Elite Event: Hop Devil’s Grand Relaunch

The best feeling from this Unilocal event was the owners warm welcome.

There were a number of ways these guys made me feel comfy, fuzzy, and buzzy:
To start out, I received written proof that I’m special when a VIP card was pressed into my hot little hand.
Then it was onto some conversation. Various brand reps were roaming the bar promoting their boozy products. I had a great time chatting with the Kona rep. (I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be seeing their seasonal coffee beer on tap later this winter.) But Hop Devil didn’t stop at supplying us with chatty brand ambassadors. We also had the option of trying a selection of several different beers from their many taps.
I love samples. Especially when those samples come in beer form. Flowing from the taps were Lions Stout, Pumpkin Magic Hat, Schofferhoffer, and 4 different varieties of Kona. For those craving spirits, the featured Hawaiian cocktail contained a sweet mixture of mailbu & rum and a pineapple garnish. Then Fireball Whiskey shots followed to round out the night. I’d hate to seem rude… so figured I’d better sample a bit of everything.
Though I wish I’d been able to sample some of the food options too. I was too late on tasting the fries and too vegetarian to be able to eat the wings and sliders that came out next. But judging from the graveyard of chicken bones stacked up on the plates, the other Unilocalers seemed to be enjoying it.
The 8pm curfew came and went and H.D. kept the party rolling. The boys behind the bar were fast and efficient. I love extended drinking. Beer, shots, and bonus party time — way to earn a five star review!
The next morning I emptied out my purse to a beautiful pile of swag. Thanks for the memorabilia Hop Devil and Unilocal!You’ll be seeing me and my VIP card again.

Okay, so I normally leave Unilocal events insanely happy, satisfied and on a natural high from chatting it up with cool new people, cool old Unilocal pals and some delicious eats and dranks.
I often times even exclaim, «THIS IS THE BEST Unilocal EVENT EVERRRRR!!» — but it’s not often because, not every Unilocal event can have that designation or else it wouldn’t be special anymore…
But last night’s event (at the newly renovated and under new management) was certainly one of the BEST Unilocal EVENTS EVERRRR!!! EVERRRR!!! I mean for starters, it was supposed to be from 6pm-​8pm and it was like 8:50pm-ish when my group and I left and THE EVENT WAS STILL RAGING. There was still complimentary boozage and NEW foods being brought out.
Hop Devil Grill and accompanying beer/​liquor sponsors brought out ALL THE STOPS. ALL OF THE STOPS. ALL OF THEM WERE BROUGHT OUT. EACH AND EVERY SINGLE STOP… okay, okay — you get the idea by now :).
Magic Hat Brewery, Kona, Lion Brewery, Fireball Whiskey and Bacardi Gold/​Malibu beers, cocktails, shots and representatives were all present with tons of fantastic (and functional!) swag like customized beer glasses, sunglasses, bottle opener keychains (those last 2 are less exciting because if you don’t own a keychain bottle opener or sunglasses then you shouldn’t be here), t-​shirts/​tank tops (I LOVE my brand spankin’ new red wifebeater tank courtesy of the lovely lady from Fireball Whiskey!), tons of stickers, etc.
Foods served included deliciously not-​to-​greasy, golden french fries lightly dusted with fresh herbs (looks like parsley, mmmm — parsley), several different types of (juicy!) chicken wings (super spicy buffalo, yummy tangy BBQ, regular crispy and waffle wings. YES. WAFFLE WINGS. WINGS DEEP FRIED IN WAFFLE BATTER… so essentially CHICKEN & WAFFLES on a bone. This is easily my new favorite type of chicken wing. Why can’t chicken’s naturally develop waffle batter when exposed to heat?! Mother Nature really dropped the ball on that one o_​O.
Sliders were also very generously passed around. There were regular American cheese sliders and then creatively snazzy ones like the «French Onion Slider» and a super spicy one with red and green stuff on it (refer to my photos). I don’t do super spicy foods and so I didn’t seek out more information on this slider, but my spicy-​food-​loving friend, Ingrid S., gave it to spicy thumbs up.
This was definitely one of the more memorable Unilocal events in (my) recent Unilocal history. Thank you Hop Devil Brewery (shout out to awesome bartender Jeremy!) for being so insanely gracious, friendly and hospitable and to Ruggy & Unilocal co. for once again producing a funfreakintastic Unilocal night, on a Monday night no less! I wish I could rate this event MORE than a measely 5 stars, but it’s the max so it’ll have to do! Cheers all around! *throws back a Fireball Whiskey shot*.

Great way to spend a Monday night! Whenever Unilocal throws an Elite event on a Monday night it surely makes Monday less painful.
I have been to Hop Devil Grill on many a booze and taco filled occasion and was curious to see the new look of the joint. Walking in I can tell it’s a bit more roomier now as in the past the tables seemed on top of each other. They have also added in some terrific looking flat screens, and fresh new paint job with fun murals on the wall. Has that new car look and smell now.
Damn, as always, the beer list on tap is terrific. This place always had good craft beer offered and now it seems ever better with around 25 on draft. They had an assortment of great beers for us to try and I was impressed that we were served in full glasses appropriate for each beer. I loved the Schofferhoffer which to me tasted like drinking an alcoholic creamsicle. Love a good dark beer and the Lion Stout was terrific. I drank a pint of each Kona beer offered and each had a distinct flavor. Also tried the Hawaiian Hitmaker Cocktail which was sweet like a Mai Tai. Can’t forget the Magic Hat Wilhelm Scream pumpkin beer that was also pretty good and we got to keep the special glass! Ending the event with a Fireball shot was perfection.
Ok — as you could surmise I got pretty buzzed with all this drinking, so thank goodness there was some food passed around. Seasoned fries, different wings (including a waffle wing!), and some tasty sliders with mac & cheese too. Get in mah bellah and soak up that booze!
The bartenders and owners were great. The bartenders and servers were fast and friendly. I never had to wait too long for a beer to be placed in my hand. Big thanks to Unilocal CM Ruggy and the crew at Hop Devil Grill for hosting us. Again, it was a great way to spend a Monday night.
Another plus were the VIP cards that one of the owners handed out for just this one night! I will definitely keep it in my wallet for future use. Hope everyone scored one. Also, getting all that swag on the way out was a bonus! T-​Shirts, mini flashlights, Kona key chains, hats, and more.

This event was poppin’! Packed house tonight.
I’ve never been to Hop Devil Grill before the renovation so I don’t really know how it was like before but I liked the space. Tight spot but packed with enough tables and huge tv screens that make it a great venue for a fun, low key evening/​game night. Also, 25 drafts to choose from normally! @_@
Bartenders tonight were amazing and quick. There were 5 or 6? on tap to choose from and one cocktail. I stuck with the Wilhelm Scream, a pumpkin lager that was so so refreshing. Bites of the evening included standard but delicious bar fare, fries and a variety of wings. The waffle wings were absolutely incredible and I really hope everyone got to try one. Powdered sugar on top of the crispiest of wings, so so good. My +1 and I left at 7:45 to hit up another event so we missed out on the mac and sliders.
Lovely time mingling with Unilocalers and the perfect start to my Monday evening. Thanks Ruggy and Hop Devil Grill!
P. S. Hope everyone got to grab a VIP card. Will definitely come in handy. A little bummed I couldn’t find Ruggy on my way out for the beard stroke though hha.

The most successful makeover job since that time I accidentally walked into the makeup department of Macy’s. I’d rather not discuss it.
I’ve been to Hop Devil on several occasions. Usually out of convenience, being the first bar on St Marks from the park. When mentioned, people usually referred to it as, «That Place?». This isn’t your older step brother’s Hop Devil though, oh no. Hop Devil is looking good these days. Like that person who finally lost those 15 – 20 pounds.
The event kicked off with the best check in offer ever. A stroke of Ruggy’s beard. I’m keeping mine on the side, to redeem at a later time.
There were lots of beers being served and one main cocktail. The drink was super sweet, one taste was enough for me. I was sticking to beer. I discovered Big Wave from Kona, a blonde ale which doesn’t leave you feeling too full. Perfect to chug while eating some bar food. The grapefruit beer is a waste like all grapefruit beers. They sound like a great idea, but have such a low ABV. At the end of the night I had a delicious pumpkin beer, once I was done eating of course.
The small bites were good. The fries were just how I like them. Not skinny, and with a great dipping sauce. The chef came over and informed us of what was in it. I’d tell you, but I wouldn’t do that. The wings were pretty good too. I tried a waffle wing. Dipped that baby in the syrup type sauce. The teriyaki was great and my favorite was the hot wing.
The hospitality the staff showed was great. Big thanks to them. They went out of there way. The only question I have is what did the manager mean by the comment «You guys are gonna party LIKE rock stars?» I’m pretty sure I’m a star and I rock plenty. Ruggy, awesome job setting up the event, like always. Watch out for your beard.