Today we are drinking Victory Brewing Company Dirt Wolf Double IPA. Victory Brewing Company is located in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. It was started in 1996 by two friends, Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet. The two actually met in 5th grade on a school bus in 1973.

Victory Brewing Company takes pride in their beer and the ingredients they choose. They are one of the few breweries that actually use whole flower hops for their beer. They believe the whole flowers give better flavors and aromas to the beer. Another interesting fact about Victory Brewing Company is every new brew is personally taste-tested by Bill and Ron!

But let’s get back to our beer, Dirt Wolf. The bottle has a cool picture of some wild and crazy growing vines of hops in the shape of growling wolf. The label tells us that, "Humulus Lupulus (hops) have empowered brews with bite and character since the 11th century. Dirt Wolf is a tribute to these untamed vines which rise from the earth with the voracity of a wolf among sheep." Dirt Wolf is a double IPA that clocks in at 8.7% ABV; it is made with Citra, Chinook, Simcoe and Mosaic hops.

Dirt Wolf pours nicely with a medium head that goes away to almost nothing after a couple minutes, leaving a light creamy blanket across the top. The beer itself is a beautiful deep, hazy golden orange color. The aromas coming from the glass are amazing—there is so much going on that it is a little hard to pick up on everything all at once. The awesome hop combination is what gives us all the wonderful aromas and flavors in our beer. Citrus, pine, grapefruit and some floral notes are all present.

Dirt Wolf is very easy drinking and available year round. Rated 95 on Beer Advocate, most IPA lovers will agree this is a delicious beer.

Heather Rogers, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits beer consultant - Tampa

Follow me on Twitter @abcbeerheatherr