Hop Devil Ale - Victory Brewing Company

boblinneman

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Two words to describe Hopdevil COMPLEX yet BALANCED!
Its hard for me to give a perfect rating, but this beer really does have it all. Its a rollercoaster ride for your tastebuds. Victory does not over hop this IPA to make a name for themselves, (ex. 90minuteIPA or Ruination) they just made the perfect beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2002 20:37:13 | More by boblinneman

doho95fu

California

4.8/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The appearance is amber with a nice head and lacing. The beers smells sweet with hops and a hint of the malt. The initial taste is strong with the hops, but the overall beer takes away most of the shock. Although I am a hophead and it may shock people who do not enjoy strong hops flavor. The taste, as I said, is hoppy, but some sweet additions seem to tone it down. The beer is very drinkable and I was glad I was in Philly this weekend to try it.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2002 08:07:00 | More by doho95fu

zakery

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear amber with a fluffy off-white head.

The smell is bold and a little fruity. It has an under-tone of blackberry jam and an over-tone of citrus.

It provides a medium bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation.

The taste is hoppy and the malt is there but takes the backseat in this brew. I can taste fresh citrus and it provides a medium to medium-high bitterness with a slightly dry finish. There is none of the berries in the taste, but has a mellow. little sweet and smooth feel to it.

Not for the faint of heart or macro-drinker, this brew is great for good-beer-lovers that want a little edge and have a thing for layered tastes of hops.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2002 15:30:44 | More by zakery

allboutbierge

Austria

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

My beer buddy and I picked a couple of these beers up at D's Six Pack and Hotdog in Regent Square, PA. We found that that beverage starts off with a ruby brown color that lasts throught the glass. The head dies quickly, but lace remains around the edge the whole way down. The hops are dominating in the aftertaste, but do not overwhelm the beer. This IPA leaves a tangy aftertaste, which is almost similiar to a grapefruit. On a side note, the carbination in this beer is barely noticable. It still dances on ones tonge, but either of us have felt the urge to burb while enjoying this quality IPA. We will contine to taste test beers and report throught the night.

5KD

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2002 19:01:36 | More by allboutbierge

JeffreyG

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I just finished a sixer of this brew, and I liked it more as each bottle went down. I like hoppy beers, but not really to the point where I consider myself a hophead. At first the hops are a little shocking (even though you have to expect them from a beer called HopDevil), but once you get over the initial pop this turns out to be a fairly balanced beer. This is exactly what a great beer should be: Interesting flavor that has such depth that you discover something new each time you try it. And keeps you looking forward to the next one.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2002 07:00:12 | More by JeffreyG

ZAP

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is an excellent IPA..right up there with, but not better than, Bell's Two Hearted Ale....It pours a rich, deep copper with a litte white lace..the nose is a wondefull mix of floral and spicy hops...the taste is bitter grapefruit style hops along with some decent malt to balance...I'd love to see the bittering units on this as it is very high I'm sure...but at the same time it is relatively balanced....Definitely west coast style..some great hop flavor to this....a very good/borderline great IPA...I love this Brewery...they rock!!!

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2002 23:00:52 | More by ZAP

Realale

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Absolutely beautiful, full rich copper-red color. Nice head that stuck around through most of the glass. Nose is not as hoppy as I expected from an American IPA, let alone one called Hop Devil. There is a significant sweet malty note on the nose as well. Beautifully integrated on the palate - impeccable balance. The bitterness is more prominent on the palate than on the nose and contributes significantly to a very long finish. Disappears quickly. Top notch American IPA. A touch more hop on the nose, and it would seriously challenge Bell's Two-Hearted Ale as my favorite within the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2002 01:00:00 | More by Realale

garymuchow

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Maybe I'm an underdog kind of guy, but this didn't please me as much as I had hoped, not that it's not a good beer, because it is, but I'm not sure that it's astoundingly better than several others that can be found. Hop aroma,with a soft citrus element, backed with other hop qualities (like mild grassiness). Thin to medium head with medium length. Clear amber to copper color. Hops through and through, although not explosive and they tend to be stronger in the middle to finish with a long lingering pleasing bitterness to close. Malt offers some balancing. Softer mouthfeel in both body and carbonation, although adequate carbonation noted.
I'd like to try one of Nero's cask conditioned versions.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2002 07:05:19 | More by garymuchow

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It's amazing what cask conditioning can do! I'll assume everyone is familiar with the standard Hop Devil (if not, check out the standard reviews first). The color remains the same, but the head holds to the end of the glass and gives a solid wall of lace. The cask version also has a much lighter nose - I guess that's mainly because the limited carbonation brings it up less. Smooth hop & malt aroma. It has a light silky mouthfeel. The flavor expresses a soft malt of light, sweet biscuity caramel, and a more balanced grassy hop flavor and bitterness. So English! A totally different beer! You wouldn't think the bottled version could do this. Similar, in many ways, to Young's Dirty Dick. I'm sure that the standard draft or bottled version would stand up to some spicy fries, but the cask version gets a little lost. Absolutely worth trying. No wonder it did so well at the 2002 GBBF!

Serving type: cask

08-23-2002 17:11:12 | More by NeroFiddled

Jon

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is one of the best, most balanced IPAs I've tasted. Hop Devil pours a nice copper color. Its sticky head lasts and lasts, leaving an incredible trail of Brussels lace behind. Wow. The smell is of hops and a bit of citrus. The big hops flavor is backed up perfectly with a big malt profile, which makes for an incredibly balanced IPA. I really can't believe how good this is. This beer certainly lives up to its reputation.

Transparent copper with a sticky cream-hued head. Nice retention and even better lacing. Nose inludes notes of sappy pine, citrus and some residual malt sweetness. Taste is abundantly hoppy with characteristic notes of mild grapefruit and pine needles backed by a substantial, sweet caramel malt profile. Smooth mouthfeel and excellent balance with an emphasis on hops make this an enjoyable, highly drinkable IPA. West Coast style from a great East Coast brewery. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2002 19:55:09 | More by Jon

marc77

California

4.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Deep copper / red in hue w/ a moderate, sticky, head that leaves sparse lace. Buttery malt, caramel, toffee sweetness & biscuit notes are accompanied by a pungent citrusy and floral hop nose. Overall the aroma is a nice balance of malt notes & aromatic hops. Flavorwise the balance is striking-- The malt profile is quite rich & is comprised of nutty, caramelly, and fruity melaniodins only acheivable by continental malt. Malt is balanced by assertive, but clean hop bitterness. HopDevil is a big and flavorful IPA and not nearly as bitter as the name woud imply. Hop flavor is citrusy and herbal. Full bodied for style. Finishes w/ bittersweet residual sweetness & hop bitterness. Quite a rich IPA-- beautifully heavy with malt character. Very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2002 06:56:13 | More by marc77

Wildman

Ohio

4.68/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Well I finally got to try this. The supply of Victory's recently dried up in Columbus. But my favorite beer supplier came through. This beer poured a lovely reddish copper color and formed a nice off white head that left some nice lace. The aroma was of malt and citrus-grapefruit. The flavor was of malt, caramel and hops. The finish is sweet and astrigent. Also the alcohol makes it's presence known in the finish. A great beer. Now the big decision, which do I get at the store, Victory's or Stones? Definately different characters which makes the decision even harder. Definiately worth the wait and harassing I gave my stores.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2002 17:34:44 | More by Wildman

Jason

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A bit dryer and crisper than on-tap, the clarity is a shade clearer but still hazy with a frothy sticky head. Quite aromatic with lots of semi-coarse hop, lightly toasted grain alcoholic esters. The flavour is a mirror image of the aroma with lots of hops in the bitterness and flavour. I prefer it on draft though, probably because I usually drink it our of a 32oz mug at Bukowski’s Tavern.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2002 11:39:48 | More by Jason

Thrasher

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Overrated, to be sure, and completely off-balance, but still worth drinking. With a name like HopDevil you should know exactly what you are getting into. What is surprising is the generous malt profile this beer contains. A real caramel sweetness with hints of butter, nuts, honey, molasses, provides the sturdy foundation for this beer. But of course this is all to make room for the insane hop element, although I drank Victory's Prima Pils before this and was thrown off by the amount of hops in that beer. Only in that context can this one seem tempered. Otherwise, you'd damn well better be in the mood for hops. (You could say the same about Prima Pils, which I found out of whack for the style.) Delectable, sticky on the tongue, with lasting lingering floral & spicy notes. Drinkability low due to unbalanced hop element. Not my fav and certainly not worthy of its overwhelming acclaim, but when a beer is this degree of quality, why should I complain?

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2002 15:53:35 | More by Thrasher

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

4.88/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Gorgeous copper body. Nice rocky off white head. Disipates too soon. Very good lacing. Fine (as in very small) carbonation rising. Aroma of floral hops is intense at arm's length. Bittering hops come through nose up close, with strong dose of citric. Strong malt presence balances hops until delightful hop tingle in aftertaste. Taste is so good it is actually difficult to keep from chugging the entire glass. Victory has several remarkable beers, but if this was their only product, they would still be an outstanding brewery.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2002 21:53:59 | More by RonfromJersey

Murph

Arizona

4.78/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a bright copper color with a good sized rocky head that fades a little too quickly but leaves a great lace. Smell is tons of floral hops, bitter hop oil, and hop leaves with some sweet malt in the background. Very floral and slightly citrusy hops own this beer making it very bitter and hoppy. For all the hops though there is just enough smooth maltiness for this to remain well balanced. The malt combines with the hops to produce an almost fruity taste at times. The brew is fairly creamy from the malt but is nicely crisp and refreshing at the same time and it is extremely drinkable as well. This is one great brew and yet another amazing one from the boys in Downington.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2002 23:40:12 | More by Murph

rotsaruch

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I feel bless and cursed in living so close to Victory - less than 15 minutes away. As usual quality is exceptional with all their brews, but this weekend the finest balance, smoothest drinking HopDevil was available on the hand pump. The hops were there with fruity flavor and delicious bouquet and malty finish. It was considered desert after a great round of golf.

Serving type: cask

07-14-2002 16:38:19 | More by rotsaruch

ElGuapo

New Jersey

2.95/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

she's got some kick, but it is a little spicy for me. as far as ipa's go, this one is definitlely one of the best. You will get a load of hops with this brew. It is a pretty intense beer because the hops and carbonation team up to give you a kick in the pants.

The aromas are also wonderful as you are engulfed in an array of spices that makes you want to leap into the glass. I will definitely have to get this one again now that i have some more IPAs to compare it to.

After I have developed a love for IPAs, this one has to be sampled again.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2002 10:01:50 | More by ElGuapo

MTMugs

New York

3.53/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Love the hops! Looked good, poured nicely and the first taste was great - nice and dry. But it had a funny finish - a little too fruity for our taste. But for a bottled IPA, not too bad.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2002 05:25:32 | More by MTMugs

DarthMalt

Virginia

2.25/5  rDev -45.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Ouch! Hop Devil deilivers, as promised. There's definitely a time and place for beers like this. Hopefully, I'll find one or the other, so that my tongue didn't writhe in vain.

"Would you like some malt to go with those hops?"

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2002 11:00:48 | More by DarthMalt

jackndan

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hop Devil: cask conditioned: thick dense head, very long lasting. Deep reddish color, with slight Belgian lace. The cellar temperature really brings out the hops, but also lets the undercurrent of malt sweetness to present itself, especially in the aftertaste. Excellent taste, presentation and beer.

Serving type: cask

06-23-2002 18:47:43 | More by jackndan

BeerManDan

California

4.93/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

One of my favorites. Great tasting and well balance of hop's and malt's. It has the right balance of sweetness/bitterness. This would be a great beer to introduce to your friends. For the price, very good friends. It was well balanced in a sweet/tartness that I liked. A very complex beer with loads of fruit and flavor!

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2002 19:51:47 | More by BeerManDan

marble

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

About as good as an IPA gets! Not too strong on the alcohol that it takes away from the ale, but a couple of these will do for a night. Victory is a solid brewery.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2002 17:59:35 | More by marble

IrishRedRock

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This is THE ultimate session brew. As a hophead, I am in love with this beer. I like the Wallop more overall, but I could drink these for the rest of eternity. The hops are combined perfectly with everything else in this tasty brew. So well balanced. Crisp maltiness, fruity, hoppy, yeah. Smooth initially, and finishes with some killer hops at the end. Looks very nice...a cloudy amber, almost orange. Not the best tasting beer I've ever had, but arguably the best overall beer there is.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2002 16:19:47 | More by IrishRedRock

jreitman

California

4.6/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I do not consider myself a hop man at all, but this brew was a very pleasant experience. The beer is orange, almost amber in color with a very hoppy nose. While very hoppy and bitter, the beer still had some nice malt sweetness to it which was a pleasant surprise. Fairly complex IMO and I enjoyed every sip. A great beer indeed.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2002 17:26:56 | More by jreitman