Dirtwolf Enjoy By Dates

“Here's a query for all the IPAs go south in a week theorists: If you've never had a particular IPA super fresh, how do you know whether or not the particular IPA that is 3-4 months old has faded?” I answered that in a prior post: “I bought a case of Dirtwolf very fresh in February (less than 2 weeks from the bottling date). Over the next 2-3 months I drank that case. That beer noticeably tailed off at 2 months from bottling and by 3 months the hop aroma was greatly diminished.”

“Or is it just one of those, well everybody says it does.” Nope, read above.

“If IPAs ARE properly stored [40 - 45 degrees] and and there is any fading, it is minimal, IMHO.” I only have one refrigerator (which is intended primarily for food items like milk, eggs, etc.). There is no doubt that storing beer cold (e.g., 40°F) is ‘better’. I simply do not have room in my refrigerator to store a case of beer. Plus, the beer store that I bought my case of Dirtwolf had that beer sitting on the floor; it was not stored cold at the retailer.

Cheers!

 

“If IPAs ARE properly stored [40 - 45 degrees] and and there is any fading, it is minimal, IMHO.” I only have one refrigerator (which is intended primarily for food items like milk, eggs, etc.). There is no doubt that storing beer cold (e.g., 40°F) is ‘better’. I simply do not have room in my refrigerator to store a case of beer. Plus, the beer store that I bought my case of Dirtwolf had that beer sitting on the floor; it was not stored cold at the retailer.

Cheers![/QUOTE]


You poor bastard.

 

You poor bastard.[/QUOTE]
Not really. I have a batch of homebrewed Galaxy IPA that is carbonated as of this week. I will be drinking that beer over the next few months. The fact that my homebrewed beer is bottle conditioned really aids in that beer resisting going stale.

Cheers to me!

 

I too was perplexed for some crazy reason... hmm... I'm glad it was so straight-forward to others, but I will also add that in my area, I have NEVER seen this beer refrigerated (like so many other beers, IPA or not) at Total Wine, so the date is so much more important in my case...

 

Also, on a related note, I haven't bought Dirtwolf in a while because the last 4 pack I bought (again, just sitting on the floor in the store, not in a fridge) turned out to be very cloudy and the most heinous metallic bitter tasting and smelling beer I've ever had. It smelled and tasted like pennies soaked in a copper marinade, and I have no idea what happened to that entire 4-pack -- which had a best by date of July -- but I can tell you where they went: down the drain. I was not proud of it, either, because I previously loved that beer, but it was not suitable for cooking or passing off to someone I hate.

 

Dont feel bad for me, I dont want a "hybrid" IPA. Just cause YOU enjoy older IPAs, doesn't mean everyone does. Some people have great access to hoppy beer. If I can ALWAYS buy IPAs under a month old, why shouldnt I?

 

Not sure about DIPAs in general, but, in my experience, Dirt Wolf is better with a couple of months on it. When fresh, it's astringent, with little nuance showing through. But after a few weeks, the bitterness begins to recede, yielding considerable complexity. An alternative with similar characteristics is Harpoon Leviathan IIPA (last year's), but these are disappearing as they are pushing the age limits.

 

I had Dirtwolf a few days shy of 2 months, and yes it had lost a little bit of the hop snap or whatever you want to call it, but I still thought it was very good.

EDIT: damn everybody who cares if someone doesn't mind a few months old IPA or wont drink one past a month. This isn't my palate is better than yours thread is it?

 

Send me ALL of your "old" IPA's and I will happily drink them, regardless of age on them.

 

I don't know what the date was on it but my last 4 pk. of Dirtwolf I bought had all kinds of floaties in it and it was delicious!

 

From the sounds of it, I'd guess that you don't drink many IIPAs, or maybe aren't quite used to them yet. Many, including myself, don't find fresh Dirtwolf boozy at all. Astringent, yes, but the dryness of ~100 IBUs is something many of us prefer in our IPAs. I'd guess that many find Dirtwolf with age to be more blandly astringent (just bitterness) once the dry hop fades.

Like others said, 5 months AFAIK. So that Dirwolf is a little over 5 weeks old. I'd probably buy a pack, especially if kept cold.

 

I said nothing about booziness. I did not find it hot at all. But bitter to the exclusion of all else -- like eating the outer leaves on an artichoke. I prefer floral/citrus mix with some bitterness, but not overwhelming bitterness. And whatever else you can say about Victory, most their hoppy products maintain the floral and citrus components much longer than other hoppy beers. So I would likely hate really "fresh" Dirtwolf but like it with a month or two on it. I bought a fresh 4-pack 6 weeks ago (first delivery after a long shortage) and had one right away. It was drinkable, but not exciting, close to being unpleasantly bitter. I waited on the rest of them and found them much better after a month. The opposite was true about Flower Power--it faded a bit after two weeks and after two months it was a shadow of the original.

 

My last DirtWolf was extremely cloudy (don't remember age) but it was still outstanding

 

Just purchased a case that is best by sept 27th I believe, so using 5 months this is just around 3 weeks old.

 

I work at a store in CT, we just got 5 cases of the dirtwolf in last week all of which had 10/14/14 expiration date on it, so using logical reasoning they give it at least 6 months.

 

Thx for the reply but I just looked everywhere again, including all around the bar code. Don't see a thing.

 

I had a 4-pack that was much cloudier than the one I had prior to that, and all 4 were assaultingly, copper/penny/metallic bitter...

 

I've heard from a couple of Victory folks that it's 5 months (i.e., subtract 5 months from the "best-by" date and you have the bottled-on date).

#1) I like a bottled-on date on all beers so that I can be the one to decide when it is "best by."

#2) 5 months is WAY too long for this beer, even if stored in cool and dark places.

#3) DirtWolf is a GREAT beer (even if only "reasonably" fresh)... so everyone grab some if you can!

 

"5 months is WAY too long for this beer, even if stored in cool and dark places." A BIG +1 to that!

Cheers!

 

I could not find a date on the most recent batch sent to WI this week. I searched all over the neck for the date, held it to the light to try and see it in the glass, nothing. Tasted very fresh though.