Founders Devil Dancer

A beer review. It's only been - what? Two months or so since I wrote one? The thing is, I've said this before. I'm not so much reviewing beers as I am writing about their tastes. So if you haven't tried a beer and are wondering what it tastes like, you could easily check my blog and see. Of course I'm saying all this in justification of writing about a beer other than the ones I'm selling. It may sound defensive, but it's actually just explanation.

Founders is one of my favorite breweries. I really like the beers of theirs that I've had. Recently someone told me I had to try the Devil Dancer. It's a triple IPA, and it came so highly recommended that as soon as I saw it was available at Hawthorne's, I was there buying a bottle.

The pour is a amber orange. The smell is that of hops - piney and citrusy - which shouldn't be surprising given that it's dry-hopped with 10 hop varieties for 26 days. There are undertones of alcohol, as well, and some sweetness. What came through for me in the taste was a lot of the alcohol (the ABV is 12%, after all) and I think that's why I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. I've had other big beers that don't taste as boozy as this one does. Although the taste was overwhelmingly that of alcohol, I also got some malt sweetness. It just didn't seem to balance it out as much as some other beers I've had.
This is definitely a bitter beer. While I usually don't mind bitterness, that, along with the big alcohol bite, resulted in my not enjoying it as much as I have other Founders beers I've had.

Devil Dancer is a seasonal beer. I may not consider it one of my go-to beers, but I've heard so much about it recently I knew it was something I wanted to try. A lot of other people really like this beer (see above: it came highly recommended) and you may want to grab a pint (or bottle) if you see it while you're out.

I'm a beer rep!

Sigh. I feel somewhat defeated when I sign in here and see how long it's been since I've posted anything. Over a month? There's just no excuse. But I'll make excuses anyway. Part of the reason is that I'm lazy (and honest!). Part is that I've been thinking I want to change up what I write about. Still write about beer (of course!) but in a different way. And I guess that's where I've been getting hung up.

Regardless, I'm writing right now with some great news. When I left my job as a marketing director back in the fall - 10 long months ago - I said I wanted to work in the beer industry. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do, but had an idea I would like to be a rep for a brewery. I started going out (well, I continued going out) and making friends with the people who worked in the industry. I didn't do it to get a job - I did it because they're cool people and I enjoyed hanging out with them. And, of course, I hoped that one day an opportunity would present itself.

That day came a couple of weeks ago. A guy, Rob DeMaria, that I met at an event at the Grey Lodge Pub in February who is opening a new brewery based out of Lansdale contacted me because he was looking for a sales rep. We met a couple of times, talked about the opportunity, and I decided it was the right choice for me. I am officially the first sales person for Prism Beer, and (I believe) the first employee! I'm so super excited about this. It's what I've been saying I wanted to do for months. The beer is really good. And I get to spend my days talking about something I really do enjoy. As they say, do something you love and you'll never work a day again in your life. So here's to me not ever working again.