232. Devil's Backbone Stringduster Ale

This is the other beer from my fantasy football draft.  Apparently the description behind this beer is that it is a combination of barley, wheat, and corn.  

It poured a hazy golden color with orange highlights into a stemless snifter glass.  One finger of off-white head.  Low retention.  Seems like a lot of the Devil's Backbone line has low retention head.  No lacing on the glass.  I get aromas of apple, honey, caramel, toast, and grassy notes.  

Tastes of toffee, caramel, apple, grass, and a touch of bitter hops.  Light bodied, with light carbonation, coupled with the < 5% ABV makes this a very sessionable beer.  

My expectations for an APA is something that's pretty hop forward and not too dissimilar from an IPA.  In the case of this beer, I didn't find a lot of discerning qualities that would be related to an IPA.  It's a pleasant surprise.  To that point, I think it tastes more like an English APA as that particular style tends to be more muted with the hoppy flavor.  Still, I'm not going to complain as it made for a very good beer that's easy to drink.  I could easily have this again.

Grade: B

Price Paid: $6.99 (32 oz growler)

231. Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager

I bought this beer for my buddies that were attending a fantasy football draft.  Of course I was going to sample some of the goods that I purchased!  The contents were emptied into a stemless snifter.  It's got a dark amber color, one finger of off-white head with low retention and low amounts of lacing.  I can pick up aromas of toast, malt, and brown sugar.

I can taste toasted malt, sourdough, and caramel.  Very simplistic in nature, but not beer styles need to be complex.  Medium bodied with medium carbonation.  Smooth drinkability.  

It's a very clean tasting beer, inoffensive to the taste buds.  If someone wanted to get introduced to the world of craft beer, I think this would be one of those beers that would be helpful for the transition.  Very good beer.

Grade: B+

Price Paid: $1.66 (12 oz bottle)

209. Devil's Backbone Kilt Flasher Scottish Ale

I decided to enjoy this beer after dinner, getting a glass of this with my popcorn while the wife and I caught up on some tv shows we had on the DVR.  Good times.  I have to admit, the picture on the bottle is humorous.  I've never heard of Devil's Backbone Brewing Company (http://www.dbbrewingcompany.com) until I had picked up the beer, so I'm hoping for some good things.

The beer was poured into a stemless brandy snifter.  It has a nice dark brown color, very reminiscent of sweet tea (or just regular tea for you folks that don't live in the South).  It had about a finger of tan head that had low retention.  No signs of lacing on the glass.  Aromas of caramel, toffee, toasted malt, some dark fruit, and some alcohol esters.  

The taste was similar, more caramel, toffee, and malt than anything.  The dark fruit barely comes through, just enough to make you think something is there.  A little bit of the alcohol comes through as well.  There's a little more depth to this beer, maybe some earthy notes.  It's sweet, but not overly sweet.  Medium bodied but with low carbonation, it's easy to drink but the sweetness might get cloying after a while.  I haven't had a Scottish Ale in a while and I was pleasantly surprised by this and enjoyed it.  I'm not sure how it compares with other beers of the same style, but it will get some pretty good marks from me in the meantime.  For a beer that might be available in a six pack, I would definitely recommend.

Grade: B+

Price Paid: $2.29 (12 oz bottle)