Wolf Rock
Sharp's Brewery

Bottle from Tesco. Dark amber with instant airy head, fades to skin. Papery, malty aroma. Taste is more of the malts, initial sharp bite turns dry and dies on the palate.

Keg half pint at The Office, St. Helier. Very dark reddish brown colour. Distinct aroma and flavour of malt vinegar, hints of sour red and black berries.

 

Sharp's Brewery "Wolf Rock"
5,50€ / 500ml brown glass bottle @ TBSP Testaccio, Mercato Testaccio, Roma, IT

Notes: Clear, very deep amber/light chestnut brown body beneath a full head of off-white foam that recedes steadily. Average head retention and lacing. Aroma is malty, grainy, caramelish, and toasty. The flavor follows the aroma with some leafy hops added in. It's not very bitter for an IPA at around 35-40 IBUs, but it is English so that's more understandable. Light-medium to medium-light in body with a soft, restrained carbonation. Overall, fairly basic.

L: Very dark reddish amber, thick lacing and head
S: Roasted nuts, fudge, caramel, treacle, brown bread, cakiness, hint of ginger
T: Vanilla, fudge, hops
F: Well-balanced in its carbonation, varied on the palate

O: 4

Look: Big fluffy white head when poured, a thin layer of bubbles remain throughout. Rick dark dark red colour.

Smell: Toasty , malty, sweet, earthy, a little coffee, some metallic notes, not an overly strong scent by any means.

Taste: Initial taste of caramel like sweetness is followed by dark bitter chocolate, there's a citrus like sourness to it and a slight metallic finish. Hoppy but not too bitter. Taste oddly strong for a beer only 4.8%.

Feel: Light wet mouthfeel , light carbonation , clean finish.

Overall: For a style i'm not particularly fond of , i thought it was a real nice beer.

 

L- A very deep chestnut red indeed!. Thin off-white head of tiny bubbles, forms a cover of a few mm, very slowly going to lacing. ps. Decent lacing holds right to the bottom of the glass.
S- Toastiness and then some grains behind it
T- Toasty, some richness next, and into a balanced hoppy finish. Nice. Oh, and despite it being a 'Red IPA', it is not as hoppy as most recent IPAs that I have had, it's more balanced that that, and better for it in my view.
F- This isn't a style I'm familiar with but it feels good. The Feel has way more presence than say a 5% lager. Appropriate ongoing light carbonation in the mouth.
O- Interesting, I didn't know what to expect of this 'Red IPA'. I like it, it's very drinkable, viable as a session beer at 4.8%, but still a beer with clear flavour and character. I will look out for this to buy again.
£1.99 for a 500ml bottle from Waitrose in London. BB:11/5/19

 

 

 

Pours a red-brown with medium head that dissipates with some lace remaining. Nose is mild, but has a nice pleasant fruity hoppiness. Taste starts out good enough, a light pale ale with some caramel notes...but flavor seems a bit off as it warms. Overall, not a bad cheapish beer to pound, but not much depth either.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours clear dark ruby red into a tulip from a bottle. The head is offwhite, two fingers high, sparse, and foamy. It recedes quickly into surface froth and leaves minimal lacing.

The aroma is very much a mild EPA or EIPA character; creamy citrus, light malts, some hops, but with the addition of a subtle berry. Flavour follows on as expected with that standard pale IPA base - mild citrus, light biscuit malts, subtle hop finish - and the definate sweet, and slightly tart, red berry addition. There's also a large mineral water flavour in this ale, especially in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is thin, light bodied, and wet. The beer has minimal carbonation.

Unoffensive red IPA, sessionable, and standard.

 

Decent beer. It has a very deep red colour which for me was slightly off putting as it was in between an amber ale and a porter ale. To be honest the overal experience is a subtle beer, the base notes are there but not strong enough with the nose, taste or feel of herby malty aroma. Reminds me in a weaker Brooklyn lager.