But...while I did enjoy a selection of tasty new beverages, it ended up being something of a farce, ending with me being so far under the influence that I thought sobriety was a technical term for "here, have another". However, not all is lost, as I can report on the initial two beers that I tried. They are from the newly formed Wolf Brewing Company, formerly known as Fat Cat.
I unfortunately do not have photos available for either beer, due in part to the fact that Wolf Brewing's website is not yet available, but largely due to the aforementioned drunkeness.
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| Don't blame me for lack of photos; just look at their website. Well, okay, blame me, as I did have a camera on hand and plans to take a few shots. |
The first beer was the Black Tail dark malt porter. Not quite what I expected from a porter, it certainly has a good amount of flavour, even if I'm not necessarily entirely won over by it. It pushes all the right buttons otherwise, with a good nose and syrupy consistency, but in truth, the environment was full of distractions and not right for a proper review. I would absolutely try it again, if only because stouts, porters and dark lagers tend to be on my A-list of beers, and I'm always looking for a new top dog. Get it? Wolf Brewing? Top dog? .jpg)
Taste: Good, but not outstanding. Requires a re-evaluation.
Aroma: Again, quite good, but not entirely memorable.
Aftertaste: None. Lacks complexity for a porter.
Recommended?: If you're a fan of porters or dark beers, then yes. Otherwise, most likely a pass.
Verdict: Definitely worth a look, especially if you're curious about Wolf Brewing and tend to favour the darker beers. They also have a dark lager available, which I will touch on below. All in all, this is certainly not the best porter I've tried, but it's still reasonable. I definitely need to try it again to get an accurate assessment, and may well revisit this review in light of such.
Score: 6.5 mugs out of 10.
The second beer was one that was arduously recommended to me by a charlatan, er, I mean friend. It is Wolf Brewing's take on a dark lager, dubbed Woodcutter. Now, sadly, at this point, I really cannot remember much about this beer. However, the one thing to take away from that is that I am a big fan of dark lagers, and I had only had the Black Tail before drinking the Woodcutter, so sobriety was still very fresh in my mind. What is telling about this is that it seems as though it was entirely forgettable and lacked any sort of impression on me at the time. Granted, this review is incredibly skewed, and yes, just like the Black Tail, I fully intend on trying the Woodcutter again to make a proper evaluation of its prowess. But for now, I can only conclude that this dark lager does what it says on the tin (bottle, in this case) and nothing more. It is, as the label claims, a dark lager, but the sort of quality you'd expect from a more mainstream brewery, in truth.
Taste: What can I say? Not one thing stood out about it.
Aroma: I admit, I was not paying attention to this, but I really can't imagine that a forgettable taste would produce anything more than a forgettable aroma.
Aftertaste: No.
Recommended?: Well, it's not like it's bad. However, there's no basis I can really recommend this on. There are better dark lagers available for those that enjoy that kind of beer, and there are better summer selections available for those that aren't particular.
Verdict: In the defense of Wolf Brewing, I can't make an honest judgement here since I wasn't really giving the Woodcutter my full attention at the time. However, the issue here is that even if I was not focusing on a beer, and was as sober as I was, an exceptional beer would have drawn my attention very easily. The Woodcutter did not. But, in fairness, I will be trying it again to give it a second chance, because of my dicey review.
Score: 6 mugs out of 10.
Taste: Good, but not outstanding. Requires a re-evaluation.
Aroma: Again, quite good, but not entirely memorable.
Aftertaste: None. Lacks complexity for a porter.
Recommended?: If you're a fan of porters or dark beers, then yes. Otherwise, most likely a pass.
Verdict: Definitely worth a look, especially if you're curious about Wolf Brewing and tend to favour the darker beers. They also have a dark lager available, which I will touch on below. All in all, this is certainly not the best porter I've tried, but it's still reasonable. I definitely need to try it again to get an accurate assessment, and may well revisit this review in light of such.
Score: 6.5 mugs out of 10.
The second beer was one that was arduously recommended to me by a charlatan, er, I mean friend. It is Wolf Brewing's take on a dark lager, dubbed Woodcutter. Now, sadly, at this point, I really cannot remember much about this beer. However, the one thing to take away from that is that I am a big fan of dark lagers, and I had only had the Black Tail before drinking the Woodcutter, so sobriety was still very fresh in my mind. What is telling about this is that it seems as though it was entirely forgettable and lacked any sort of impression on me at the time. Granted, this review is incredibly skewed, and yes, just like the Black Tail, I fully intend on trying the Woodcutter again to make a proper evaluation of its prowess. But for now, I can only conclude that this dark lager does what it says on the tin (bottle, in this case) and nothing more. It is, as the label claims, a dark lager, but the sort of quality you'd expect from a more mainstream brewery, in truth.
Taste: What can I say? Not one thing stood out about it.
Aroma: I admit, I was not paying attention to this, but I really can't imagine that a forgettable taste would produce anything more than a forgettable aroma.
Aftertaste: No.
Recommended?: Well, it's not like it's bad. However, there's no basis I can really recommend this on. There are better dark lagers available for those that enjoy that kind of beer, and there are better summer selections available for those that aren't particular.
Verdict: In the defense of Wolf Brewing, I can't make an honest judgement here since I wasn't really giving the Woodcutter my full attention at the time. However, the issue here is that even if I was not focusing on a beer, and was as sober as I was, an exceptional beer would have drawn my attention very easily. The Woodcutter did not. But, in fairness, I will be trying it again to give it a second chance, because of my dicey review.
Score: 6 mugs out of 10.
So there you have it. Two incredibly awkward and inconclusive reviews. Hopefully, in the near future, I'll have a beer to write about that I can really invoke some passion and excitement into.
And that future may be nearer than you think...
Long live the King.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey now hey now I said I'd give it another shot and give it another shot I will. I never said they were bad or anything, they just didn't move me in the way same of the beer I've had this summer have.
ReplyDeleteAlso I can't believe this comments thing doesn't have an edit option. ONE wrong letter.