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.
Hello, Philly Beer Girl-
ReplyDeleteI just found your site, via its Drink Link from Foobooz.com, as I was researching Philadelphia food and drink blogs. I was impressed with your depth of commentary on this subject. And so I just did a blog post on my site, Enjoying Philadelphia, linking to your blog and citing it as an authority, on Philadelphia's microbrewery scene.
If you'd like to read it, it can be found at this link:
http://www.enjoyingphiladelphia.com/philadelphia-blog.html
Also, if you'd like to reply via e-mail, you can do so at
http://www.enjoyingphiladelphia.com/contact_us.html
Keep up the good work...
Hello Enjoying Philadelphia! Thank you for your kids words and link to my site. I'm glad you found it interesting and insightful. I hope your readers do as well.
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, I haven't been writing as much as I should be but this just may inspire me to hit the keys a little more often.
Cheers!
Hello, Philly Beer Girl-
ReplyDeleteI've been continuing my research on the Philadelphia craft beer scene, which is far from an area of expertise for me.
I happened to come across this sign, while doing research on the history of brewing in the city. Since you seem to be interested in beer in its historical context, I thought that I'd pass it on to you. (You probably already know this, but it was news to me...)
America's First Lager
This sign is apparently in Northern Liberties, near Brown Street, between 2nd and 3rd.
Here's the link:
http://www.mbaa.com/Districts/Philadelphia/history/historyFirstLager.htm
Keep up the good work on your blog.