Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 1 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

No aroma. Clear amber, thick head, good lace. Grass. Medium body, easy carbonation.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Super crisp and clear copper and light bronze coloured body with a thick, two to three centimetre tall off-white head that stays afloat nicely. Aroma of pure allspice, cloves, canella, nutmeg and vanilla, with some malts and grain noticeable, but the spice of course dominates. Medium-bodied; Strong rich spicy flavour from the allspice and canella primarily with a lot of sweetness noticeable on the edges and a dose of caramelised sugars, toffee and even coffee noticeable  here. Aftertaste shows some light lactose and creaminess, with vanilla noticeable as well and some malts, but of course the spices dominate in a good way, especially for a lager! Overall,  a very nice spice-based lager with tons of allspice, canella and especially nutmeg notes with a dry sweetness from lactose or cream that goes down easily, but has a great profile. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Giant Food in Alexandria (Potomac Yard) on 25-November-2020 for US$1,99 sampled at my house here in Washington on 16-December-2020. 

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Crisp and ever so slightly hazy deep brown and rich amber coloured body with a nice two centimetre tall off-white and tan head that fades very quickly and just leaves a small layer on top. Aroma of roasted malts, nuts, toast, raisins, figs, light alcohol and a touch of molasses. Medium-bodied; Strong grainy flavours dominate with a lot of biscuity, nutty, earthy and sweet caramelised sugar notes that have a rustic quality but finish the beer out even sweeter than I expected. Aftertaste has some of the more pungent and sweet, toffee and earthy flavours noticeable that give a light maltiness, but this goes down very smoothly and easily for one of the richer lagers, plus without much of the typical lager yeast notes or earthiness that's expected. Overall, a great example of a slightly more pungent and potent version of a Vienna, but done with a good set of flavours that isn't too pungent or deep, but still packing a punch I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Giant Food in Alexandria (Potomac Yard), Virginia on 25-November-2020 for US$1,99 sampled at my house here in Washington on 10-December-2020. 

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Copper coloured body with a nice almost ruby glow with a smooth, two centimetre tall rich tan head. Aroma of very distinct light-roast coffee with some slight cascara (coffee fruit, dried) tea notes with a light malt and grainy scent and some toffee and caramelised sugars aromas as well. Light to Medium-bodied; Strong coffee flavours dominate with a good grainy malt bite with some earthiness and a dry floral characteristic and a smooth, creamy and almost lactosey bite at the end. Aftertaste shows a great blend of the typical Vienna bite from the yeast and malt with the added benefit of the coffee being thrown in the mix, with a good bitterness associated, a pleasant sweetness and a touch of complexity from creaminess and lactose flavours towards the end. Overall, this is my first of the various takes on Devil's Backbone Vienna options, but this one worked very well and was nice to sample, now i'm excited for the other two! I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Giant Food in Alexandria (Potomac Yard) on 25-November-2020 for US$1,99 sampled at my house here in Washington on 07-December-2020. 

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Deep dark brown coloured body with a rich, very thick, two to three centimetre tall rich brown head that stays afloat nicely and looks more like a porter than a brown. Aroma of rich toasted grain, caramelised sugars and a lot of nuttiness with hazlenuts the strongest, along with some hops in the shape of grapefruit and pine, adding a nice pronounced bitterness in the nose. Medium-bodied; Strong, rich, malty and deep earthy flavours are the strongest with a lot of pungency and robust qualities along with some softer sweetness and creamy notes which dominate towards the end and give a slightly polished note that hits instead of the bitterness. Aftertaste shows some nuts, robust grain and toasted malts and a very large earthy, dryness, with a lot of hop bitterness at the end. Overall, a nice and enjoyable brown with a great hoppiness to it, but the earthy, nutty and dry notes are the strongest, in a good way, since this is so balanced. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Harris Teeter in Arlington (Columbia Pike), Virginia on 17-October-2020 for US$1,87 sampled at my house here in Washington on 01-December-2020. 

Over-hopped for my taste.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

12 ounce can. Amber orange color. Frothy beige head. Aroma is sweet toasted malt with a hint of caramel. Flavor follows nose. Toasted malt, caramel and spicy hops. Light bodied for the style.

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

Super clear nd thin pink coloured body that is very light and far removed from Red, along with the head, that is nice at four to five centimetres tall, but violet and purple coloured or perhaps dark pink, but nowhere close to red. Aroma of strawberries, tons of hibiscus, some very perfumey notes of jasmine and showing a light malt and hop scent, but this seems all about the fruit and tartness. Light to Medium-bodied; Odd biscuity, slightly grainy and herbal flavours show at first with a deep yeastie and breadie flavour right behind that leaves a bitterness and funky finish with no hops or tartness at all. Aftertaste is funky also with a slight dry characteristic and some honey-like notes, but there is still no hops nor alpha acids here to draw on, and only a bit of the malty component that shows past the funky grainy yeastie and bitterness. Overall, very disappointing throughout - from the lack of hops to no real malt presence and the tartness/fruits/herbs in the nose and nothing in the flavour and the biggest let-down is the color! Definitely worth passing up entirely and forgetting you even saw this one! I sampled this sixteen ounce, pint-sized can, purchased from The Sperryville Corner Store in Sperryville, Virginia on 18-June-2022 for US$3,77, with a 'Best By' date of 15-September-2022 and sampled at my house here in Washington on 27-June-2022.