Aging Victory Wild Devil

So tonight I decided to take something out of the cellar that I had been aging for awhile to see what would happen to it. The beer is called Victory Wild Devil and it is their year round Hop Devil with brettanomyces (brett) added to it. In case you don't know what brett is, it is a wild yeast strand that can make a beer very funky. It can be hard to control and many breweries don't want to mess around with this particular yeast strand. However, it seems as if a few more breweries these days are taking chances with the 'bug.'

I orginally had this on tap last summer when it was released and it was more of the ipa with a little funk. However, aging it for 10 months has taken a complete 180 on this beer. The brett kicked in nice and provided a nice Belgian flavored beer. Here is a review of the aged bottle:


Cork comes off with a loud pop and gushes out a bit.

Poured into New Belgium Globe glass.

Pours a massive amount of head. I poured it slowly and the head rose up very fast. Over four fingers of khaki head. Finally fades down and I can get at this one. Leaves some rings and splattered lace. Color is a orange hued burnt copper.

Aroma: Tons of funk. The brett seemed to have develop nicely, maybe overpowering the ipa components. Has the barnyard funk to it with some spices and cloves. It has some citrus flavors, but the hops aren't very present.

Taste: Tons of barnyard funk and brett. The hops bring some bite as well, but not as present as when the beer was fresh (pretty obvious). Has some hints of bananas and cloves with some grapefruit citrus. The hops are floral and they blend well with the funkiness in this beer. A decent amount of black crushed pepper.

Mouthfeel: Bitter, but funky with some crisp notes. Medium bodied with a higher amount of carbonation. End dry with an awkward aftertaste that I can't determine.

Overall, this was a fun beer to age. It really changed a lot and I enjoyed to see what a few months did to it. It was very funky and not to much of an IPA anymore. It is drinkable. The 750 shouldn't be too big of a problem.

Thanks for checking out my review. Try aging a few beers yourself. It can be fun to see what happens to them. If you need suggestions, feel free to comment here.

Cheers,
Ben