Wicklow Wolf is yet another brewery that launched in 2014. But wait, they have a unique selling point! A locavore is someone who eats locally produced foods. So they’d be happy with Locavore Blonde which is brewed using Humulus Lupulus grown on their own farm. In fact all of the ingredients are Irish. This is the second beer made this way in the past year, White Gypsy did something similar with their Emerald. It was a big deal for them to make the first 100% Irish beer and I don’t think that it diminishes what Wicklow Wolf have done. White Gypsy are well established and already have a reputation for great beers, Wicklow Wolf are new on the Irish scene and this is one of their first beers!
Is it any good? Hell yeah! It’s dubbed a Blonde but is a rich reddish gold colour. It’s really easy to drink, the aforementioned hops aren’t overpowering. The malt is quite sweet and it’s very accessible, so if you’re looking for a beer to include in a Christmas beer hamper this would be a good bet.
Wicklow Wolf also have brought us a Dry Hopped IPA. It pours amber and smells wonderful. It contrasts with the Blonde by lorrying in the Cascade and Simcoe hops. Those are two of my favourite hop varieties, the beer has a marvellous fresh piney bite. The malt is almost buried under all of the hops but it’s there to provide some balance. I’ll be picking this one up again, along with the rest of the, eh, Wicklow Wolf Pack!