Victory is a newcomer to South Carolina, one of the spoils of the recent repeal on the oppression of beer in our state. Victory is brewed in Downington, Pennsylvania, and has quickly become one of my favorite overall breweries. Everything I have had from them has been stellar to this point.

The first Victory beer I tasted, and what has become one of my favorites, is the HopDevil ale. HopDevil is as the name suggests, quite hoppy. It has a very sour citrusy taste to it, almost like drinking grapefruit juice. I know that grapefruit juice can be an acquired taste, so this may not appeal to everyone. For being very hoppy, this beer also has a strong malt flavor, giving it an interesting twist. I guess that’s the “devil” part.

The color is a deep amber and the aroma suggests more to me of malt than it does hops. With Some very hoppy beers the hops almost knocks you over when you first get a whiff, but with this beer the hops really sneaks up on you when you taste it.

It has 6.7% alcohol by volume, so it is a little more potent than your average beer. This increased potency gives the beer a lot of body and really coats your tongue on the way down. The aftertaste is very persistent, but it is pleasant. While this beer is very good, I would not want to have more than two in a sitting because of the overpowering hoppy nature. This is best enjoyed with a meal or desert.