Founders Devil Dancer
Purchased at Merchants in Dearborn, MI, recently. Dark orange / amber / red on the pour with very hazy composition, literally opaque. Sandy head on the pour dispersed quickly leaving a film and a ring. No visible carbonation. Under a bright light, still opaque but a few slow moving bubble strands are discernible. Smell is bitter and hoppy, grapefruit nose. Taste is very bitter, hops, sour, a bit of alcohol heat but not much considering the ABV. Medium body and very smooth mouthfeel, velvet texture, substantial with a syrupy caramel sweetness and malt presence. Aftertaste a bit earthy, heavy, sour to begin with. Allowed to warm and the haziness has cleared up so that I can now see the shape of my fingers holding the glass; now the sweeter malt and caramel is more predominant and the aftertaste is more even and smooth, but still reminds one of a fine liqueur. In evaluating this beer, regard must be had for the high ABV and IBUs, it drinks very well considering for the 12 per cent stated on the bottle. Enjoyable if one can sip and savour, not recommended as a sessional. Overall, another well done project from Founders but nothing I would rush out to buy more of necessarily; this beer resembles a barley wine in some respects. Any true beer lover should make an effort to taste one of these but I'm not sure I would stock my fridge with it, this style separates the men from the boys (and the women from the girls).