Wicklow Wolf American Amber - Beer of the Month

KRISTIN JENSEN - co-author of Slainte! The complete Guide To Irish Craft Beers and Ciders - introduces us to one of Ireland’s newest craft beers, Wicklow Wolf American Amber

ABOUT THE BREWER

The Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company doesn’t go in for mystery. They lay all their cards on the table (or in this case, bottle): ‘Wicklow, because that’s where we opened our brewhouse. Wolf, because the last one in Ireland lived around here, and because the hops we plant on our own hop farm takes its name – humulus lupulus – from that wild and proud creature.’

Owners Quincey Fennelly and Simon Lynch launched the brewery in 2014, with brewer Peter Reynier from Colorado, a US craft beer hub, at the helm. Quincey has a background in the drinks industry, while Simon is a horticulturist who trained in Dublin’s Botanic Gardens. What all three share, unsurprisingly, is a love of good craft beer.

There’s a strong locavore ethos at the foundation of the brewery, complete with 10 acres of hops that they’ve planted in Roundwood. These were used in their Fresh Hopped 2014 All Irish Ingredient Blonde Ale, with Irish malt sourced from the Malting Company of Ireland.

With plans to start offering tours and to employ more people at the brewery and the farm, this brewery is one to watch.

ABOUT THE BEER

Beer style: Amber ale
ABV: 4.8%
Colour: Copper
Serve in: Mug, pint glass, tulip glass
Matches well with: Bacon and cabbage, BBQ, burgers, chicken, lamb, pork and pizza

Wicklow Wolf is one of the newest craft brewers on the block, and they’ve hit the ground running with their American amber ale. It’s an attractive beer in the glass, with a burnished copper colour and a thin, paper-white head.

The aroma takes you straight to the tropics with a whiff of pineapple, and that follows through in the flavour, with orange zest and sweet caramel. The brewer says it’s mellow, but there’s a pronounced bitter bite from the trio of Citra, Cascade and Magnum hops and a lasting bitter finish – which is no bad thing.

This is a great beer to have with a pizza or a big juicy burger with the works. Amber ales are quite similar to red ales, so this one would also match well with bacon and cabbage, BBQ, chicken, lamb or pork. Just steer clear of delicate food, like seafood, because this beer would overpower it. As for cheese, try a hard, salty cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino, a wedge of mature Mossfield or a mature Coolea.

Kristin Jensen is a freelance editor specialising in cookery and food books and has worked with many of Ireland's top food writers and chefs.  She writes the Edible Ireland blog and is a co-founder of the Irish Food Bloggers Association and, together with Caroline Hennessy, is joint author of Slainte! The complete Guide To Irish Craft Beers and Ciders .