Dire Wolf - Coffee Vanilla
Wolf's Ridge Brewing

Review: 2165
Name: Coffee Vanilla Dire Wolf
Brewery: Wolf's Ridge Brewing
Location: Cols, OH
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.4%
Date: 05/06/2021
As I prepare to savor the Coffee Vanilla Dire Wolf, I recall a distant beer experience. This time, I've chosen a tulip glass, serving the beer at a precise 46 degrees. The pour conjures a frothy, airy, one-fingered, dark brown head with average retention. The beer's color is an inky black, opaque hue, charting at SRM 38. The appearance, while average for this style, hints at the unique journey this beer is about to take me on.
Nosing the glass, I smell coffee, chocolate, caramel, and molasses on the first whiff. The malt complex is massive with char notes, toasted malts, and roasty, bready, and malty sweetness. Other aromas I notice are a faint vanilla, earthiness, light floral, and light yeasty note. The aromas are faded, but I do not detect any off-flavors.
The beer unfolds with an impressive balance of flavors. It begins with an intense espresso, complemented by light smoke, char, roasty, and a touch of bitterness. The malt complex keeps the coffee in check with its notes of caramel, toasted malts, roasty, Maillard, and a light-bready sweetness. Other flavors, from dark chocolate to light oxidation, from a faint note of vanilla to earthiness, all contribute to a rich, multi-layered taste experience. The surprise of the first sip is a testament to the beer's complexity.
The mouthfeel is bitter, chewy, and slightly astringent, finishing tannic. The body is heavy and has a medium-low carbonation.
Coffee Vanilla Dire Wolf is a full-bodied beer with a no-holds-bar coffee flavor. The RIS is lovely. I did push the aging a bit, but it makes no sense, considering I recently consumed a 7.9 beer from 201,9, and it was okay. The coffee does drown out the vanilla flavor, but it is mild in both the taste and aromas. Overall, it is a tasty beer. I would like to try others from this series.

 

22 oz bottle, born on 5/10/21, poured into a Dire Wolf Teku at 55 degrees F:
L - black with a hazelnut head that lingered
S - dark roasted coffee and malt
T - wonderful blend of roasted malt flavors and coffee with a vanilla finish
F - thick silky mouthfeel with a dry roasted flavor
O - very nice beer, one of the better varietals, especially amongst the non-barrel-aged

 

Look - black thick slight head and rimming
Smell - roasty coffee slight vanilla.
Taste - roasty coffee vanilla
Feel - medium body light carb
Overall - pretty tasty but basic

04/29/20 bottle @ home

 

22 oz. bomber bottle poured into a pint glass. Packaged on 06-19-19. Poured a heavy black, huge notes of coffee, caramel, vanilla on the smell. Heavy feel on the body. Tastes of major coffee notes, hints of vanilla. Very rich, very heavy beer. Paid $12.99 plus tax, not a bad buy. Glad I tried it, but just felt like it’s no worth the price of the bomber. If you like coffee imperials this is a good one though.

22 ounce bottle, packaged on June 17, 2019. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with a couple inch tan head that stuck around for a long time. There's also a decent amount of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla and burnt/charred malt. The taste is pretty much just like the aroma, but there's the addition of some anise, dark fruit and dark bready flavors. Good amount of coffee and roastiness in this brew, but there's also some sweetness in the finish. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and smooth with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a pretty good imperial stout, definitely recommend this to stout lovers and to people who like coffee beers in general. Need to buy some more! $12.99 a bomber.

 

Form the 22 oz bottle in a snifter via Savor Growl in Columbus!
This most excellent imperial pours a rich coal black with a beautiful
head of brown foam that settles to a thick ring, thin film, and shows
very nice lacing. Nose of deep roasted coffee, anise, chocolate, moderate
vanilla, and subtle smoke and char. Flavors hit the right note with a crescendo
of smoke and char over a bed of light vanilla and heavy waves of deep roasted
coffee with bakers cocoa and light anise notes. Marshmallow and toffee
arise with warmth as does a dark berry note. Very nice mouth feel; light
carbonation, full rich body, lightly warming, coating, slick, and a full moderately
bitter malt finish.

One of the best imperials I have had to date. A fantastic brew from a fantastic
brewery. Stop by for brunch sometime and be amazed. Casual meets fine
dining with excellent suds! Excellent!

Cheers