79

sammy806

Maryland

2.75/5  rDev -14.3%

05-11-2013 00:18:32 | More by sammy806

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

2.75/5  rDev -14.3%

05-10-2013 01:55:13 | More by Sludgeman

Beers9beers

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -6.5%

04-12-2013 21:11:41 | More by Beers9beers

jmaharaj

Maryland

3.1/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Pours a dull yellow but with a beautiful rocky head that creates a mountain range atop the beer. Smells mostly of diacetyl. Taste is boring, some off flavors with a little citrusy hop peeking through. Body is fine although the carbonation could be a tad more aggresive. The other hoppy beer i got from the same store was dull too. Maybe their stock has been sitting around a while, if not this beer is maybe average.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 02:06:07 | More by jmaharaj

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.28/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Poured from bomber into a pint glass

Appearance – Pours a golden straw color with a two finger white head. The head fades very fast to leave only a very light level of lacing.

Smell- The aroma is light overall with some toasted malt and a grainy smell. Mixed with these are some lighter notes of a citrus hop nature.

Taste – The taste begins with a more dry bready flavor up front. There is light citrus hop very near the start which grows stronger at the middle only to fade more toward the end. While the citrus hop flavor diminished from the middle to the end, herbal and grassy hop flavors grow stronger on the tongue. In the end a crisp and lightly bittered grassy/herbal flavor are left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the medium to light side with a carbonation level that is medium to slightly above medium. The mouthfeel couple with the flavors of the brew create a rather crisp and easy drinking beer.

Overall - Nothing all that extraordinary here. Overall it is a decent APA with a more crisp taste and feel.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 02:28:39 | More by Darkmagus82

PGVG

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev +1.2%

02-02-2013 03:00:55 | More by PGVG

stephenjmoore

Maryland

3.26/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Golden straw colored body with a stick, fluffy bone-white head. Looks as clear as a pilsner.

S- Hops are apparent, citrus and fresh grass come through along with a toasted malt aroma. Not overwhelming, but overall pretty pleasant.

T- Pretty light on flavor, with the toasted malt coming through the most and only a little bit of the citrus and grassy hops. Slight hint of grapefruit in the middle as well, but more on the malty side overall.

M- As the appearance would indicate, I found this one to be on the watery side. Medium carbonation and certainly drinkable, but very thin.

O- This would be a good summer beer for a can, but overall a pretty average pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 19:17:17 | More by stephenjmoore

AndrewMichael

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +9%

01-17-2013 00:46:32 | More by AndrewMichael

Seanecy

4/5  rDev +24.6%

01-13-2013 00:51:36 | More by Seanecy

TimoP

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +9%

12-18-2012 05:11:27 | More by TimoP

DaveBlack

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Straw colored beer, a fluffy head of maybe 1/2 an inch. There is moderate retention and some light lacing.

S: Cereal grains, and a slight biscuity aroma. Honestly, not much here, and it smells a little like an adjunct lager.

T: Fortunately, the taste is nothing like an adjunct lager. The hops take center stage right from the beginning with a heavy dose of citrus. The grains are there, enough to balance out the moderate hoppiness, but not much more. The finish is grainy, and slightly metallic.

M: Moderate body, slightly oily, with a fair amount of carbonation.

O: Not a beer that I would seek out. It tastes better than it smells, but the taste isn't anything special and the metallic finish is slightly off-putting. A decent beer, perhaps even a good beer, but no more.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 22:52:03 | More by DaveBlack

methtlcai

Florida

1/5  rDev -68.8%

11-25-2012 01:36:19 | More by methtlcai

argock

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz brown bomber into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint glass. No decipherable freshness date -- smudged. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $5.79.

A: Clear very pale amber with 1-2 fingers of off-white frothy head with below-average retention but some scraps of lace.

S: Bready, crackery maltiness with some dry toast aromas mixed with honeysuckle and orange citrus hops and a little floral character as well. Pretty soft aroma profile overall.

T: This APA definitely fits the balanced, dry form of the beast, and it does a good job of pushing this agenda. The bready, slightly toasty, smooth malty flavors are nearly equal to the rosy, floral, and orange blossom citrus notes. I really enjoyed this ale -- very smooth and very drinkable with great body and dryness.

M: Firm somewhat slick medium body with even carbonation and a crisp, dry finish. Best part of this beer.

O: A hop-bomb of an APA this is not -- it fits the balanced, dry form of pale ale and does a wonderful job of it. If you are looking for a hoppy APA, definitely stay away. If you like a smooth, drinkable, well-brewed pale ale, then go for it. This was a nice surprise for me as I think of DB as a better lager brewery generally. This is a good brew that's worth a try as long as you realize what this is -- a balanced APA.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 02:38:42 | More by argock

smakawhat

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A real soapy white three finger head with lots of staying power though, with big swiss cheese bubbles. Body color is a real golden brass amber, hints of lager looking classic Backbone brewing here, with slow rising carbonation coming up. Quite not use to looking at this and imagining ale, but it looks like a classic impressive lager.

Bouquet hits with a mild balanced mix of light hop, sweet malts and toasty grains and bread. Spicy. Clove like in nature with a bit more sweetness. Quite nice, a little "perfume" like smelling.

Wonderful texture and palate feel. Feels large and malt rich with a somewhat quick grass, but then the after finish brings a real nice lime astringent character. Bready malts hit with lots of toasty aromas. Nice finishing sweetness with lime hop character too.

Overall, I think I would love to save the Cheseapeake like this more often! Tasty memorable pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 01:42:52 | More by smakawhat

freduardo

Alabama

3.75/5  rDev +16.8%

10-15-2012 01:50:57 | More by freduardo

ncaudle

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +16.8%

10-13-2012 15:02:25 | More by ncaudle

mckenziac

4.25/5  rDev +32.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a Samuel Adams Boston Lager glass.

Appearance: Pours a bright, pale golden color. Has a large, fizzy head that dissipates slowly and leaves some nice lacing.

Smell: Smells of musty, earthy hops with a bit of grainy maltiness.

Taste: Moderately hoppy with a sort of musty, earthy taste. Has a nice, balancing maltiness to it with some toasty notes. All in all, a nicely balanced APA.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and a little chewy.

Overall: A really pleasant surprise. I see Devils Backbone as a sort of up-and-coming brewery in Virginia and it's nice to see that they can brew quality beers like this one. I definitely wouldn't mind seeking this one out to have again.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 01:51:01 | More by mckenziac

nwatson

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +16.8%

10-09-2012 03:54:32 | More by nwatson

gopens44

Virginia

4/5  rDev +24.6%

10-07-2012 19:36:09 | More by gopens44