Last year, Wicklow Wolf released a black IPA for Halloween called Devil's Glen. It seems they hadn't exhausted their supply of spooky Wicklow placenames, nor glow-in-the-dark label ink, because this year they're back with more of the same. Slaughter Hill is again 6.66% ABV, though they give us no further information on what it's brewed with. It's on point for the style, however, beginning on a pungently bitter and roast-forward aroma, suggesting burning tyres, mulchy leaf mould and damp wool. Lovely. The flavour is more straightforward: the dry dark grain of a porter hits vegetal hops, for two kinds of bitterness in every mouthful. That's softened slightly by lighter notes of flowers and medicinal herbs. It's heavy and warming too; more wintery than autumnal, but still finishes cleanly. I would have liked more and bigger of what it does, especially the hopping, but it hits the black IPA spot nicely. I hope we can expect another something similar next year.
Extra Elevation proved to be reduced Elevation, as the can suffered a slow puncture on the way home and I lost about half the contents. A shame, because it's really good. Elevation pale ale is a favourite, being an ultra-clean and well-balanced, pure-of-heart, American-style pale ale. This brand extension has almost double the ABV at 8.4% and is double-dry hopped. Though slightly darker with the additional gravity, it's still brightly clear and golden. Sharp and pithy grapefruit meets smoothly oily pine, the hop impact enhanced by the stronger malt weight. It's beefy, but extremely drinkable, and didn't suffer from being emergency-served at room temperature. In a recent pale ale round-up, I noted how The White Hag and Rye River were going to fun and interesting places with west coast IPA. Now Wicklow Wolf is too. Anyone who likes their IPA strong, transparent and popping with bitterness would do well to get hold of this one.
They've thrown us a curve ball for dessert. Scoff Limits "caramelised biscuit stout" doesn't mention Biscoff by name, but I think Lotus Bakeries would have them bang to rights on infringing evocation. Its nature is immediately apparent from the intense caramel aroma, the runny sort, with a dash of biscuit crumb too, making it smell like a banoffee pie, minus the banana. It's only 5% ABV and as a result it's not as thick and sticky as I was expecting. In fact, while it's not thin, there's a decent amount of sparkle, making it almost refreshing. The sweetness is all in the taste rather than texture. Milk chocolate and toffee are as predicted, but there's also dark treacle and a pronounced cinnamon spice which absolutely makes the beer, just as it makes the biscuit. This isn't a million miles from last winter's Truffle Shuffle, though I think it's better. You don't need to add chocolate to make a lovely chocolatey stout, is the lesson here. Yes it's a gimmick beer, but thought and skill went into its creation.Of note is the fact that all three of these one-offs have roots in previous beers from Wicklow Wolf. While I don't like the idea of a brewery limiting its horizons and creative scope, it is a positive sign that some limited edition beers become springboards for further ones later on. We didn't get the regular calendar of Locavore beers this year. Perhaps an annual autumn black IPA and winter sweet stout is the new pattern.
