Victory DirtWolf

Brewed By: Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, Pennsylvania 

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack 3-pack bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 8.7%
Reported IBUs: ?

How appropriate for me to pop my Victory cherry with their filthy and raw Imperial IPA. About Victory: 

Victory Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Downingtown, Pennsylvania. The brewery was founded by Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski, two avid brewers and lovers of beer. Although Victory opened on February 15, 1996, the duo were brewing brewing beer long before opening their own company. You can read more about their accomplishments on the brewery's about page. The brewery uses German malted barley and European and American whole flower hops (the use of whole flower hops is one unique aspect of Victory). Victory is currently working on expanding to Parkesburg. For more information about Victory, check out their website or their Facebook page. 

Today's beer, the DirtWolf, is an Imperial IPA featuring whole flower Citra, Chinook, Simcoe and Mosaic hops. This one uses a two-row malt base, and punches in at a big 8.7%. 

Victory DirtWolf

The DirtWolf pours like your quintessential American Double IPA. DIPA her, I hardly know her. Right? Amirite? Gaiz? This one is conditioned, and you even get some yeast floaters hanging around the bottom of your glass. This is a hazy yellow/straw color, juicy in appearance, and kicks up a finger or two of white head. The head is white with elegant lacing, like classical music and the US Constitution. It's a good looking beer and bottle.

The aroma here is all kinds of hops, with raw and earthy citrus, resinous orange, dank orange/tangerine/grapefruit, and just...tons of orange and grapefruit. The citrus is earthy and raw, but it's more sweet than anything. I'm not getting any iced tea or wet leaves here...just straight up dank citrus.

Props to Victory for this one, it is super clean and hop-forward with little malt interference. I'm getting raw and uncompromising citrus, bitter flowers, dandelions, grapefruit/orange, mild citrus rind, and some resinous and pithy lemon notes. This is clinging to the edge of the sweet cliff, almost falling off into something darker and less sweet. But this retains a bright citrus edge, probably thanks to the Mosaic and Citra hops. There's some mild catty notes in here, mostly in the form of dank hemp and resin, and a little spice too. Mild citrus zest and pepper. The finish is clean and dry. It's aggressive and hoppy...the DirtWolf title seems apropos. 

This is medium-bodied, and actually pretty full/heavy. I wouldn't crush more than two of these in a sitting, I think. Although I'm not getting any booze, this definitely has that 8.7% vibe. It's a big-ass American Double. Palate depth is great, with good duration. The complexity isn't far behind. Up front is a big assault of razor sharp and clean hops. We're talking about citrus, orange, grapefruit, and some nice citrus zest. The mids are where the bitterness starts to build, and you pick up some rind; it's still pretty dank in the middle. The back end drops more bitterness, with some catty Simcoe, resinous lemon, dank citrus, and a nice dry finish. It finishes clean and beckons for another sip, which is always a welcome quality. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is a solid contender as far as Double IPAs go, especially @ 11.99 a 4-pack. It's probably not the most economic Imperial IPA, but it drinks so clean and refined. It's really a beer without any faults, it just seems to lack some edge to really push it into that world-class echelon of beers. At this point we are just nit-picking. Food pairings here include a pantheon of American bar foods, leafy burgers, or pizza. I'm planning on making zucchini pizza with mozzarella cheese and homemade tomato sauce -- I think this beer would pair perfectly with that.  

Random Thought: If you are wondering about the 3-pack thing, when I bought this beer I discovered that someone stole a bottle from my 4-pack and replaced it with a bottle of Southern Tier's 2XOne. I would be more pissed, but the 2XOne was pretty tasty. Still, that's a dick move. Proof that the beer community does have some bad apples.