Fourteen years married and we still know how to pick a good pub. My wife and I marked our anniversary this year with dinner out, and rather than the usual glass of wine I went looking for something a bit more interesting on the tap list. Two Wicklow Wolf beers were pouring that night: the brewery’s classic IPA and Wildfire, their Irish red ale. I worked through both over the course of the meal, so here is the honest verdict on each, plus a bit on the brewery itself for anyone who has not come across it.
Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company started in 2014, when Quincey Fennelly and Simon Lynch, two friends who fell for craft beer while living in California, set up shop in an old bakery in Bray, Co. Wicklow. The first pint went out the door to The Harbour Bar in Bray in September that year. The brewery has since outgrown that bakery and moved into a purpose-built, 17,000 sq ft site in Newtownmountkennedy, home to a 35hl Braukon brewhouse, hop gardens and a public taproom. It is one of the better-known names in Irish craft beer at this point, and both beers on my table were good reminders why.
Wicklow Wolf IPA
| Style | West Coast-style IPA |
| ABV | 6.3% |
| Hops | Cascade and Simcoe |
| Brewery | Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company, Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow |
| Where I had it | On tap, at a pub, poured into the brewery’s own branded glass |
The Wicklow Wolf IPA is built around a Cascade and Simcoe hop blend, and it shows from the first sniff. Grapefruit and passionfruit lead, with a layer of pine and general citrus underneath, backed by enough malt to keep the whole thing from tipping into pure bitterness. At 6.3% it has real weight to it, closer to a proper West Coast IPA than a session version, and it drank that way too: full, resinous, and a beer to sip through a meal rather than knock back.
Grapefruit and pine up front, a proper malt backbone holding it together, and enough strength to remind you it is a 6.3% beer.
- Big citrus and grapefruit hit from the Cascade and Simcoe combo, exactly what you want from an Irish-brewed IPA
- A real malty backbone underneath the hops so it does not turn into a one-note bitterness bomb
- Poured with a tight white head and held it well through a full pint
- A genuinely well-made example of the style from a brewery that has been doing this a long time
- 6.3% is on the stronger side if you are planning a second beer with dinner
- The passionfruit and citrus notes fade a bit as the pint warms, so it is best drunk cold and quick
- Not a session beer, more a one-and-savour-it option on a night out
Wildfire Irish Red Ale by Wicklow Wolf
| Beer | Wildfire Irish Red Ale (also sold as Wildfire Hoppy Red Ale) |
| ABV | 4.6% |
| Hops | Sorachi Ace, dry-hopped |
| Malt base | Caramel and chocolate malts |
| Brewery | Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company, Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow |
Wildfire is Wicklow Wolf’s spin on an Irish red ale, and it is a more modern take than the name suggests. The base is classic enough: caramel and chocolate malt giving that familiar toffee-and-toast backbone. Where it gets interesting is the hopping. Wildfire is single-hopped with Sorachi Ace, which brings a genuinely unusual coconut, lemon and light oak character on top of the malt. It finishes creamy with a slightly herbal edge rather than the sweeter, hop-light finish most Irish reds go for. At 4.6% it is easy to drink and paired well with dinner without demanding the same attention as the IPA.
A caramel-and-chocolate malt base doing what an Irish red should, but the Sorachi Ace dry hop throws in coconut and lemon notes you do not expect.
- Genuinely different take on an Irish red: caramel and chocolate malt base but with a hop character most reds skip entirely
- The single-hop Sorachi Ace gives it an unusual coconut and lemon note that stands out without being weird
- Lower ABV than the IPA at 4.6%, so it is the easier of the two to have a second round of
- Poured a proper deep ruby-brown with a creamy, lasting head, it looks the part in the glass
- If you want a purely traditional, straightforward Irish red with no hop twist, this is not that beer
- The coconut and oak notes from the Sorachi Ace hop are unusual enough that they will not be for everyone
- On the pub’s own glassware, it turned up in a branded Elevation Pale Ale glass rather than a Wildfire one, so know the beer by name, not just what is printed on the glass
Which one should you order
The IPA is for anyone who wants a proper hop-forward beer with enough backbone to stand up to food, and who does not mind a stronger pour. Wildfire is the better choice if you want something more sessionable with a bit of malt character and a hop twist that sets it apart from a standard Irish red. Between the two, we would happily order either again, which is about as good a review as an anniversary dinner beer can get.
Wicklow Wolf FAQs
What hops are in the Wicklow Wolf IPA?
The Wicklow Wolf IPA is brewed with a blend of Cascade and Simcoe hops, giving it grapefruit, passionfruit, citrus and pine notes over a malty backbone. It comes in at 6.3% ABV.
What is Wildfire by Wicklow Wolf?
Wildfire is Wicklow Wolf’s Irish red ale, built on a caramel and chocolate malt base and single-hopped with Sorachi Ace, which gives it an unusual coconut, lemon and oak character. It is 4.6% ABV and is also sold as Wildfire Hoppy Red Ale in cans.
Where is Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company based?
Wicklow Wolf is based in Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, in a purpose-built brewery it moved into in late 2019. The company was founded in 2014 in Bray, Co. Wicklow, by Quincey Fennelly and Simon Lynch.
The verdict
Two solid beers from the same brewery, doing very different jobs. The IPA is the bigger, hoppier, more serious pour, the kind of beer you want when food is on the table and you are not driving anywhere. Wildfire is the more approachable, more sessionable option, and its Sorachi Ace hopping makes it more interesting than a standard Irish red has any right to be. Both are worth ordering if you see Wicklow Wolf on a tap list, and honestly, they made for a pretty good way to toast fourteen years married.
FAQs
Who makes Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale?
Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale is brewed by Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company (independently run, with a minority investment from Diageo since 2022).
What kind of beer is Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale?
Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale is a West Coast-style IPA, at 4.6% ABV.
How much alcohol is in Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale?
Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale has an ABV of 4.6%.
Is Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale gluten free?
No. Like most traditional beers, Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale is brewed from barley and/or wheat, both of which contain gluten.
How can I make Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale taste better?
Serve it at the right temperature and in the right glass (see below), or use it as the base for a beer cocktail. Our beer cocktails guide has recipes worth trying.
Where is Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale made?
Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale is brewed by Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company in Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow.
How do I open Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale without a bottle opener?
A lighter, a sturdy key, a spoon, or the edge of a table all work in a pinch. See our full guide on opening a beer without a bottle opener for 8 methods that actually work.
What glass should I use for Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale?
A standard pint or tulip glass works well for a West Coast-style IPA like Wicklow Wolf IPA and Wildfire Red Ale. See our beer glassware guide for style-by-style recommendations.
