Real Ale Devil's Backbone

This beers initial taste profile is reminiscent of Steel Reserve which was a candidate for beer of the year last year, however with some differences. First off the malty taste is much more subtle than that of the Steel Reserve which makes for a much more enjoyable and multifaceted beer for drinking and enjoying with food. The taste profile on this beer is a strong clove and sweet pumpkin spice which rides rough shot over the bitter hops with which comes in as a slight aftertaste. The best food to enjoy this beer with is spicy dishes like Indian food, or what I enjoyed mine with which was a grilled chicken breast with an improvised BBQ sauce with habanero hot sauce and brown sugar and soy sauce. The spice of the food and the sweetness of the beer play well with each other and that makes for a nice meal, one you enjoy after a long day out in the summer sun. In addition to that the beer is good as a standalone and perhaps best as a dessert beer. So despite the fact that there is a devil on the bottle this stuff is good and that is saying a lot. Perhaps I will have to give the folks over at Real Ale another chance.