SOUTH DENNIS, MASSACHUSETTS
Beginning its journey in 2015, South Dennis-based DEVIL’S PURSE BREWING COMPANY crafts slightly offbeat stylistic and mostly easygoing soft-watered brews. Named after an indigenous Cape Cod shark egg, Devil’s Purse came to fruition when local homebrewer Mike Segerson decided to craft a few diversified Euro style brews.
Inside a garage-like brick warehouse, the standing room only interior of Devil’s Purse has the feel of a blue collar pub with its cement floor, aluminum overhead doors and general rustic appeal. A benched patio with green turf provides outside seating.
My wife and I visited late September ’24 before heading north to Truro for body surfing. After enjoying six rangy brews around lunchtime, we took home Stonehorse Citra IPA and Pollock Rip IPA (both reviewed in Beer Index).
Soft-toned Wellfleets Rice Lager brought sake-like rice wining to briny oyster minerality, gaining mild lemon limed yuzu tartness and spritzy champagne sparkle above maize-dried white breading.
Geman Hallertau hops allow lemony green grape tannins to intensify mildly effervescent Devil’s Purse flagship, Handline Kolsch, attaching spicy citrus zesting to fresh-cut grassiness over lightly buttered French breaded Weyermann malt dryness.
Minty shiso leaf minting lightly grazed pureed raspberry and blackberry tartness atop delicate rice and oats flaked pilsner malting for Shiso Berry Ale, picking up strawberry rhubarb pie, sparkling rose, guava and boysenberry illusions.
Waxy tropical fruiting guided Floating Neutral IPA, regaling zestful lemony grapefruit bittering, brisk orange peel sweetness and sour guava salting as light pine resin drifted into crystal pale malt sugaring.
Milk-sugared coffee and dark chocolate fronted Powder Hole Porter, relegating its creamy caramel center.
Briny oyster shelled musk infiltrated the dark-roast burnt coffee sear and bittersweet dark chocolate syruping of Intertidal Oyster Stout, leaving dried cocoa, espresso, chicory, walnut and Blackstrap molasses remnants.
During Devil’s Purse revisit early June ’26 on a humidly sunny Saturday afternoon at the Cape, tried four stylishly eccentric elixirs at one of the white umbrella-lined picnic tables adorning the turfed parking lot biergarten.
Aged on oak, “experimental” light lager, Town Water, let cold-fermented crisping provide clean-watered mineral base for sour lemon must and mild herbal whims relegating its delicate sourdough breading.
Uncommon ‘hoppy pale ale,’ Table Beer, combined dry lime juiced adjunct with citric yuzu, white grapefruit, Meyer lemon and Mandarin orange pleasantries, picking up slight herbal musk at the zesty sunshiny finish.
Dill pickled green peppering and mild jalapeno burn anchored Spicy Pickle Lager, slipping limey soapstone parch thru subtle briny pungency settling above mineralized amber graining.
Indigenous German-styled amber ale, Charlene’s Dream, a nebulous altbier, sank desiccated orange pekoe tea musk, dewy peat and musty fungi into murky dry rye malts.