Wild Devil - Victory Brewing Company

vfgccp

New York

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled: June '09
Drank: Dec '10

A - Orange amber. Huge, loosely carbonated head almost 5 fingers high - delightfully out of control. Great lacing.

S - Sweet orange, lemon peal, bright hops, fresh cut grass, earthy yeast notes.

T - Bright cedar & grapefruit up front. Soft bready malt early in the profile. Honey. Spicy pepper and lemony tarragon. Strong yeast character. Bitter cedary hop finish.

M - Light body with a smooth round finish.

D - Great flavor, but the IBU's require some heavy lifting.

O - A spectacular IPA. If a peppery saison and an American IPA had a baby, I'm pretty sure this is what it would taste like.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 20:01:42 | More by vfgccp

TheBear11D

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle

Pours a beautiful cloudy yellowish orange with an easily provoked nearly white head with good lacing.

Citrus hops overwhelm the nose with pine hops and roasted malts mixed decently in.

Rather sweet up front with a truck load of citrus hops in the finish. It's almost fruity to start but a very abrupt switch to the bitter hops does not mix the best.

Medium body with carbonation that is suiting.

The brew is decent but the odd mixture of flavors that do not blend hold it back from being more.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 05:16:24 | More by TheBear11D

TheBrewo

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

We pop the cage and cork on this brew and pour into our snifters. It appears a deep red orange that is translucent, with high carbonation visible, and a glow. Once the yeast from the bottom of the bottle hits the glass there is instant haze, with yeast particulates sinking to the bottom. It blasts up a four to five finger head of huge foamy tan bubbles that refuses to dissipate. As it finally does, cakey lacing sticks around the entire glass. The aroma delivers all of the funk promised. The brettanomyces comes through strongly, with brightly floral hops, sweet pineapple, smoky character and medicinal phenols, which could both be from the yeast. As we sip, malts and hops fight for the front. The malts are clean, with the hops somewhere between soapy and piney. The yeast crashes in bitterly through the middle. This, paired with the hops, mark the finish. The hops here are now, surprisingly, floral and a touch sweet. The aftertaste is bitter, of yeast and phenols. The body is medium, with prickly carbonation. The mouth is lightly coated, but cooled and, after a while, a bit dried. The abv is standard, and the beer is quite drinkable.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the funky aroma, and the outrageous head and head retention. It nearly took twenty minutes to dissipate before we could even get near the liquid. All the while the brew just glowed beneath it. For whatever reason, when we first picked this up we were afraid that this would be only a minor variation of Hop Devil, which we do enjoy. We found, however, that the change in yeast made for a vastly different selection than its predecessor, for a nice, welcome change.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2010 04:34:32 | More by TheBrewo

Lolli1315

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Huge white bubbly heading that sticks to the sides of the glass. Gold orange color that is slightly hazy.

S- Holy Brettanomyces Batman! Smell of brett hits you right away fading into some pretty strong barnyard funk. Spicy yeast characteristics compliment the funk smell. Little else can be made out through the barnyard smell.

T- The brett characteristics come out almost immediately in the taste. The barnyard funky flavors pick up and give a distinct band aid type flavor. A slight bitter hop flavor that was not noticeable in the smell. There is also a slight malt underlying the funk as well, but disappears quickly. The end of the beer fades into the familiar funky/brett flavor with slight bitterness. Old Gregg's got the funk.

M- Medium thin body and with a very dry finish that is enjoyable. Very carbonated as well.

D- If you like a funky beer I suggest giving this one a go. Different type of funk than I'm used to with not much sour. But the interesting combination of hops and funk in this one goes together well.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 02:44:12 | More by Lolli1315

plfahey

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle poured into a tulip glass. Bottled April 22nd, 2009, opened December 16th, 2010.

Appearance-Little bit of a gusher, this one poured a slightly hazy orange copper color, with an enormous beige head of dense, moussy foam. pretty good retention with nice lacing.

Aroma-Intense Brett-y aromas abound here. Sour, apple-cidery, light citrus (lemon), barnyard are the main aromas that I pick up. There's some light citrus/pine aromas from the hops, but the wild yeast aromas dominate. Smells great.

Flavor-The IPA character shows through much more in the flavor. Lightly tart and barnyardy up front, but then some of the citrus/pine hops and caramel malt show through in the middle, before being overtaken again by the Brett flavors in the finish. Quite dry in the finish, and a little bit tart.

Mouthfeel-Medium light body is highly enriched by insane carbonation. I'm assuming that this carbonated so high because of the long period of bottle conditioning with brett (which also leads to the dryness and thinner body from high attenuation). Effervescent.

A fantastic concept, this one reminds me of a gueuze, with the base IPA barely showing through in the palate. Personally, I really liked this one, and found it quite refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 01:55:28 | More by plfahey

LtCracker20

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A-Pours an amber/orange with a 2 finger rocky off white head with great retention. Ok lace and champagne like carbonation.

S- Slight piney hops with big brett funk. I love it! Not too much else but the funk. Sour wild-like aroma.

T- Nice sour and tart flavors. Grassy hops are there. The brett shines through in a barnyard flavor. Spicy hops come through as it warms.

MF/D- Light carbonated body(champagne like). I love the funk, but it can hurt the drinkability as I can't see having more than this bottle, especially with the high carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 22:09:53 | More by LtCracker20

DeanMoriarty

California

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a 750ml (caged and corked) bottle in a trade with Dawson's Liquor in Severna Park, MD and poured it into a Stone branded snifter - thanks fellas!

A: Pours a mildly hazy copper hue with a solid three-finger fluffy white head leaving a ton of lace in its tracks.

S: Major yeast funk - musty leather and wood, some sweet malt, fermented fruit with only a small amount of earthy hop in the mix - the yeast funk is very dominant, which i'm not bothered by, but I wish the hop was a little more prevalent.

T: Similar to the nose, but fortunately the bitter hop is much more present in the flavor and balances the yeast funk and sweet malts quite nicely. Being that I am a huge fan of IPA's and Wild Ales, Lambic, Geuze, etc. (anything with Brettanomyces, Pediococcus and/or Lactobacillus), this is a dream come true. If you don't like the flavor of funky yeast though, I would pass on this one. Definitely not your typical Belgian IPA, but a damn fine take on it!

M: Light-bodied with a good amount of carbonation, extremely dry and smooth leaving a slight bitterness feel from the hop.

D: Extremely drinkable - I picked up two of these in my trade and they will both be gone by the end of the night, no problem.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 03:22:04 | More by DeanMoriarty

donManguno

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 9/21/09

Unfortunately this beer exploded out of the 750ml. bottle I picked up at Minks earlier today, and my dog isn't capable of sharing her opinion of the first third. She seemed to like it, though.

I still get a big three-finger head from a very slow pour into a Duvel chalice. The color is a beautiful orange, very inviting. The nose is full of brettanomyces and I detect a substantial amount of hoppiness, though its subtlety is overpowered by the bretts.

The taste is very funky with a nice piney hop finish. The carbonation is a bit aggressive, and somewhat distracting, but that also seems to enhance the sourness and the spiciness of the hops. This is probably the most unique of the brett-y beers I've been favoring lately, and I think it was a good idea well executed.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2010 23:52:41 | More by donManguno

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled March 27, 2009. Bottle conditioned, corked and caged.

Poured into the glass with an enormous three-finger head, already exhibiting a familiar Belgian trait. (Maybe it was encouraged by the Gulden Draak tulip it's in now.) Color is a burnt ruddy color, like red and orange autumn leaves, made a shimmering, lively thing by bubbles that zip through it.

Nose is totally Brett-ified, fruity and earthy and sweat-like, although the IPA element gets lost underneath the yeast domination. I like this smell, and I like this yeast strain, so I really can't complain, although I did expect more hops to push through, especially considering the boast about it on the label. Again, no real complaint there, just sayin'.

As with the nose, this is an incredibly Brettanomyces-centered taste. While some tangy fruit gets through, as does pithy rind and an ultra-earthy herbal wang--all of which could very well be the hops--it could also be the magic this yeast strain is working on the base beer (which is, apparently, Victory's Hop Devil -- and which, incidentally, was my first ever hop-heavy beer). The thing that really wins me over is not the funkiness of the yeast nor the truly wild hop flavor, but the fact that some malt is actually allowed to push through. It's got characteristics of tobacco leaf, toffee and burnt sugar, and it's this that makes this beer so damn wonderful. I could name other Brett-infected U.S. brews that are way too one-dimensional, but I won't...rest assured Wild Devil isn't one of them.

Lively, even exuberant carbonation avoids feeling aggressive, but still makes its presence known. Body is medium at best, making this go down easily, despite a flavor that may not be for everyday sort of drinking. But as an occasional walk on the wild side (no pun intended at all), this is a treat.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 22:52:21 | More by Metalmonk

mactrail

California

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Fragrant, funky stew of flavors.

Big foam-up on pouring into a tulip glass, but head really lasts with plenty of carbonation as you sip. Aroma is floral and spicy with a classic brettanomyces nose as you exhale. Amazingly flavorful with some modest malt notes. Quite acidic with some very sharp fruity notes. Hops charge forward with enough bitterness to balance the weird yeast.

I don't think I've had a brett brewed beer that was so mellow and likable. And for an IPA, it's got more going on than the hop overload. Seems like a very sophisticated concoction and reinforces my opinion that Victory is one of the best of the bigger brewers.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 02:59:14 | More by mactrail

nrbw23

Ohio

2.78/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

A- Pours a hazy golden amber color with a huge off white head. Head was crazy big. Head has good retention and leaves some layered lacing.

S- Smells pretty yeasty overall. A bit of spicey hops and a bit of funk.

T- Taste is pretty boring. Not very hoppy at all. This one just seemed like a hot mess of yeast and a very tiny bit of funk.

M- Medium in both body and carbonation.

D- Found this one rather hard to drink. This one just seems off.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 09:10:18 | More by nrbw23

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into an oversized wine glass. The beer's color tone incredible, with the lower part of the glass showing a golden color beer, with the color deepening to a russet orange as you reach the top of the glass. The beer is hyper-carbonated, leading to a slow, patient pour and a bit of loss as the beer continues to seep out of the top of the bottle. As the head reduces, it collapses leaving sticky foam all down the sides.

Sweet smelling, with grapes, apricots and pears. Mild malt profile, with little to no obvious hop profile.

Tart at first, with an earthy, leafy quality to it. Some hop bite is present, shadowing a citrus flavor. Faint sweet malt echoes underneath.

The bottle carbonation is obvious, bringing a champagne feel to this beer. There's an almost buttery, oily feel to this once you get past the carbonation. This beer is definitely as much about the feel as it about the taste.

Seems well done for the style, but it is too much like champagne for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 21:02:02 | More by TheHoppiest

ZSimon

Virginia

4.65/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber from Total Wine, Richmond, VA.

Not sure I've seen anything like this beer before, beginning with the look. Saying reddish amber would sell this beer short - this baby glows! Ultra-active carbonation powers this beer, to the unfortunate point of a bit of yield loss due to gushing. A huge, coarse, sticky, luxurious head sticks around til the end.

Brett yeast is the dominant flavor here - funky berry fruit, earthiness, with a healthy dose of hops adding another layer. Something different in every sip, definitely a function of a killer yeast strain. Just fantastic.

Wild Devil is everything a wild ale can be. Built on the traditional HopDevil foundation (a winner in its own right), the Brett yeast takes over and transforms this offering into something truly memorable. For those of us on the East Coast that don't have regular access to the Russian River line of wilds, this is a worthy substitute. Way to go, Victory!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 00:22:12 | More by ZSimon

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass.

A - Pours a nice hazy slightly orange and caramel color with a huge fluffy 2 inch head that is ecru. It has really densely packed bubbles and the retention is very long.

S - Aroma starts off with some slight funk followed by some nice tart lemon aromas. There is some slight apple and pear notes as well with some hidden sweetness around. There is also some nice grassy notes form the hops as well as some slight pineapple and citrus notes.

T & M - Starts off with some ncie dry Brett notes as followed by some slight tart hints that try to evolve but then are complimented by some awesome funk and farmhouse flavors. There is some nice bread character and also some nice husk and almost hay like flavors. There is a very American IPA finish to the beer with some slight tropical fruit sweetness that quickly fades into a nice clean and dry finish. It is crisp, clean, dry and nice and funky.

D - Very delicious and refreshing plus it has a nice level of ABV. Good BIPA.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2010 01:56:16 | More by JoEBoBpr

NickTsU

Texas

1.35/5  rDev -64.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

A- Beer has a cloudy light amber appearance.
S- the smell resembles chardonnay and plastic. And not in a good way.
t- The taste was that much liked it smelled and I found this beer hard to drink.
M- Med-high carbonation.
D- Did not finish glass.

All in all I had high hopes for this brew and think victory is a great brewery just was not impressed with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 03:33:45 | More by NickTsU

JWU

Pennsylvania

1.93/5  rDev -49.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

poured from a 750ml bottle into a stemless wine glass.

a: best part of the experience. Big fluffy head on top of a cloudy goldenrod brew. Leaves nice lacing down the glass.

s: Funky, sour, and smells of latex and metallic odors.

t: brutal. a solid malt base is quickly overpowered by a sour taste that transforms into the taste of adhesive bandages. Ends slightly bitter, sour, with the bandage flavor trailing off.

m: too carbonated, and left the mouth very dry, sour, and metallic.

d: I couldn't even get through half of the bottle. Extremely disappointed by this offering from Victory.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 01:40:11 | More by JWU

nhindian

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Taken from notes from 10/5/10.

750ml corked and caged bottle poured into a Tremens tulip.

A - Unfortunately it took us a while to pour this as the head was just out of control. Even after letting it sit for a good while I still had a gigantic, foamy head. It definitely helped let the aroma out, though.

Besides the insane pour and head, it poured a clean and light amber color that resembled cider more than beer. Even a good 45 minutes later it retained some foamy head, but doesn't really lace at all on my Tremens tulip. After a bit it clouded up and blocks a decent amount of light from getting through.

S - This baby has quite a nose to it. It smells like a typical IPA on steroids and has a lot of sour funk to it. It's a very unique smell and can't say I've encountered something like this before. It's a wonder what that Brett yeast does to a beer as this is essentially the same beer as HopDevil with the new yeast strain.

T - The body feels very light in the mouth, and for the absurd trouble we had pouring the beer, it's surprising it's not absolutely popping with carbonation. When I first tried the beer, it had a strange taste to it, but my sips for the first half hour or so were still full of head. As it calmed down a bit the sour edge cut back a bit and is a lot easier to drink. The hops and pine of an IPA are still evident, but I get something more of an apple overtone that mixes quite nicely. This beer definitely benefits with a bit of time as it warms up and loses some foam; at first I hated it and couldn't imagine finishing it, but as I got to the end I rather enjoyed it.

This beer is still a bit a toss up for me, and I may have to pick up another bottle that is a bit calmer at the start, as only enjoying half the beer isn't too appealing to me. As it stands now, it's very unique and strangely enjoyable, but leaves a funky aftertaste that detracts.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 17:29:35 | More by nhindian

CASK1

Florida

3.45/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pale orange with significant haze. Thick off-white head that clings to the glass and doesn't fade. Couldn't knock the head down if you wanted to.

S: Complex blend of fruit and Brett funk. Cherries and citrus; barnyard and baby diaper. Low spicy hop presence, and virtually no malt aroma.

T: Somewhat disappointing after the aroma. Plenty of Bretty funk, but not as sour as I was expecting or hoping for. Hop bitterness kicks in on the finish, and adds an interesting feature. Not much "beer" flavor to support the wildness.

MF: Mouth-filling effervescence, nice for this style. Body is medium-light, with a dry finish. Carbonation is somewhat prickly.

D: A pleasant, drinkable wild ale, but nothing special. Lacks the complexity of better examples.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2010 01:16:56 | More by CASK1

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.08/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

750ml corked & caged bottle poured into a Duvel tulip, bottled in 2009.

First things first. I got this from a cooler at store, took it home and put it in my fridge, poured it out and my duvel tulip was 95% foam, then it started foaming out of the bottle and I filled TWO more glasses with 95% foam before the bottle stopped spewing foam. Took off on drinkability for this because it's a pain to have to pour three glasses of foam before I can get one glass of beer.

Pours a haze orange hue with a ridiculous head that starts to crater and fade after a long time. Nose is brett, funk, tart, and hoppy, really crisp and well balanced.

This is a bit more flat than I'd like, but because of the crazy over-carbonation I guess it's to be expected. It's got a decent hop bite to it along with a very belgian yeast character that's quite unique and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 20:19:51 | More by kingcrowing

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes. Bottle was quite fresh.

Pours a nice golden light copper color along with a white head and some pretty nice lacing as it goes down. Nice foamy head. Nose brings forward a moderate amount of funk and earth as well as some hop character. Neither one really stands out too much at this point. The taste is the same. There is a bit of dry bitterness and some mild hop characteristics, as well as a bit of hay. Not really too much going on here, although the balance works well. Nice, dry feel with good carbonation. While this isn't particularly spectacular right now, I've got another bottle and I'd like to see how the Brett takes hold over a year or two.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2010 00:25:36 | More by Thorpe429

StephenRich

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The Hop Devil is your classic American India Pale Ale; is is transparent with an amber golden color and a lush off-white head. It bursts with fresh and zesty hop aromas and is packed with quenching bitter hop flavors - all on a richly pale malt backbone. It is 6.7% abv, and uses an american ale yeast strain to promote hop flavors. So whats the difference with the Wild Devil? Wild yeast fermentation! It shows how drastically changing just the yeast can affect the beer. Opening the beer's sugars up to wild yeasts (brettanomyces) has created a magnificently complex and spicy beer that reflects in older brother, but really takes it to a new level.

These wild beers are not for everyone. They offer up sharp, sometimes sour, and often tart flavors that many find refreshing and delicious, but other will be turned away. This beer is designed for more of a refined or adventurous palate, and if you have either, you should definitely give this a try. It is 6.8%, so only 0.1% higher than the Hop Devil - so it should be a good comparison of what the yeast alone can contribute.

I opened the Wild Devil up cool around 10C (50F). Normally I would open a wild beer like this at cellar temperature to open up all the flavors and aromas. But my experience with hoppy wild beers is that they offer you quite a lot when cool; the fresh and crisp tart flavors match with hop zest in the colder climate to produce something very refreshing. Plus, it will warm up.

Opening and pouring the Wild Devil was a wild act in itself. The first pour was gentle, but look what happened! I swear the bottle was not shaken or under any duress - it had come out of the fridge, and sat on the counter for about 10 minutes before I opened it. In fact, the second the cork was popped foam started to erupt from it. Even after this tulip was filled with foam I half filled another glass with head! All this hinted at the extreme nature and character of the wild brett yeast.

Eventually, after I waited for the bottle to calm down I was able to GENTLY pour a glass of the Wild Devil. The pour was still very lively with an eggshell white foam billowing out 3 times more foam than beer being poured. What I ended up with was bronzed red beer with a 3 inch airy head. The beer shone cleanly at me with an opaque golden amber hue. It has become considerably richer and cloudier than the Hop Devil, as well shows an exuberant life that few beers at all posses. It is very rich and lovely with burnt oranges peering in from the sides, and the head continues to snap at me with existing bubbles bursting, and new ones forming.

The nose is well rounded and not as sharp as expected. Gentle pale malts are smooth and warming as they match up with a citric hops aroma that flow past zest and earth, and even a bit of pine. The yeasts aggression fades in the back, but is nowhere as powerful as its physical affect. It is classically funky with a warmingly tart bite that seems to blend well with the hops. It is right in the middle here between IPA and Wild Ale, which is probably what they were going for (beyond pure experimentation). It is not quite rich enough in hop power to be pure American IPA, and not really tart enough to be a Wild Ale.

The flavor of the beer reflects the smell pretty well, but doses you more heavily with yeasty funk. First is a richly pungent blast of barnyard funk that is carrying along with it a fresh wave of citrus hops. The tartness overpowers here though and only lets a hint of pine and grapefruit through. As your palate adjusts to it, malt sensations begin to build in creamy and lush pale malts and light caramelization. It is more of a soft backbone to the beer, and really stands no chance against the power of the brett and hops.

Its almost a battle between yeast and hops, and I bet as the beer ages the funk will win. But with time it will also probably become more refined, as wild beers tend to with maturation. The mouthfeel is masterfully crisp and lightly effervescent, but shows a lush and creamy texture. It helps bring spice and flavor from the funk, and creates a delicious treat. It is a superb combination that usually doesn't fit together. It leans towards the Belgian boys, but comes back with a crisper hop finish. Very quenching, very refreshing.

I've had better IPAs before, and better wild ales - but I have had maybe only 1 or 2 beers that pin the combination as well as Victory has with the Wild Devil. It was purely enjoyable to drink, and I do wish I had one to put away for a few years to see what happens. I would enjoy the Wild Devil on its own, or with funky cheeses and fresh breads.

Pics at: http://definitionale.com/2010/10/15/tasting-the-victory-wild-devil/

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 15:48:33 | More by StephenRich

zhanson88

Montana

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle dated 6/10/09. I was a bit pissed off when I got home and realized how old this beer was. The date on the bottle is tiny and barely readable, I wish I would have noticed it before I bought it (I did look). Even before opening it I feel like I need to find a fresher bottle to compare/contrast with this one. Oh well, my own fault I suppose....

Appearance: Wild Devil reminds me of the inside of a grapefruit....a nice blood-red/orange color with ungodly amounts of light tan head. Lacing remains abundant and chunky. This is a very attractive looking beer.

Smell: Even before my nose gets to the glass I smell bubblegum, and when it gets closer there's that funky, leathery smell of the Brett. Underneath that I get a bit of grapefruit, citrus and a little pine.

Taste: First off I get a lot of funk, as well as a pretty intense grapefruit sourness. On the back end I get a little citrus and piney hops, but not much.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: Body is a little thin, but overall this is a very smooth beer. Drinkability is average, mostly because of the amount of sourness that comes through. One bomber was plenty for me.

Overall: I will be looking for a fresher Wild Devil to try. I feel like a fresher version would maybe tone down the sourness/funk and decrease the amount of hop degradation that has occurred in this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 01:31:56 | More by zhanson88

TCHopCraver

Michigan

3.2/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes on 9/18/10. Thanks to TCGoalie for sharing and zoso1967 for supplying.

A: Pours a murky orange-gold-light brown into an oversized wine glass. A khaki head started at two fingers and retains at half a finger throughout the tasting. The lacing left on the glass is frothy, but not very sticky.

S: Wild, spicy yeast, meet American hops. I get a lot of aromas from this one, including banana, peach, pear, and tangy sour sauce. On the back end of the smell are citrusy hops. There is a bit of an odd burnt plastic tang, and overall the aroma is very sugary and sweet.

T: The beginning of the sip is nicely sour from the wild yeast influence, and then a weird collision of burnt plastic and hops takes over. The finish is oddly bitter, but not clean. It takes kind of like earth and circus peanuts at the same time. The taste is curious, and I am not sure I like how the wild Belgian yeast interacts with the American hops.

M: The feel is medium upfront, but it soon becomes thin and a little watery in my mouth. The finish is not so pleasantly puckering.

D: This was an interesting beer and worth a try, but not really my cup of tea. The yeast and hop collision really left a strange and not entirely pleasant taste in my mouth. I will not have this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2010 00:36:10 | More by TCHopCraver

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bottled on apr 22, 2009. from notes, tasted in june 2009. poured into duvel tulip.

deep orangey amber. gem-like and clear w/ 2cm decant. huge 4-finger head; fluffy, puffy and off-white. slowly fades w/ meringue, to constant thin puffy layer and creamy ring. several decently-sized, consistent and distinct rings of lace all the way down the glass.

aroma: citrusy hops, pine hints, with subtle touch of brett. more like musty, wet hay. fruity esters of both citrus and apple, with that solid munich malt and caramel base typical of hopdevil. more pine in back.

taste: very different beer! hoppy, citrusy american varieties, with caramelized malt base and fruity esters. but dried out by that brett character, with a hint of must and leather. really makes the moderate to bold hop bitterness snappy and crisp, along with the phenols.

medium body, smooth, with resins for light astringency in the finish, but crisp w/ phenols and an otherwise moderate, fluffy carbonation.

hard to say if this is really a "belgian IPA", but i like it - though keep in mind i LOVE both the original hopdevil and brett in general.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 07:53:49 | More by tai4ji2x

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a perfect pint. Bottled some time in 2009...can't read the month on the stamping.

A- pours orange with a very puffy 3 finger white head. I actually had to pour it a couple of times because of how excessive the head was...not really a complaint or a compliment, just saying. Real foamy.

S- funk. Beautiful, beautiful funk. Sourness dominates the nose, and this one is coming off...maybe with sour grapes? I think thats the nose I'm getting. Its fantastic.

T- the sourness is actually moderate, and unfortunately...its not really balanced by any hoppiness. Getting a lot of Belgian yeast and some funk...but thats really all. Disappointing

M- its actually pretty thin, and the carb seems really low...which is weird base on how intense of a head I got from the pour. Regardless, underwhelmed.

D- its a good beginner sour I guess...but its technically a Belgian IPA? Kind of a bad interpretation of that style too, but whatever. Just average all around

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 22:00:04 | More by bigfnjoe