The Wolf
3 Sheeps Brewing

The Wolf
- 3 Sheeps Brewing Co

Look: 4.50 l 5.0
Pours a viscous, motor-oil black that absorbs the ambient light of the taproom. The head is a thin, mocha-colored rim that vanishes quickly, leaving behind "marketing clouds" of lacing that cling to the glass like a technical blueprint. The visual engineering here suggests a massive malt bill.

Smell: 4.25 l 5.00
The nose is deliberate. It’s an initial assault of charred oak and premium bourbon, followed by a mid-range of dark chocolate and vanilla bean. There’s no "unintentional" fusel alcohol heat here; the engineers at 3 Sheeps clearly gave this one the time it needed in the wood.

Taste: 4.25 l 5.00
The first sip makes the engineer smile. It’s a complex architecture of flavors. Front-loaded with espresso and toasted marshmallow, moving into a structural center of molasses and leather. Unlike the Lady Lupulin, which suffered from a confusing sweetness, The Wolf uses its residual sugar as a foundation for the barrel tannins. It finishes with a dry, woody snap that keeps the 13.9% ABV from feeling "lazy."

Feel: 4.00 l 5.00
Heavy and coating. It has the weight of a well-built piece of machinery. Carbonation is low, as expected for the style, but provides just enough lift to prevent it from becoming cloying.

Overall: 4.25 l 5.00
This is a technically sound Stout. It isn't improvised; every note of chocolate and bourbon feels placed there with a purpose. It’s a "sipper," not a "substitute." While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of a Central Waters Brewer’s Reserve, it’s a proud Wisconsin entry that justifies its footprint. Did not finish the full pour only because of the ABV ---this is a "share with a colleague" type of beer.

Dull matte black with a tall airy tan foam head.

Airy light crackly malt flavors give old school stout vibes, perhaps oxidized, while the alcohol imposes strongly.

12 oz can canned 3/4/26 into a tulip glass.
L: Pours black with a 1/4" dark khaki head that quickly recedes to edge froth, low carbo, medium-thin half glass sticky lacing.
S: Bourbon, chocolate, wood barrel, figs, toffee, gently nutty, caramelized malts.
T: Taste follows aroma plus a note of sea spray, light char, chocolate fudge, old wood, it is medium sweet overall with sea salt and mild pale tanginess mingling within the long finish. Mild alcohol surfaces at the very end but with no burn.
F: Velvet smooth heavy bodied mouthfeel with a silky long slightly drying finish. It is warming in the chest.
O: Beautifully balanced tastes. Big barrel and a good dose of dark chocolate and caramel. Very even-drinking with equilateral layered tastes and a very smooth feel that isn't overbearing or gritty. It is outstanding.

 

Opened and the aroma hits big with notes of chocolate and mild bourbon. The beer is pitch black with a thin layer of light brown foam on top.
The aroma is rich and layered, with notes of chocolate, molasses, vanilla, bourbon, maple, and caramel.
The flavor is exceptionally smooth, showing caramel, maple candy, vanilla, bourbon, fudge brownie, deep malt sweetness, marshmallow, and a hint of raisin.
The alcohol content is very well concealed.
The mouthfeel is thick, dense, and satisfying.

Solid black appearance.
Very light carbonation with an above average body. Has a thick,full, creamy feel which all added up to an excellent feel.
Aroma is bourbon, mild wood, malt,dark fruit, and molasses
Taste has some sweetness which is quickly replaced by bourbon,wood which creates a bit of a dryness.
Overall its a beer that should be sought out

2020 bottle, drank Aug, 2025 out of a tulip, cellared properly. Seemed to be a bit one dimensional - despite a nice bourbony nose, it was very much on the thin side for a stout, and the bourbon hits you like a hammer. There’s definitely a butterscotch mellowness to it, and it’s more approachable as it warms, but all in all, despite loving bourbon forward stouts, this one got the best of me.

Appearance: Black as night, small brown head fizzes out quickly.

Smell: Deep barrel, rich chocolate and vanilla.

Taste: Balanced arrival, roasted malts and mild chocolate. Then more chocolate and some vanilla woodiness starts in, along with some fruit-tasting alcohol. Butterscotch. Medium-heavy body. Finishes with a long bourbon-vanilla note and a final touch of chocolate.

Overall: Somehow I missed this last year at 3 Sheeps, so GreenBayBA made sure I got a can to review this year. Excellent bourbon barrel stout, the alcohol is present but not too much, tons of chocolate mixed with bourbony wood and vanilla. Awesome!

Pours a black mahogany color, clear yet opaque in the glass; thick, loosely frothy head, khaki hued, becomes denser and creamier as it recedes; slippery fingers and partial sheets of foam line the glass. Outstanding nose; dark chocolate and vanilla; cocoa and caramel; musty oak staves. Amazing taste; rich dark and sweet chocolate; muted yet very pleasing bourbon presence at first, more boozy at the finish; chocolate fudge. Heavy, chewy body; slick and sticky; fine and gentle boozy warmth.

Now, I'm more than positive I've had this on tap at the brewery a time or two (definitely two of the barrel aged variants from bottles muled back to Colorado), but being busy (and drunk) isn't conducive to a proper review. And now it's here. This plainly exudes being a well-crafted barrel aged imperial stout. Balance. Complexity. Depth. It's all here, kids. Find it. Enjoy it!

ABV: 14.1%; pouring temperature: 40.4 °F; canning info: 02/25/2025
Source: @GreenBayBA

 

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours pitch black with a thin layer of light brown head. The nose is fantastic. Chocolate, molasses, vanilla, bourbon, maple, and caramel.

The taste insanely smooth. Caramel, maple candy, vanilla, bourbon, fudge brownie, huge malts, marshmallow, and raisins. What a lovely beer. The ABV is extremely well hidden.

Mouthfeel is thick and wonderful. This is mildly sweet, but nowhere near what some stouts are these days. Buy this if you have a chance!

Canned 3/2026 (1 month ago)

Appearance: Pours a completely dark, black color with a strong tan head that fades quickly. SRM of 23. (4.00)

Aroma: Strong aromas of rich cocoa, fudge, bourbon, maple, vanilla. (4.00)

Flavor: Strong flavors of rich chocolate, fudge, bourbon, maple, vanilla. Hot bourbon upfront lens into smooth cocoa and chocolate off the end. (4.00)

Feel: Heavier bodied, appropriate carbonation. Finish is smooth, sweet, thick. (3.75)

Overall: 2026 update. Drinking it one month fresh. Probably too soon. The flavors are amazing, but still hot.

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Canned 2/2024

Appearance: Pours a completely dark, black color with a strong tan head that fades quickly. SRM of 23. (4.00)

Aroma: Strong aromas of rich chocolate, fudge, some bourbon, maple, vanilla underneath. (4.00)

Flavor: Strong flavors of rich chocolate upfront. Then an earthy and woodsy caramel notes before a strong bourbon flavor that finishes off the end hot and sweet. (4.25)

Feel: Heavier bodied, average carbonation. Drinks hot and shows the alcohol. Strong bourbon and heat linger. (3.75)

Overall: I won't pass up any 3 Sheeps beer. They make some great imperial stouts and a fun brewery to visit last summer for the BeerAdvocate gathering. This is The Wolf, and my first try at this. Perfect way to end Cellaruary. This has lots of rich chocolate, and woodsy tones. Strong bourbon and alcohol show here. It's called The Wolf because it is supposed to be a wolf in sheep's clothing drinking smooth and hiding the alcohol. Great stuff and shows the alcohol in my opinion. Sort of like how you could always recognize the wolf in the storybook with the sheep's clothing. Great name, great beer, great brewery. (Rating: 4.08)

 

 

Poured from a twelve ounce can, the body is dark black with a very small mocha colored head. Not much lacing.

The aroma has an abundance of chocolate, bourbon and caramel that is only accentuated in the flavor. A bold roasty char presents a wave of coffee and vanilla that merges with the barrel. The beer is flat out delicious, and the 13.5% ABV is only modestly present. Enough to satisfy the bourbon drinker in me without getting too hot.

Mouthfeel is lighter than anticipated and carbonation is good. Finish is heavy, sweet and boozy.

Perhaps over the top for some folks, this one is among my favorite barrel aged stouts.

2024-07-26
12oz can served in a tulip. Can dated 2/21/24. Got it from @Victory_Saber1973 in NBS BIF #18.

Pours silky black with a tiny, nearly non-existent head, that mostly turns into a thin ring with a couple dots in the middle. Smell is powerful, very powerful, a bit boozy but rich velvety chocolate and vanilla and bourbon billowing across the olfactory sense. I don't think I would have mentioned caramel without reading the description, that fits the sweet characteristic of the aroma well.

Taste is a bit more muted and leans toward roasty bitterness more than I expected -- toasted cacao, dark roast coffee, burnt caramel, charred wood. Vanilla is more of an accent than a headliner here, but certainly no absentee. Booze is also noticeable, but there's enough other stuff going on it's not exactly masked, but more of a lurking presence.

Mouthfeel is on the light side of thick or the heavy side f medium, a little stickiness on the lips and a little chewiness in the back of the mouth. Overall, this is an excellent beer.

 

Beer received in bif 18 from @victory_sabre1973

Canned 2.21.24 , abv is the wolf in sheep’s clothing at 13.4%

Brewers notes : This beer is a bit dangerous. It’s packed with flavor — rich bourbon, warm wood tannins, and notes of sweet caramel and chocolate. Yet it’s so easy-drinking that you won’t notice the 13.5% ABV. Yes, 13.5%. The Wolf is a simple beer at heart, a classic imperial stout with a robust malt bill, but has a science-y trick up its sleeve. We treated the alcohol sweetness as an ingredient instead of an afterthought, using it to to harness the strong bourbon notes and maintain the beer’s light body. The result? The liquid equivalent of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Room temperature beer poured into a pretentious beer glass produces a fizzy three finger taupe foam cap over a deep cola brown liquid. Good retention, settles to a ring with clinging laces

Aroma is bourbon, tobacco, roast malts, dark fruits, figs, raisins ,brown sugar

Taste is bourbon, dark fruits, figs, raisins, brown sugar

Mouthfeel is boozy, a little hot

Good beer, thanks victory_sabre1973 for sharing this beer with me

 

The Wolf pours black, with a small, lacing tan head. The aroma is very strong, and very rich, with big notes of bourbon, caramel, chocolate, and a sweet finish. Very rich feel. Overall, big stout, very sweet, lots of bourbon on this one.