WetWolf: Simcoe
Varietal Beer Company

a hazy double ipa infused with fresh simcoe, and its a banger, an early highlight of wet hop season, and i promise i am going to drink my share of them this year! this is really nice, a cool side of simcoe, i believe infused after this was made, not before fermentation, which offers a little different profile, and the freshness overall is absolutely off the charts. starchy pale yellow looking, some body in the glass with a frothed up white head on it not going anywhere. the simcoe doesnt come with high bitterness, it doesnt pack oily pine and bitter grapefruit pith, its somehow bold but not overdone, more unique than i generally know it to be, yet still recognizable, white grapefruit juice, yellow florals, lemon and orange skittle candy, lemongrass, there are maybe some other varietals that arent wet rounding this out, its quite complex on the hop side, and its neat how the aroma and flavor are nearly identical, no drop off, actually even more flavorful than it is aromatic somehow, the alcohol is pretty well hidden, although this does drink a little fuller, the freshness is radiant and certainly works to lighten this some, the ferment is fairly tidy, the beer is off dry, and its a bit resinous on the palate, as anticipated. there is some bitterness here and its lovely, just enough, but this presents as modern all the way. a little bit of a late glazed type sweetness, but this isnt really malty per se, the usual cocktail of wheat and oats at the core i would suspect, has that feel anyway, not crazy heavy or anything, and with enough carbonation and overall freshness that its hard to even set my glass down. really tasty beer, a great showcase of this simcoe crop, and sick to be able to have it on draft at the source, this place is impressive!