Ginger Wolf
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

 

600 mL bottle from the LCBO, included as part of their 2016 Oktoberfest sampler. Dated Sept 21 2016 and served slightly chilled. #67 in their on-going Wild Oats series of premium brews.

Pours a medium golden hue, initially capped off with two fingers of pillowy, soapy white head that recedes slowly over a long, drawn-out process nearing ten minutes. A rocky cap of generous foam survives, while the glass becomes completely caked with lacing - very attractive, indeed, with the clarity diminishing once you pour the bottoms in. The freshly-cut ginger root vibe is quite assertive, though the hops manage to shine through it with grassy floral notes, and a few hints of lemon zest, apricot and pineapple. Slightly spicy and/or peppery, with some clove, which I take to be a combo effort from the yeast, hops and ginger.

Not bad at all. Bready, grainy, wheaty pale malts and banana flavours are a mere formality, relegated to a background presence for the most part - this hopfenweisse is all about the hops and the ginger. Stone fruit, pineapple and white wine, with shades of lemon pith, floral hops and grassy hay. Spicy ginger really comes through on the back end, providing a lingering earthiness at the finish that blends with clove, and eventually drying the palate out in the aftertaste. Medium in body, with moderate carbonation levels that prickle the palate and foam up a bit, giving this beer a smooth, soft, somewhat creamy texture.

Final Grade: 3.92, a B+. Ginger Wolf is one of the better ginger beers that I've tried in recent memory. Say what you will about Beau's, but their commitment to using high-quality organic ingredients really pays off here, with the aggressive ginger bite never once suggesting the presence of extract or "flavouring" - my biggest pet peeve with ginger beers by far. Ginger enthusiasts should definitely give this one a go, but for the most part I think that I preferred Wag the Wolf (right down to the label art) - this one just didn't gain much from the addition, if it gained anything at all.

 

 

 

 

 

Looks pretty good. Hazy honey gold, moderate head to a persistent film, some lace. Nose is ginger and grain, honey and a whiff of alcohol. Some sweetness up front, dries up right away. Noticeable ginger, but not overbearing. Yup, it's got a wheaty, slightly yeasty, hefe finish with some of the telling characteristics of the style. Lingering dryness and ginger. Amiddle of the road sort of brew, this hybrid doesn't quite work for me. Drinkable, but not remarkable.

 

600 ml bottle served cold into a pint glass. Part of the Oktoberfest pack so $6.50 CDN for the bottle.

Appearance - cloudy dark golden color, maybe it's amber? Some Haines and a nice finger and change of white head rests comfortably on top lingering for a goodly while. As the head recedes some delicate lacing wraps around the edges of the glass.

Smell - up front lots of ginger with a sweet aspect, Perhaps some bananas. Possibly lemon as well. Also a ginger ale vibe off the nose. Pretty cohesive in all.

Taste - if you like ginger beers you will like this. (They're not my favourite). Lots of ginger, just enough to be overkill for me, but the ginger at least tastes natural unlike some of the ginger beers out there. Hints of lemon and creamy wheat with maybe a bit of banana and clove as this is based of a hefe.

Mouthfeel - smooth, a little heavier than medium bodied with good carbonation and creamy texture.

Overall - I actually would've really liked this if the ginger was dialled back to a 6 in intensity as opposed to the 8 here. Either way the rest of Ginger Wolf is a well constructed hefe with good body and aroma and a worthy sample in the Oktoberfest pack, even if it was my least favourite of the 4 beers.

Look - 4 | Golden-orange, hazy, off-white creamy head that sticks around

Smell - 3.5 | ginger, grass, honey, spices

Taste - 3.75 | ginger, grass, lemon, grapefruit

Feel - 3 | medium-plus body with medium carbonation

Overall - 3.5

 

 

 

Bottle from the lcbo for $6.50