Wildfire Hoppy Red Ale
Wicklow Wolf Brewing Co.

 

Copenhagen 11/2 2024. 44 cl can from Meny, Borups Allé. Frb. F. Steel can with a red label with a Wolf in profile.

Pours clear dark amber with a big off-white head. A bit bubbly. Settles as thin, almost transparent, but unbroken layer of foam just covering the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is medium intense with a sweet malty and lightly toasted odor mingling with a bit of sour granita. Toffee, caramel and toasted white bread. Sweet biscuits. Metallic alcohol and sour grains. A bit sharp.

Light carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, soft, almost flat texture.

Flavor is medium intense with a medium strong sweetness followed by a medium strong bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter with a sweet undertone. Finish is semi-dry.

Satisfying Amber Ale.

Lovely dark copper red ale. Poured from can. Coppery, Hoppy and earth aromas. Decent carbonated and a crisp sessionable feel. Taste follows nose, lightly hopped with malt and caramel notes. Really enjoyable.

 

440ml can from SuperValu, Sligo (£2.56):
Dark copper with a thin, half cm bubbly head that's light tan coloured with the odd bubble rising too. The nose is faintly hoot with roasted malts, caramel & faint toffee with hints of sugar & light coconut notes at the end. The taste is quite sweet too, there's lots of caramel malts, an earthy hop bitterness with faint pine & touches of toffee too. It's very sweet with a medium body, moderate carbonation & a sticky finish.

look: a gorgeous looking beer, two finger slightly off white head, good retention, nice bit of lacing, beer is ruby red, loads of little bubbles racing through the beer.

smell: smells good too, the malt flavours are oaky and nutty, there’s a sweetness to it, toffee, butterscotch, peanut butter, coconut, some fruit flavours, mango, pineapple, vanilla, some blueberry maybe, smells like a rich beer.

taste: probably as good as a red ale can taste, it’s nutty and oaky, chestnut, coconut, toffee, those tropical fruit flavours, it’s sweet but not too sweet, definitely some herbal qualities to it, and then a pleasant tap for hop bitterness on the finish, some tobacco smoke flavours also come through on the finish. good stuff altogether.

feel: light bodied, lightly carbonated, creamy, maybe just a tad thin, sessionable

overall: certainly the best irish red i’ve ever had, a cozy beer, yet also something you could gladly session, great work from wicklow wolf.

Sabro and Sorachi Ace hops works very well with their herbal, coconut, fruity, zesty complexity. The water profil is great and the malt base is clean with no residual sweetness