Style: Bavarian IPA
ABV: 6.7%
Nick’s Take
It’s the end of Oktoberfest season, friends. As I mentioned in a prior post, I enjoy the marzens and festbiers that come out in the fall months, but now the trend has to shifted to styles like pumpkin ales (maybe a post in the future?) and the Oktoberfest brews are becoming hard to find. However, I was lucky to stumble across a unique style of beer – a Bavarian IPA, to be precise – that seemed like a good “farewell” to the season. If you have never heard of this style, you are certainly not alone! Going into a regional beer today from Virginia, “München On Hops” from Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company is an IPA with an uncommon twist that combines the Bavarian beer style with an IPA. Joe has been on vacation and I felt he needed to take some time away from working on the blog, so I called in a favor to one of our friends (read her review below!) to fill in and try this beer with me.
My instinct to pour this into a stein kicked in immediately, but I ultimately decided it would be best to taste this in a tulip glass. I did not regret this decision, as I found the aromas to be so much more pungent with the tulip (I’ll come back to this shortly). The other benefit I found was that the head retention was better in the tulip glass. The microbubbles sat beautifully on a hazy, murky yellow-colored base that was a bit darker than a traditional Bavarian beer. I think it was very indicative of IPA/Bavarian mashup. A few early smells were giving me instant sweet tones, and cherry was the first thing that came to mind. It has a fruity profile to it, and upon further inspection, I noticed some tropical hops that give a light pineapple aroma. Of course, with a Bavarian beer, you expect some malt and bread notes, and that was prevalent as well. A slightly boozy finish on the nose that reminded me a little of tannins. Overall, one of the nicest smelling beers I have encountered as of late.
As I got into tasting, I experienced a lightly carbonated, soft beer that was pleasant to drink. A bit of a dry characteristic, as well. I was glad to find that the malt and bread components came through strong in the tasting, and also confused (not in a negative way) by the addition of the soft fruit notes of cherry and pineapple. It was a complexity I could not recall experiencing before. Your mind may go to fruit cake, but I wouldn’t liken the two. The hops in this brew come through just slightly, and possibly the most through retronasal. I found this was a difficult beer to taste just due to the complexity of the flavors, between the malts, hops and other profiles like fruit and bread. Despite that, I really did enjoy it and followed the tasting with another. I think it’s a fun beer because the taste will evolve as you drink it. I can see this being a polarizing brew, however; I turned in a more generous Untappd score than was the average, and some consumers may not be a fan of this unconventional style. I still highly recommend this Bavarian IPA if you get the opportunity to buy from your bottle shop or directly from the source.
Appearance: Hazy/murky yellow with fleeting head, little bit of lace on the glass. (4.5/5)
Aroma: Bready, sweet, light hop aromas; deep inhales bring fruit notes like cherry and pineapple, while a dry, boozy finish is reminiscent of tannins. (4.5/5)
Mouthfeel: A lighlty carbonated brew, with a soft mouthfeel and slightly dry finish. (4/5)
Taste: Light fruit notes (cherry, pineapple) that seem to be intertwined with the hops, sweet bready/malty flavors. Hops linger on the tongue but not bitter. (4.5/5)
Drinkability: For a subcategory of IPAs, a very sessionable beer due to little or no perceived bitterness and a ton of flavor. While it screams “stein” I think a more refined tasting glass is worth it for the extra aromas. (4/5)
Total: 21.5/25
Stephanie’s Take
The moment we’ve all been waiting for – Joe… You are the weakest link, goodbye. Kidding! He’s adventuring and Nick needed a guest reviewer. So, as the official unofficial intern of East Carolina Beer and Brewing, I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do. Luckily, thanks to a previous post, I had done some homework.
We chose to continue the hoptimism with this week’s regional beer review: “München on Hops” by Devil’s Backbone. I poured my beer into a muffin top glass and was immediately hit by a tropical punch with hints of citrus and cherry essences. The appearance was slightly hazy with a pretty golden yellow color and a thin white foam on top from a perfect pour (*toot toot*). The mouthfeel was soft and smooth with a harsh finish leaving my mouth a little dry from the tangy bite. This beer lived up to its Bavarian background with its sweet and bready flavors. However, the taste overall seemed to be lacking in hop character – tilting the balance toward the sweeter side. I would probably try to avoid pairing this with anything spicy, but I think you could “munch” on almost anything while enjoying this cold beverage. A first for me from Devil’s Backbone, but I was definitely pleased and look forward to trying more of their brews after this one!
Thanks, as always, to those who support the blog and read the reviews; and to Nick & Joe for letting me step in! E.C.B.B. It’s in the beer.
P.S. To the left, to the left…. (@Joe)
Appearance: Golden yellow with a slight opaque haze. Thin, foamy-white head. (4/5)
Aroma: Very mild hop smell; very sweet and fruity with bready notes.(4.5/5)
Mouthfeel: Smooth and light with a little bite at the end. (3.5/5)
Taste: Juicy and fruity with bit of a harsh finish. (3.75/5)
Drinkabilty: Overall, depends on picking the right glass but I could (and did) drink a couple. (4.25/5)
Total: 20/25
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