Here’s something that doesn’t happen every day. I wanted to create my webpage for Devil’s Backbone Eight Point IPA, which I enjoyed at Taco Mac on June 1^st. You’re reading that page right now. Devil’s Backbone was the featured brewery of the month for June at Taco Mac, so each Thursday you can get a brewery logo glass free with the purchase of one of the featured beers. Which I did, and it was the Eight Point IPA.

Anyway, I like to do some research on a beer before I tell you about it (as opposed to when I drink it, when I don’t like to do research, I want the beer basically to tell me about itself). When I binged Devil’s Backbone Eight Point IPA, there it was at the top of my search results: “AD-Devils Backbone Brewing Co.® - Virginia's Best Beers”. That’s an interesting occurrence because it almost never happens as most craft breweries don’t have the resources to pay Google or Bing for such search result placement, but clearly Anheuser-Busch Inbev, who bought Devil’s Backbone last year, does.

Anyway, I clicked the link and went to the Devil’s Backbone site, which I am sure made Microsoft happy as they got a payment from AB Inbev for the referral. So I can now tell you that Devil’s Backbone says this about Eight Point IPA:

This is the first batch of beer we brewed after the conception of Devils Backbone Brewing Company in 2008. Our brewmaster Jason Oliver was thinking about how to design the IPA when he heard a rustle near his fence line (just touching the woods) where he saw two young proud eight point bucks walking along it. He decided to name the beer after those young bucks as it seemed to fit the spirit of the beer,which is proud, brash, youthful, yet approachable.  Citrus, Pine, Snap.

Ingredients from the website:

Hops: Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Simcoe

Malts: Pilser, Cara-stan, Carafoam, Toasted Wheat

Devil’s Backbone Eight Point IPA has an alcohol content of 6.2% by volume with 70 IBUs. I paid $6 for a 20-ounce mug at Taco Mac and got a free matching logo glass. The beer runs $9.99 a six-pack here in bottles.

That mug of Devil’s Backbone Eight Point IPA arrived bright orange amber in color with a thick fluffy white head of foam and a resiny, slightly herbal hop aroma. Taking a sip, I get a solid caramel malt body with classic piney-resiny and grapefruit-citrusy notes. There’s a bit of herbal grassy hop aroma, too, in the long dry bitter finish.

Devil’s Backbone beers recently arrived in Georgia, and I suspect the brand is being rolled out to just about everywhere with the acquisition. I loved this beer, and I’m happy to see a readily available classic IPA like this so easily accessible to everyone. It impressed me, and I will definitely be back for more.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft