Devil’s Purse Skywave

One of the most recent breweries to start distributing to the Boston area is Devil’s Purse Brewing Company out of South Dennis, MA on Cape Cod. Devil’s Purse has a similar origin to most small breweries in the US, two friends started homebrewing as a hobby and it quickly became a passion and eventually a business. Devil’s Purse is named after the collagen egg casings from skates that often wash up on local beaches. Co-founder Mike Segerson was fascinated by Devil’s Purses as a child and it was a no-brainer using them for the name and logo. Until recently you needed to drive down to the Cape to find Devil’s Purse beer, but they have recently started bottling and some of these bottles have made the journey up to metro Boston. The first bottle release is Skywave, a saison brewed with noble hops and fermented with a proprietary blend of French saison yeast and Brettanomyces. Skywave is named in honor of the first trans-Atlantic wireless radio transmissions between Cape Cod and England. Devil’s Purse Skywave is available on a rotating basis on draft and in 750 mL bottles.

Devil's Purse SkywaveDevil’s Purse Skywave pours a hazy golden yellow with a pillowy white head. The scent is mostly the yeast, dominated by the rustic Brettanomyces. The yeast leads the flavor as well, notes of pepper, clove, green apple and that distinctive barnyard funkiness that you only get from fermentation with Brett. This is complemented by some grassy, floral and earthy noble hops and rounded out by a light malt backbone that contributes hints of whole grain bread and honey. Skywave is light bodied and very easy to drink at 6.2% ABV. The finish is crisp and bone dry with some lingering yeast flavors. Devil’s Purse Skywave is well crafted, complex and delicious, definitely worth a shot if you like the rustic/funky style of saisons. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.

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