Be Careful When You Mess With Crazy - aka Deviant Dale's IPA

So… mental health… a little bit taboo… every family deals with it in different ways. Ours use levity. It seems like every family has a crazy uncle – and mine is no different.  Oh the stories I could tell, but I only share two. Back in the good old days, before political correctness, I was in high school. During the 11^th grade I took Driver’s Education. Our Driver’s Ed teacher was the PE/baseball coach, based out of a portable. For class, three of us would get in this shitty Pontiac with Coach and take off. That was literally our class. He’d have a clipboard and a cup of coffee and we would just drive around. He’d run smack the whole time and we’d all laugh. One day we see this barrel chested dude, sitting bolt upright, riding a bike down Pensacola Street. He was wearing old-school sweatpants, shirtless and rocking a big-ass fro. Coach was like “look at this “f”ing guy. The whole car busted out laughing, me included. Then I was like “hey, that’s my uncle!” Again, everybody just fell out. When I finally convinced them it was my uncle, Coach seemed to be backpedaling off his comments. He finally cracked another joke when I told them it was alright, “he IS crazy.” That’s just the way it was back them. 

Even earlier on Uncle C, that’s what we’ll call him, had the same crazy “look” in his eyes. My dad tells a story where Uncle C was down in front of a juke joint, or whatever the called it, and some young bucks were giving him some static. He politely ignored it, waived it off until enough was enough. When he finally had to tell them to knock it off, that he was in his good clothes, it just made it worse. He warned them a few times that he’d go home and change and be back, which, of course, made it worse. They whooped and hollered as he departed. Having had enough, Uncle C got home, changed out of his good clothes, went back and toted an ass-whopping for all three of them dudes – fighting them all at the same time. 

Thus Uncle C was the inspiration for this latest review. The crazy uncle of Dale’s Pale Ale is Deviant Dale’s IPA. 

We’ll call him Uncle D. Uncle D don’t play.  I first met Uncle D up at Zone 5 in late 2011. I begged the Oskar Blues Beer Distributor for two cases, on his weekly visit, for months. Just before the first shipment came in… Weaver boot-legged some samples out of Albany. Got it in the fridge and waited. First of all, I took note of the heft of the can. Killer graphics and it’s only available as a tallboy. So it looks crazy, but is it crazy? Bout chill time I call Ronnie to give him the play-by-play.  First crack, sniff and gulp. Hmmmm, I’m a little wobbly. Can’t ID if I like it or not. It’s strong. Much stronger than the claimed 8.0 ABV.  Kind of a dichotomy of taste. Harsh and sweet at the same time.  Definite hints of citrus and a pronounced afterglow of that bitter sweet hop. So the excitement of the new beer has me getting after it. Only now I’m not mentally wobbly, I’m really wobbly.  This beer packs a punch. Halfway thru and I’m feeling it. The back and forth taste roller coaster has me. Like Frank the Tank - so good when it hits your lips. 

Thus was born the mood setter. A mood setter is that perfect drink where you preload with one and just have a few lower ABV beers the rest of the night to maintain. A mood setter will get you right. But be careful. Two years later both Ronnie and I have failed to hit two back to back. The usual outcome to drinking a second one of these is 2 am SportsCenter blaring, passed out in the recliner with a half open can of Deviant. With the average single can price of $3.50, that’s no bueno.  On your next outing give Uncle D a try but be forewarned, be careful when you mess with crazy. - bikechain