Style: Stout (Barrel-aged, Flavored)

ABV: 10.8 IBU: 50.0

98/100
Aroma: 12
Appearance: 3
Flavor: 20
Mouthfeel: 4

Wolf's Ridge Brewing Chocolate Port Barrel Dire Wolf

What the brewers say

"We rested this batch of Dire Wolf in a Tawny Port puncheon for 14 months then added Madagascar vanilla beans and Single-origin Cacao from Dominican Republic. The Cacao adds rich complexity and complementary notes of fig, cherry, and citrus."

What our panel thought

“Bitter chocolate nose mixes with vanilla and red wine. Intoxicating flavors of smooth chocolate, vanilla, and dark roast, with a dark-fruit backbone. Thick, not quite chewy. Port barrel adds complexity throughout. Smooth and balanced, delicious and well executed.”

What our editors thought

“Chocolate and light berry nose. The sip is unexpectedly fruity yet crisply defined by roast bitterness, with layers of red grape, boysenberry, plum. Rich but rounded, more matte than sheen.”

Review printed in: The Route to Stout (October-November 2021) (View All Issues)


REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Toppling Goliath Brewing Co Shadow Raptor

“Cocoa-forward flavor with robust chocolate and caramel, on a big bourbon vanilla nose. Tips toward sweetness, but not cloying or overpowering.”

Wolf's Ridge Brewing Moscatel Barrel Magellan

“Oak-forward aroma, with roast, toast, and vinous brightness. Light acidity in flavor brightens the overall impression. Lots of sweet chocolate and caramel malt, with moderate sweetness balanced by oak tannins and alcohol warmth. Strong grappa flavor bonded to the stouty bits. Every sip is surprising.”

Toppling Goliath Brewing Assassin 2020

Barrel-forward, with whiskey, vanilla, and oak supported by dark roast malt. Greets you with a fuzzy wall of dark malt flavors—rich milk and dark chocolate, dried fig, toffee, toasted marshmallow, even bread crust. Roast is restrained. Sweet and intense throughout—not quite cloying, but with the malt and barrel intensity, it works. There's enough bitterness to balance, without ashy or acrid character. The barrel is up front—adding subtle spice and underlying alcoholic warmth—but the beer supports it well. Long, complex finish. Fantastic, intense, evolving in the glass as it warms. You don’t need much, but this would be great to share.

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