(Noisy Minor) Bad Wolf
Fortitude Brewing Company

Been a while since I’ve reviewed a Noisy Minor (aka Fortitude Brewing’s Fun Department), however I’ve been so inundated with praise for Bad Wolf from various people in my immediate craft crowd on social media [God I feel like a grandpa when I use the term “social media”] that I had to crack a can tonight lest it somehow age another day and the hops fade out of their “Goldilocks Zone” – and believe you me there is a “Goldilocks Zone” for hops, it’s not always freshest is best. So what’s the scoop on Bad Wolf? It’s an 8.8% ABV DIPA with the best of the best hops (ala Simcoe and Chinook, minus Mosaic – my fav). They’re “not even gonna tell you the IBU” which is damned refreshing from a brewer, but let’s all assume it’s a big number.

Poured from a 500ml can into a Duvel tulip.

A: Clear amber body with a decent 2 centimetre cream-coloured head that leaves alright lacing on the way down. Great head retention with this 8.8% West Coast style behemoth, real impressive stuff. 9/10.

S: Punchy tropical fruit (pineapple/paw paw) mingles with a piney/grassy/cannabis hop character that is BIG and unyielding. Great brew so far. Very little noticeable malt in the aroma, but blah-blah-blah we don’t care when it’s a big West Coast DIPA anyway, get a life [yeah!]. Hints of floral and orange blossom honey as well. Yep, strap yourself in Doc – this is going to be one wild ride! 9/10.

T: Ooo, yes, we’re in DIPA country now. Think I’ll take a precautionary aspirin before bed tonight ;) Flavour profile smacks you judiciously with the above hop characters: pineapple, paw paw, piney, grassy, cannabis hops, before adding a touch of caramel malt (just a touch!) and finishing with sweet juicy fruit and peppery note towards the finish. Balance is a touch on the sweet side with a mid to light bitterness struggling to overcome that stewed pineapple chunks and juicy fruit sugar hit. Still this is a fantastically BIG [Bearing Immense Gusto – in case you’d forgotten] and uncompromising DIPA. 9/10.

M: A touch syrupy and hop resin replete, though that’s to be expected with a heavy DIPA like this. Carbonation is thin but dense, OK. 8/10.

D: Social media is true: this is an epic beer from Noisy Minor. There’s an element of hop syrup to this that makes it a tad too big IMO, however there was still a grin on my face the whole time I was drinking it so it couldn’t have been that bad. That said the aspirin have been popped and I’m expecting a hangover. 8/10. Total: 8.7/10.

Food match: Nothing too spicy, these flavours don’t need amplifying :P