Breeding and breading

No, the dire wolf is not back from extinction. Being able to critically examine the claims in the publicity material from a biosciences company should be a basic life skill, here in this Black Mirror episode we've all somehow ended up living in. The coverage of one company's success in breeding a dog that mimics the dire wolf's appearance was breathless and widespread, so it wasn't terribly surprising to discover Wicklow Wolf had picked it up to brand one of their limited edition beers.

So here is Dire Wolf, a hazy double IPA which they've been touting around the international festival circuit this summer. The hops are all-Australian -- Galaxy, Enigma, and Eclipse -- giving it a gently tropical fruit salad aroma, with pineapple chunks and passionfruit most prominent. The haze isn't especially thick, and the beer is at at least somewhat see-through. You would definitely know it's a full 8% ABV, however, as it's dense and a little hot as well, warming one's innards from the first swallow. That makes the flavour more serious than the aroma was suggesting; the Hawaiian-shirt tropicals getting traded for the dredgings from a very ripe fruitbowl: squashy mandarins and bruised peaches, with a sharper citrus-rind tang. Still, it manages to steer away from any genuinely unpleasant flavours, lacking both grit and garlic. If Aussie hops are the key to that, then let's have more of them. This is an enjoyable sipper. It's not trying to pass itself off as juice for kiddies, being a very grown-up proposition, big hops meeting big alcohol. Like its namesake, approach with caution.

The next beer is another precision-engineered hybrid. Wicklow Wolf's first collaboration with Brennan's Bread didn't get many plaudits beyond my positive review, but that hasn't stopped them from doing another: Batch Brew. As before, the grist includes leftover bread, and the brewery will be planting a tree for every 12 cans sold. It's 4% ABV and hopped with Idaho 7, Hüll Melon, Talus and Chinook. Those are mostly quite modern varieties, but there's a real classic effect here, full of bright citrus pith, balanced nicely with softer tangerine juice. The Talus adds a dusting of coconut, but sweet mini oranges are almost the whole of it, squeaky-clean with not a hint of interference, despite the somewhat hazy appearance. You won't find any compromise from the waste-product ingredient. This is a very jolly affair, packed with hop character at a modest strength. There are real summer party vibes about it; a proper crowd pleaser. Buy loads and tell your guests about the trees.

Wicklow Wolf is a brewery of many talents. I wouldn't necessarily have placed them as top of the hops, having turned out a few too many harsh face-melters over the years, but these two are both excellent examples of the sheer fun which can be had when the hopping of a pale ale is bang on.

One-twelfth of a tree

Beer made with a proportion of waste bread in the grist isn't new. Babylone IPA from Brussels Beer Project was the first to come my way, back in 2015. Rascals did it, St Mel's (RIP) did it, and now Wicklow Wolf has done it, teaming up with macrobakery Brennans to create Sliced Can, a 3% ABV lager. As if solving food waste wasn't enough, for every dozen cans sold they'll also plant a tree.

The beer looks like a very normal mainstream lager, being perfectly clear and golden. There's a proper lemongrass aroma, and while it's light-bodied, it's not horribly watery as I feared it would be. Even more surprising is the rich malt element in the taste, bringing a Helles-like cake and candyfloss effect. The herb and citrus hopping complements it, though neither lingers long on the palate.

Without the novelty recipe, this would absolutely pass muster as a tasty session lager, and I'm very impressed at the character and complexity on show, given the tiddly ABV. All this and it does good, too. Maybe I'll contribute a few more cans to that tree yet.