Victory Wild Devil

I received this beer on my birthday from taura_g, but it was bottled a full year before that, conditioning in the bottle. Upon popping the cork on this 750ml bottle, the carbonation exploded, and I quickly had to move the bottle over the kitchen sink. The first pour into the pint glass was 100% head.

Well.

I cleaned the kitchen counter, and finally got a chance to taste the beer.

Wow.

Okay, the good folks at Victory (in Pennsylvania) brew in the German tradition, but this is an English "India Pale Ale" recipe. To that, they use their American hops (in high concentration). So this is a real mutt of a beer. It is very bitter, but complexly so: there are fruit notes, and even some hints of rosemary.

The color is coppery, and more than a bit cloudy.

Funky.

The body of this beer is heavier than one would expect from a Pale Ale, but not overly so. But many of the barley notes have become... funky.

Not in a bad way. But in a very definite way.

There is plenty in this beer to like, but I'm somewhat stumped as to what kind of food would go with it.

Hold on; I'm going to take another swig.

The foretaste is almost creamy; the backtaste is bitter on the sides of the tongue.

The feeling I get from it is cozy, but not warming. IPAs are generally quenching, but this has a bit of body to it. Still, this would be fine to drink during the warmer months.

If you like beer which is bitter, complex, and funky, you will definitely like this.