Corne Du Diable
Trying out a different reviewing style. Let me know how you like it. I was in the mood for an IPA this evening and my sights landed upon Corne du Diable. I'm a fan of many Dieu du Ciel beers and was ready to rip right into this one. The beer poured a beautiful clear amber color and produced a solid finger of meringue-like head. Solid lacing on the glass indicated I was in for a bit of a hop-fest of bitterness. One sniff and I was locked in. There are some wonderful floral and grassy hop notes coming from this beer, balanced well with the aroma of medium-roasted grains. A bit of sweetness is there on the nose as well, inviting you in. Very alluring. Then the devil makes his move. Upon the first sip, all that was sweet and floral is gone. What you get is a rather mildly malty bitter bomb. Nothing floral about the flavor. This is all bitter, and not in a good way. Imagine the taste and feel you get from a lemon rind, but without the tartness or the sweetness. Just that tack-tack-tacky feel and flavor. That's the best way I can describe it... or perhaps the feel of licking envelopes for a while. The feel of this beer, aside from the flavor, is somewhat normal if not a little thin. There is ample carbonation to greet you, but there's nothing solid about the feel of this beer. It just "is" on the palette. Of note, as I drink it more, it's a bit easier to drink, but the flavor remains that stringent lemon rind. While I won't spill this one out, I'm certainly not going to reach for another. I'll stick to their other offerings.