HopDevil Ale - Victory Brewing Company

smooth_aleing

Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bottle into pint glass.

A wonderful IPA, one of the better ones I've had.

A= beautiful, glass-like amber color. Froths up to a nice head upon pouring, with good lacing throughout.

S= Spicy, hoppy, mossy, woodsy smell fills the nose.

T= Floral and woodsy. Excellent hop notes, with a good bitterness lingering throughout to balance the initial smoothness and sweetness. Light, but with a bit of weight to it.

M= Nice bitterness, but light. Doesn't linger too long on the tongue.

O= Great IPA, a welcome challenge to Dogfish and other American IPA's. Well happily drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 19:40:39 | More by smooth_aleing

smiga

New Jersey

4.61/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz brown bottle - Downington PA

Appearance: CLEAR amber / copper with few bubbles, providing a rich, off-white thick foam head that laces the glass. Perfect color.

Smell: Prominent grapefruit hop, very spicy. Spiciness is dominant in a good way, with background balance of sweet malts and bready, biscuity aroma. Clean, welcoming IPA.

Taste: initial hop intensity. Original in being spicy, stinging and salty. Earthy grass flavors start, then followed by distinct spiciness. Way in background there's sweet toasty malt with bready and honey flavors. Provides a strong finish of stinging, refreshing, hops. All the precarious, see-saw balance and spiciness make it a great food beer (tonight with burritos and provolone and mozzarella) (NJ Mexican).

Mouthfeel: Refreshing, full body, smooth and creamy with a maltiness tone

one of my favorite american IPAs, sure to please. On the stinging, spicy, tingling hop forward end of the spectrum. A must try. And a regular for me up there with Dales Pale Ale and Great Divide Titan.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 00:46:56 | More by smiga

Bauzen

New York

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is a mature dark-amber in color. The head is fluffy and aromatic and it leaves lacy residue along the glass on it's way down.

Aroma is bold and bitter. Slight floral and citrus notes, mainly grapefruit and sharp malts.

HopDevil serves as a great departure from my steady stream of IPAs. It's hoppy, but well balanced with intelligent use of malts making it bold and unique with bitterness, but refined with lasting finish. Your mouth will feel and taste this beer long after you're done drinking it.

If you like over-the-top pale ales, this is not the beer for you. It is, however, a great example of Victory's boldness in producing a unique, hop-heavy beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 01:50:20 | More by Bauzen

ChugMan

Washington

4.09/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A - Orange gold body with some bubbles. Fluffy head settled to thin layer which left some really wonderful lacing.
S - Soft but thick sweetness, very much like strawberries and cream oatmeal or cereal. Light spice as well.
T - Some nice floral flavors here, and also a very fresh citrus flavor as well, sweet grapefruit and clementine orange. Maltyness gives just enough definition to the body to smoothly tie it all together. Definitely tastes fresh and authentic, nothing forced. Gives the nose a lot to think about!
M - Fairly steep bitterness throughout the mouth giving that citrusy rind sensation. Not quite as potent as I was expecting, as it still goes down pretty easy. That bitterness sure isn't going anywhere soon though, so hop-haters beware!
O - This is a good beer. Really nice floral and fruit flavors, just missing some of the wow factor I was hoping for given the name. Having said that, this might have the most appealing floral flavor I've experienced.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 06:28:28 | More by ChugMan

Greywulfken

New York

4.11/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: deep amber with orange highlights in a nonic pint; off white foma head that persisted and laced nicely.

S: I get a lot of the malt, and the hops are a nice mesh of pine and citrus

T: flavors are of bitter hops, in a resiny pine and citric pith kind of way, the malt is very present but its sweetness is subdued. Drinks fairly clean and finishes crisp and hearty at the same time.

M: light-to-medium, good carbonation, leaves a rich bitter coat - very lively - evaporates

O: a very well-done beer. The malts are in strong competition with the hops, but don't use sweetness to catch your attention. This feels stronger than 6.70 abv.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 16:54:02 | More by Greywulfken

Murrhey

Montana

3.73/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12oz standard pressure-cap bottle into a shaker pint glass. No best-by date. Reviewed live.

A- Half a finger white head. Surprisingly thin, actually. Long retention for what is there. Amber-honey color with high clarity. Sudsy lacing up the sides. Decent looking brew. Wish the head was nicer though.

S- Slightly funky citrusy and pine. Some sweet malts, but mostly the aromatic and earthy hop character. Honey, grapefruit, pine.

T- Spicy and earthy hops with a caramel malt backbone. Strong citrus and hop acid. IBUs must be relatively high on this badboy. Good flavor, not a smack in the face while still being bitter.

M- Medium bodied, sticky and dry. Great feel.

O- Honestly let down a little. Not bad, above average for an IPA, but not as good as the score might lead me to believe.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 03:42:32 | More by Murrhey

CaptainSloose

New Jersey

3.76/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

A: a deep copper colored ale

S: caramel and pine, a tiny bit of chocolate

T: lots of upfront bitterness that lasts throughout the sip,

M: the caramel is very big in this beer, but not a whole lot else going on

O not bad, I venture to say my beer wasn't as fresh as one would desire. Lots of hop oils left on the back of the tongue. Probably will not buy again. I taste lots of centennial bbut not much else. I've had and made better.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 01:16:47 | More by CaptainSloose

Bills453

Ohio

4.81/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Poured from bottle into a snifter.

Appearance - oh man what a delicious looking beverage to consume on this glorious St. Patty's Day! A beautiful red-orange color with a two finger white head that is lasting quite awhile.

Smell - citrusy! Seriously smells like I'm smelling a fresh cut grapefruit or orange. These hops are crushing my nostrils and I'm loving it.

Taste - a great hoppy, flavorful beer. What a nice ale.

Mouthfeel - bien!

Overall - one of Victory's best offerings. I truly enjoy this beer and would recommend to hop lovers everywhere.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 15:27:02 | More by Bills453

3beerdudes

Connecticut

4.04/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Beer dude # 2 reports the beer dudes enjoyed the rich hoppy aroma along with the reddish yet clear appearance. The beer dudes like the just right hoppiness with the lasting after taste. The beer dudes recommend this beer as a good staple to have in the fridge for an ipa.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 17:45:56 | More by 3beerdudes

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.69/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - pours a clear, light orange with a medium head. Low bubbles. Some lace.

S - mild for an IPA, citrus, pine and floral. Soft malt. A little soapy.

T - same as the aroma. Grapefruit is prominent. Not intense or special, but it does it have a nice flavor. This is a soft IPA. Drinks like a hoppy pale ale.

M - light-medium body with moderate carbonation. Low-medium bitterness for an IPA. Mild malty sweetness.

O - not a super hoppy IPA. Conservative, easy to drink and well made. Would drink again, but I wouldn't rave about it.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 01:12:59 | More by GuzzLah

57md

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Did some back-to-back sampling of the regular tapped version and the nitro-tapped version. The scores apply to the higher of the two versions - which in this case is the regular.

Appearance is copper with almost a finger of head that lingered a bit and left nice lacing on the glass. The nose is a potent combination of hops and grapefruits. There is an excellent blend of malt and hops upfront with a hop bitterness on the finish that ranks with the best single IPAs out there.

This is an East Coast IPA all the way, and a damn fine example of one if I might say so!

The nitro version made for an interesting sample, but I would not want to drink Hop Devil this way more than once. Of course, the head is fluffier by far and the "rings" that are most often identified with nitro stouts appear on the glass as this offering goes down. That said, the best parts of an IPA are sadly muted by the nitro. The nose is nearly non-existent and the bitterness is curbed to the point of boredom. It certainly was smooth and creamy, but I am not sure I fancy smooth, creamy IPAs.

This seems to me to be a poor style to pump nitro into.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2013 00:14:37 | More by 57md

Indybier

Illinois

3.44/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had the draft-nitro @ Fountainhead tonight and it was like a hopped up marshmallow. I will wither away of old age before the frothy/creamy head on this goes down.

So cool to tame the bitterness of the hops w/the nitro and still remain damn tasty. Killer w/the gorganzola burger, too.

Bottle w/drink by date of 06/13.

Nice amber in the glass w/decent lacing. A very nice looking beer.

The nose is a bit perfumey. The hops are there, but, it's got a lilac & hop combo thing.

The flavors are pretty standard IPA - hoppy and bitter and not much else. Lacks any interesting factor and fairly one dimensional.

Overall - I'd recommend to someone who has never had an IPA and wants to try a basic, no-frills beer w/the two basic components of the India Pale Ale - hops and bitterness.

Basically a Hop Czar for a few bucks more.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 20:55:23 | More by Indybier

lordofstarside

Nevada

3.55/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz to my stone specialty ipa glass. Enjoy by 5/12/13 date

Pours a mildly carbonated golden orange with a finger of foam. Good visibility with mediocre retention and lacing. Aroma of spicy malts with a strong malt base. Orange and other citrus rind meld with some floral notes and alcohol, pretty balanced here. Taste follows the nose well, upfront spicy hop with a sturdy malted backbone. Not much of the floral or citrus notes translate well to the palate, leaving much of the flavor cut and dry hop and malt. The two balance each other well, but leave the overall flavor pretty bland- not much complexity. Feel is solid, dry and sticky, easy to drink with well concealed alcohol. Overall this beer is good in a balanced sense, however living on the west coast I'm used to my ipas ridiculously over hopped and citrusy, not something I get with this beer. As a result I disagree with it's average rating pretty dramatically. This beer just isn't for me

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 01:22:46 | More by lordofstarside

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.89/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a nice cloudy reddish amber with a decent 1 finger white head. Smells of earthy hops, and some sweet barley. Tastes of citrus and pine with slight barley, very nice balance. Beer is slightly over carbonated, but for its medium body it is still a great beer with nice balance. Overall a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 04:38:28 | More by cyclonece09

JPlo

Maryland

4.59/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Copper with orange tint and hazy clarity. Solid head with good lacing

Aroma: Citrus fruit, spicy

Taste: Big hop taste, citrus, piney, spicy, complex. Still has hint of sweet/toasty malt that (almost) balances it

Feel: Very smooth, light carbonation, medium body and a long semi-wet finish

Absolutely one of my favorite affordable IPA's

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 15:57:13 | More by JPlo

MaximalC

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Pours a murky, dirty amber color with a meager white head that soon disappears. Aroma has a strong grapefruit and pine hop presence (though I've smelt more ferocious than this). Flavor matches the aroma--hops, hops, and more hops. Maybe some malt character can be detected in the finish, but it's hard to tell with the prolonged hop taste. Drinkable, but decidedly one-dimensional. Typical IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 00:38:33 | More by MaximalC

gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulips. Purchased in Wakefield, RI.

A- Pours a pretty hazy khaki brown body with a white bubbly head that sticks around for a white and leaves blotchy lacing.

S- Very floral, fresh alpine notes, lemon zest, fresh bread. Quite inviting thus far.

T- Sweet caramel malt upfront, balanced with a citrusy hop bite. Finishes with slightly bitter pine notes. I get a surprising cappuccino note on the aftertaste.

M- Medium body, medium-high carbonation. Easy drinker.

Quite a delicious and balanced IPA. Floral, complex, and easy to drink. A recommendable classic.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 00:56:24 | More by gcamparone

JCaweinstein

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Amber colored and clear with a decent amount of carbonation. There is a one finger off white creamy head that sticks aound for awhile. This is a nice looking beer.
I really had to swirl this around in my glass to detect the aromas. Overall I thought this where HopDevil was the most lacking. That said I was able to pick up notes of caramel, grapefruit, and that yeasty ester aroma. Again, I had to work hard for that.
This was a fairly complex beer. Up front I tasted bitterness that reminded me of burnt toast. I also picked up some caramel and a nice touch of grapefruit citrus. It seems to me to be a little more complex than many other IPAs.
It's medium bodied and has a nice crispness to it. Bitter malt and hop flavors change to citrus before a nice clean finish with almost no aftertaste. I'm not opposed to that resinous hop aftertaste but this is also nice.
This is a quality beer that is very reasonably priced and easy to acquire. Obviously it's a classic and one I will enjoy again.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 00:24:54 | More by JCaweinstein

Budinetz

Pennsylvania

4.36/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A - It looks pretty awesome with the creamy head on nitro...definitely crazy looking compared to CO2.

S - Not quite as floral as the other versions, as nitro blends can hinder the aromatics of an IPA. I definitely detect a serious hop resume though

T - It tastes like the east coast IPA that I know and love, but wait...there's something more...a little extra biscuity...the nitro allows a little bit more of the maltiness to come through on this one...mmmm

M - It feels awesome in my mouth! It has the drinkability of water in a desert...goes down very smooth and the ABV can catch up to you so be careful!!

O - A great beer overall! It's much more sessionable as a nitro than CO2 and you can really pick up on the characteristics of the German malts that are being used.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-16-2013 23:29:43 | More by Budinetz

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

4.41/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into a becker. Clear orange with visible carbonation, foamy 2 finger head that dissipates about halfway then sticks around, chunky lacing. Smell is very sweet and flowery, as well as the usual hoppy smell of an IPA. Taste is hops hops hops, then finishing off with a much crisper clean end than most IPAs. Overall a great IPA, easy to drink and great tasting. Another victory for Victory.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 03:12:46 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

TheMarkE

California

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

Dang good. First impression upon opening: freshly cut Christmas tree. Or is that the neighbor’s Douglas fir? Anyway… Smooth and very hoppy, with a hint of grapefruit. This is everything that an IPA should be.

The more I sample of Victory the more I like them.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 20:41:57 | More by TheMarkE

Flightoficarus

Washington

4.16/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

As part of an on-going quest of trying "non west-coast" IPA's, I'm paying this one a revisit (Tried it once back when first getting into craft beer, but hadn't developed a taste for IPAs)

A - Pours a cloudy, amber hue, with a single-finger off-white head, which quickly recedes, but with good lacing.

S - Smell is of toasted caramel malts, faint notes of orange peel, and lots of floral/spicy hops

T - Taste is a great blend of floral, spicy hops, with just enough balancing toasted caramel malt and toffee notes. There are some faint citrus notes, but this one is mostly floral/spicy. I'm also getting some herbal notes in the finish. Really nice and well balanced here.

M - Body is spot on, registering in medium territory. Carbonation keeps this beer lively, but easily drinkable.

O - Overall, this is a pleasant IPA to get your hands on if you see it. Great, balanced flavor without being a hop-bomb that slaps you in the face, or too malty. Hopefully I can find this on draft on my next east coast trip.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 12:22:00 | More by Flightoficarus

VoodooBear

Puerto Rico

4.31/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Presentation: 12 oz. brown bottle, served in a Samuel Adams pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy, dark gold color. Thick, fluffy, two finger, tan colored head that slowly settles down. Nice lacing throughout.

Smell: Subdued, this is not a very aromatic beer. The smell is mainly sweet malts with a citrus hop scent in the background.

Taste: A very spicy hop bitterness is the first thing that hits your taste buds. It's incredible, and it stays on the palate for a while. Taste is dominated by this hop flavor. Some citrus notes and a nice malt sweetness complement it very well. You can also taste the alcohol quite clearly, but it's not unpleasant or overwhelming.

Mouthfeel: It's very smooth and creamy. Medium-bodied and surprisingly easy to drink, despite the hop "kick" you get at the beginning. It has a decent amount of carbonation.

Overall: This beer does the name justice. The mix of flavors, dominated by the citrus and spice hoppy taste is an incredible experience, even though it kicks your palate's ass. A brew every hop-head should try. But even people who don't like the hop bitterness, but appreciate beer, will be pleased by the complexity of the flavor and the feeling you get from it. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 08:15:33 | More by VoodooBear

Mrduprey215

Pennsylvania

2.89/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not too fond of this one from victory but an ok opener for the night. The "hop" is very evident in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 22:10:02 | More by Mrduprey215

jdhchi

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First time, great color a clear copper with a least two fingers of head that did not disappear quickly, good lacing. Smell was a bit weaker than I like but the taste makes up for it. Mouthfeel was especially nice and finished soft and smooth. Overall I enjoyed this beer!

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 00:03:13 | More by jdhchi