Wildcat India Pale Ale
Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company & Taproom

Mister_Faucher from Washington

3.77/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz can poured in to a nonic glass, canned 02/25/20.

Look- Clear dark amber color. Solid off-white head that slowly recedes to a thin cap, lots of sticky lacing. moderate carbonation streams visible.

Smell- Heavy caramel malt, pithy citrus (grapefruit and lemon), caramel malt, resinous pine and floral/spicy hop notes.

Taste- Similar to the aroma. Pithy citrus, resinous pine, sweet malts with an aggressive lingering hoppy bitter finish. Fairly well balanced.

Feel- Medium bodied, pretty crisp. Medium carbonation on the tongue.

O- A pretty text book rendition of a PacNW IPA. Solid but nothing overly spectacular.

Apr 06, 2020

GuyFawkes from Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Unknown vintage; drank 8/13/15 on draft @ Tap House Grill (Seattle).

Semi-opaque dull orange appearance.

Fluffy white head; a curtain of tree-rung lace.

Honeyed grain & apple notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Honeyed grain flavor up front; macro brew-meets-garbage water finish. Hopefully a dirty line?! Gross...

Dec 25, 2019

DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.21/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On-tap at Tap House Grill in Seattle. A maltier IPA, she says. Why not, I'll take a pint. On to the beer:

A creamy inch of head caps this rich copper colored beer, and the creaminess of the head and retention is awesome. A maltier IPA in aroma, sure, I don't mind. I still pick up orange and vague mixed fruits. Maybe Wildcat will get its motor running when I taste it? Well, not exactly. Okay, I'll be fair, the taste itself is fine, but there's something in that aftertaste that kills much of the pleasure I have getting. Esters and a side citrus fruits make an acceptable IPA taste, however the aftertaste is phenolic and bitter like aspirin, and it sticks like glue to the palate. Something didn't go right here, (brewer or alehouse related, I don't know who gets the bigger blame). Killing that bad aftertaste would boost the taste score an extra 0.5 easy.

Jun 13, 2016

rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.29/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Dark gold color, good 3/4" white head with above average lacing to it. Aroma was just soapy bitter cascade hops.

Taste had plenty of bitterness, nugget, cascade, chinook, maybe even simcoe I'd guess, all the bittering hops here. Not my favorite format, but very affordable nonetheless in the bomber for a standard ipa with no frills.

Apr 01, 2016

RenzoD from Washington

4.63/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Very, very good.

Nice creamy, thick head; Foamy, not bubbly. Laces glass for its entirety. Pale sweet copper color. Smells like a million dollars; flowers, hops, buttery biscuit. Taste follows. Upfront bitterness, buttered toast, bitterness lingers pleasantly on the finish like cilantro. Feels thick and creamy but not too heavy.

This is an overall amazing IPA imo. And very affordable at 5 bucks a bomber at Gravity beer market in Olympia makes this a go-to IPA.

Mar 08, 2015

mactrail from Washington

3.19/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.5

Pours a orange-tinged amber in the big Duvel tulip. Plenty of foam and even some lacing in the glass. Pleasantly sudsy mouthfeel. Toasted malt aroma with some resiny hops.

The malt flavors start this out promisingly. It turns out to be more thin and sharp, though there is some malty body. Bitter and barky. It's quite acidic. There is some flowery and piney hop aromatics. Mostly the grapefruit pith takes over.

Overall, this is insanely hopped and I find it barely drinkable. It may, however, please the hard-bitten hop fanatic. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Pioneer Market in La Conner.

Jun 04, 2014

Valley_Town_Sipper from Washington

4.28/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The Wild Cat is a Pacific Northwest "reliable" when it comes to a legit IPA. . . Some might consider a trailblazer for the NWPA movement we are having up here in this region. It pours darker than your standard IPA, boasting a very inviting fragrance from a good combo dose of its hops. Consider it foreplay, because the taste/mouthfeel knows how to put the screws in with a sinister "hop-bite" that leaves you wanting more. . . So be careful ; )

They sell the makings of this IPA in a very user-friendly brewers kit that my father-in-law and I just tossed together while enjoying a growler of it. Hope the results of labor prove as delicious as what made us want to buy it in the first place.

Apr 20, 2014

Siriusfisherman from Vermont

4.18/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A great Northwest IPA, just as the bottle stated. Big earthy and citrusy hops with a clean, dry and nutty malt backbone from a clean yet slightly tart yeast character. Bright gold with a big, rocky white head leaves globs of lacing on the glass make for quite the appearance as well. Exactly the kind of IPA I want while I am in the Northwest.

Jan 18, 2014

ssteakley from Washington

3.21/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

The bitterness is way out front, I proves as you get past the first few taste. This beer just needs a good cheeseburger to go with it, Alone it is for those who like to max out on the bitter end. Probably taste much better high up in Snoqualmie. Take it to a friends and see what they think!

Sep 14, 2013

dgilks from Australia

3.8/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear olden colour. Small, tight, offwhite head. Decent head retention. Great lacing.

Dank hop aroma. Not clearly citrusy. More musty and earthy and resinous. Light malt in the background.

A very American style IPA. Focused on hop resin, bitterness and pine. Little malt, light grapefruit and moderate pine. Good.

Medium body with moderate carbonation.

A solid American IPA. Less floral and fruity than many but it works well.

Jun 29, 2013

KickInTheChalice from Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes. Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a tulip.

My pour is a dark golden orange color, with a slight haze that informs me it was bottle conditioned.

The aroma has a medium to strong bitterness, with a floral bouquet, some grapefruit pith, and a lingering earthiness.

From the first sip on there is a nice, building bitterness that incorporates a few different flavors. Some juicy grapefruit hops also seem to have a starkly bitter grapefruit rind flavor to accompany them. Mainly the flavor is a strong, resiny, earthy hop flavor, with a lightly spicy pine presence in the background. Although not immediately noticeable, a caramel malt presence works into the mix without ever becoming very sweet. The finish is fairly clean.

There is a definite balance between juicy and dry hops, and the malt only slightly tilts this balance with the sweetness. On the other hand, even though it is moderately dry, the body is on the full side, and there is a full, rich, creamy carbonation. There is a generous amount of hop oil left on my tongue after each sip.

This is a solid offering from a brewery I was not previously familiar with.

Jun 19, 2013

DenverLogan from Colorado

3.37/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

From 22 oz bomber...ordered through the mail. Different and more fancy label for 2013. Poured in St Bernardus chalice.
Pours a clear gold with significant head.
Aroma of oats, white bread.
Significant carbonation and creamy mouthfeel.
Flavors of grassy hops, persimmon, slight black pepper, cream of tartar, pine sap, white grapefruit rind. Rich and refreshing, somewhat challenging in bitterness...the bottle says "Perfectly Balanced...." which of course is in the mind (and mouth) of the beholder and I'd say a bit of a stretch. I'll give it 5 minutes to open up...
OK...8 minutes later there's still a little head...smooth aroma of grassy hops, slight malt, full bodied hop flavors...a bit more cream of tartar tongue piercing bitterness than I prefer. "Aromatic, Carapils, and Crystal hops and 75 IBUs of alph acid bitterness" is what If I knew these hops better I might say there's the bottom line of the bitter flavor profile.
The bottom 1/3 of bottle has some cloudiness. Flavors of bitter grapefruit rind, rough peppers, and for me a mouth puckering bitterness and the question, do I like this?
Just asked my second opinion master and she said...wow...cream of tartar, bitter, "I don't like it."
This could be an issue of shipping, or just that this particular Pacific Northwest IPA has a profile of a monster, but not a "ooh, this is nicely balanced and flavorful IPA." I'd certainly like to visit the brewery and taste what they have fresh...might make a big difference, or not.

Feb 12, 2013

mdaschaf from Indiana

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from notes.

A: Served in a mason style jar this beer was a slightly hazy orange color with a small white head on top. The head was rather foamy with nice retention which left sheets of lacing down the sides.

S: A very pleasant aroma. Lots of citrus fruit, especially orange and orange peel, with a little bit of grapefruit and pine.

T: A hoppy IPA with more citrus fruit, grapefruit and some pineapple with orange becoming the dominant flavor as it warmed. Faint malt sweetness on the finish.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O: A pleasant surprise. Liked this IPA quite a bit. Would certainly order it again.

Feb 11, 2013

harrymel from Washington

2.74/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Been looking to try this in a bottle that appears not to be too old (based on the giant cakes in most bottles in my area).

Bottled: unk
Pours hazy copper with solid sheet of small light cream foam. Smells like resin, hint of pine, grass, body odor, a really assertive PNW style nose here - punched in the face, to wake you from the rain. There is a strong biscuit (buttermilk) in the aroma as well. Taste is primarily malts with sweet and crackery flavors and a touch of cardboard oxidation alongside a healthy bitterness sans layered flavorful character. Some dry pithy and resiny flavors, but all and all a lower end flavor profile. Medium body with moderate carb and a slightly dry finish. This is not impressive at all, but I have seen others rave about it, maybe I'm simply getting old stuff.

Dec 27, 2012

draheim from Washington

4.08/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz into a tulip. Pours a hazy copper with a thick, dense, fluffy off-white head that leaves nice sticky lacing on the glass. Moderate carbonation. Good-looking beer.

Aroma is nice piney and grassy hops + some citrus, but a bit muted. This might be an older bottle, I've had this before and recall a more pungent aroma. Bottle says 100% Columbus hops.

Taste is a nice blend of dry biscuity malt and tropical bitter hops. There's an abrasive bitterness actually, reminiscent of grapefruit, tempered by a slightly fruity apricot aspect of the malt. All in all, a pretty typical Northwestern approach to the American IPA.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, dry and crisp. Sharp and clean, refreshing with a lingering aftertaste.

Overall a solid offering. Could be a staple in my fridge if Snoqualmie started canning this, don't think I've seen that yet.

Jun 16, 2012

sendsilk from Florida

3.6/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received in a recent trade from Hopluva1, thanks!. The problem with getting IPA's that aren't dated is that this one may have been slightly old, not too old, but the weeklong shipping in the heat of the summer certainly can't help.

Nice dark orange color and a very solid hoppy nose. A very large frothy head on an average pour. The malt comes through a little more than I expect in the flavor. Not a bad beer, but certainly not something better than I could get fresh locally. I would guess if I had this at the brewpub it would be excellent.

May 30, 2012

billab914 from Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into my Southern Tier tulip. It poured a little hazy and bright orange amber in color. A thick, pillowy white head filled a third of the glass at first and left some nice lacing as I drank it.

The aroma shows a good amount of hoppiness to it. I get some herbal, grassiness along with some citrusy grapefruit like flavors. Some of the malts really come out as well with some sweeter, candied fruits and toasted grains. Pretty flavorful and balanced.

The taste has a little more of the sweeter, crystal malts coming out to give it a bit of a candied fruit like quality. The hoppiness shows more of a juicy citrus up front with a bitter grapefruit and citrus rind flavor in the finish. Some pale, toasted malts come out in the finish as well.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being moderate. Overall it was a pretty nice beer, it had a nice balance of hoppy and malty flavors to it. It was pretty easy drinking and flavorful as well.

Mar 18, 2012

BeerAdvocate from Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #57 (October 2011):

Reaching above the benchmark for west coast IPAs and still retaining a good amount of drinkability. Excessively american in a good way, with the hop character grabbing the palate and running with it. Balanced? Sure. Still a bit of a beast and a sure thing for any hophead out there.

LOOK: Heady top, amber hue

SMELL: Ruby red grapefruit, evergreen, grassy, hop oil, bready

TASTE: Bitter, citric rind, hop oil, leafy, blond tobacco, semidry, nutty grain, fruity

Feb 10, 2012

Nachojon from Oregon

3.99/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Clear, amber colored with no haze. Nice foamy head about one finger that holds on pretty well. Very nice lacing, forms rings.

S- Not very fragrant. Almost smells like a lager.

T- As a single IPA I must say this thing tastes great. Very nicely balanced beer here. Hop forward, pine resin, PNW, and then a nice malt back, some red apple and even a little pepper in the finish.

M- Crisp. Like I said before, very balanced and really drinkable. Good IPA carbonation and just a hint of that IPA tongue burn.

O- Stoked to get this awesome PNW IPA extra. Glad I got to try it, and would drink it again if available.

Feb 03, 2012

lukester from Washington

3.47/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I've drank this beer numerous times over the years.. I've always like it but have to disagree that it is world class or even exceptional especially compared to Inversion IPA the same class but a far better IPA IMHO. I bought a pony of this and enjoyed it last year.

Appearance: Pours out golden, probably not filtered.. decent head
Smell: nice dry hopped aroma
tasted: decent hop and malt balance
mouth feel: decent, nothing special but average for the variety.

Jan 19, 2012

snaotheus from Washington

4.08/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a large mug

Pours pretty slightly cloudy amber with a big fluffy attractive head. Smell is mildly hoppy, mildly strawy, floral.

Taste is bitter, not quite so citrusy as some IPAs. Some of that straw comes out, a little bready, slightly yeasty.

Mouthfeel is very nice, thick but not heavy or sticky. I want to call it fluffy. Overall, very nice.

Dec 19, 2011

Mora2000 from Texas

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to 5000 for sending me this bottle. Drank fresh back in March 2011.

The beer pours an orange color with a white head. The aroma is very nice. I get a ton of tropical fruit with a lot of mangoes, papaya and oranges. I also get some nice bready notes from the malt.

The flavor is also fruity. I get some pineapple, papaya and orange notes. The bready malt keeps the bitterness fairly low, even though the beer has a lot of hop flavor.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Oct 27, 2011

dirtylou from New York

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomb, available everywhere

appearance: icon Twin Peaks falls on the label - served in an arrogant bastard pint, bright copper body, creamy beige cap with a sticky, filmy lace

smell: light orange zest, evergeen, grapefruit

taste: nice hop profile - tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, orange, notes of pine. light crackery malt

mouthfeel: light and refreshing, oily

overall: nice solid IPA - would be nice in sixer format, or CANS

Sep 11, 2011

womencantsail from California

2.81/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Thanks again, Gil.

A: The pour is dark orange in color with a white head.

S: Like so many of the other Northwestern IPAs I've tried, there is a bland hop character. Straw and grass with a bit of pine and lemon. Still a pretty decent bread and toast note with some sweet caramel.

T: Sweet toffee, bread, and caramel. Straw, grass, and lemon hop flavors with just a bit of pine and a moderate bitterness. There's a bit of pine-sol to it, too.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O: Boring hop profile with lots of sweetness.

Sep 04, 2011

distantmantra from Washington

4.42/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Locol in Seattle, WA. July 30th, 2011

A: The beer poured a a deep orange color with thick head of creamy foam. Moderate lacing hung around on the sides of the glass throughout.

S: Wildcat has a strong aroma of pine and hops. Orange peel and grapefruit were very much in the foreground. Just a touch of malt was noticeable.

T: Very hop-forward with grapefruit notes and pine in the background. The malt is faint, but exists as merely an aftertaste.

M: Medium carbonation with a small stream of bubbles and a nice creamy mouth feel.

O: Wow, what a difference a fresh keg makes. This was an incredibly tasty hop-forward IPA. The aroma and flavors present in my glass were sadly absent in the not so fresh bomber I reviewed a few days ago.

Aug 01, 2011