Dancing with the Devil.

Yeah, it's Tuesday...so sue me. VBS on 52 had a facebook post about a Saison-Brett which they were limiting to one bomber per customer. Uhhh....combine that with the fact that I needed a Gewurtztraminer for Joe's wine and cheese party on Sat and you get a VBS trip on Tuesday.

The Saison-Brett is waiting for a bit. It is in the fridge, because I don't have the discipline to let a $14 beer sit around without trying it. Maybe that'll be my first conquest of the party (it's better than the Franzia others plan on drinking...seriously).

Of course, I scoured the beer selection for others (I don't go to VBS on 52 very often because the beer selection would bankrupt me...they had a $45 beer from Belgium). They had a couple dreadnaughts left, but I actually picked a 12oz of Devil Dancer from Founders. It's their triple IPA, and I had a very very small sample on my Founders trip, since that was my last beer and I wasn't feeling like a 12% beer was going to be a good decision. Skipping it was a good decision on my part...I'm thinking this bottle is a little old, and the flavors are definitely mellower.

I am blogging this as I go now. I'm going to purposely let this warm up...to see how flavors develop over time...and to not get too sleepy. I poured it about 5 mins ago, fridge temp, awesome head and color. At this temp, the hop flavor is a bit abusive.

*note* bottle details on this are 112 IBU (!!!!!) and 12%. That's all the detail on the bottle...although the picture on the label probably would be illegal for a minor to possess. I have had higher IBU beers, but that was the Humo lupa licious, at around 120. That beer, however, is a single IPA and doesn't even pretend to balance the hops. That was a beer you drink after you've been on BL or PBR for too long and forgot what hops were.

OK...beer is warming up now (big beers don't need to be ice cold). The malt flavors are starting to develop a little, and the aroma is intensifying...both of these act to balance the experience. There's a little warming going on person wise too...this beer is awesome. This is what I'd consider cellar temp.

*note* scary fact...they had 4-packs of this...like I said VBS 52 is bad news for my wallet.

Almost up to room temp now. Bad bad BAD idea. Pine sap flavor came from no where...oye. Fortunately I only let a small amount of the beer come to this temp...since the cellar temp was so good. Balance is gone. Flavor is now that of Pine sap and alcohol. No mellowing anywhere...bad bad idea.

So there you go. Flavor transformation of a triple IPA from fridge temp to Brit temp.

-James