Victory DirtWolf Double IPA
From Victory Brewing – Wildly assertive, intentionally untamed and dangerously satisfying, DirtWolf Double IPA is the culmination of Victory’s double IPA series experiment with whole flower American-grown hops. With two-row German malts and a well-balanced combination of whole flower Citra, Chinook, Simcoe and Mosaic hops, this 8.7% abv brew blends the powerful citrus aroma and fruity flavors, with the piney, earthy and mildly floral characteristics found in these intriguing hop varieties.
Victory Brewing – Victory DirtWolf Double IPA – 12 oz. bottle poured into a goblet. 8.7% abv.
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber gold with a nice pillowy head that falls thin cap.
Aroma: Big dank nose, tangerine, mango, peach, pine, lemon.
Taste: Citra hops or something similar: (please refer to the description above for exact hop blend) orange fruit and pith, low bitterness. Clean yeast. Finishes with medium bitterness. Dry.
Mouthfeel: For a double IPA, very dry, full side of medium bodied, nothing sticky or syrupy about it. Average carbonation.
Overall: Super impressed by this beer. I’m thinking I was treated to a very fresh bottle, which really maximized my enjoyment. I’m spoiled living very close to Firestone Walker, Pizza Port, AleSmith,Societe and Stone, so my kind of IPA and Double IPA comes from them. This beer for me, was as good as anything made by the following in terms of Double IPAs, I was damn near doing backflips. So for those of you on the east coast, and not close enough to Vermont, I suggest you put down that trade box, and pick up a fresh four pack of DirtWolf.
It’s interesting to look at the family lineage on this beer too. When I dived into craft head first, Victory Hop Wallop was at the top of my list. As I became familiar with other beers that provided more Wallop from the Hops, I moved away from that particular beer. Victory making a perfect example of a West Coast Double IPA with the new hop varieties has me hooked all over again, and excited for other beer enthusiasts all over the country that have to trade hard to get a dank, baddass hoppy beer.
