Wolf of the Willows King Louis XIII

Wolf of the Willows have taken their second dip into the wide world of terpenes with King Louis XIII. You can read more about their approach here but rather than cashing in on Napolean hype* the beer is instead named for the popular strain of indica cannabis that’s a staple in Southern California. Do you know what else they quite like in that part of the world? West Coast IPAs, with this beer featuring two of the style's favourite hops in Chinook and Simcoe joining the newer Strata.

For those looking to know the Latin source of what they’re smelling Caryophyllene, Limonene and Myrcene are the terpene blend and they certainly pack out a lot of flavour which you could best describe as hop-like but unique in their own right. The brewery describes the beer itself pungent and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who disagrees, with an intense aroma of sweet orange cordial and pineapple punching out of the glass. Joining in is a touch of lemongrass, sticky resin and pine that’s so aromatic it’s like someone crushed some pine needles down and turned them into perfume while a light malt profile and big bitterness complete the picture.

Will Ziebell

*I would like to formally apologise to all my French history lecturers for acting like Napoleon has anything to do with a king who died a century before he was born.

Published November 24, 2023 2023-11-24 00:00:00