Victory HopDevil
Mid-strength American IPA’s are becoming increasingly common here in the UK, from the initial colonists such as Goose Island India Pale Ale, through the second wave of beers such as Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA, to recent arrivals such as Green Flash West Coast IPA (seen arriving in our local Edinburgh-area bottle shops only the other week). Rarer beauties such as the peerless Stone IPA are available with effort, but even those kind of seldom-travelled brews are now starting to sneak onto shelves and into fridges. This can only be a good thing for the British consumer (average drinker and committed hop-head alike), as more will surely follow, and it means fewer of us have to resort to Britain’s mass-produced IPA’s like Greene King.
The other week, a green face appeared in one of our city’s bottle shops, grinning from the label of Victory HopDevil (6.7%). Hailing from Downington in southeastern Pennsylvania, Victory Brewing began in 1996 in an old bakery – but have up-scaled several times and are now one of the more prolific brewers in the Keystone State, shipping their products to many States…and now overseas. HopDevil is highly bottle-conditioned, it’s totally hazy even before opening. Pouring with a large inch-high pillowy head, it’s a dark amber colour with reddish hints. The aroma is all hop – pine and citrus backbone – with some alcohol, but not as much as other strong IPA’s. On the palate, it’s highly carbonated with a healthy hop front and a lovely bitter pine aftertaste – like sucking a mouthful of pine needles, the acids really come out of this one. However, there’s a faint touch of sweetness that stops the whole thing descending into a bitter bomb, and brings the taste together nicely – very nicely, in fact.
