New England Brewing Co - Wolf & Fox Slovenian Hopped Pale Ale - Beer Review

Review Date: 20/12/2021
Brewery Name: New England Brewing Co (Uralla, NSW, Australia)
Beer Name: Wolf & Fox - Slovenian Hopped Pale Ale

Beer number 20 of our Beer Cartel Advent Calendar for 2021

Check out our full run down and review of the 2021 Beer Cartel Christmas Beer Advent Calendar

"For this Pale Ale, two Slovenian Hops come together – Styrian Wolf and Styrian Fox! The aroma is fruity, herbal and floral before a clean body of fruits from blackberry to mango. A howling scream.
We were really excited to finally get to use Slovenian Hops. Slovenia is such a beautiful country and has a small but strong craft beer scene. The beer pours a glowing golden straw colour with medium high carbonation and a brilliant fluffy head thanks to a natural secondary fermentation in the can. The aroma is full of lemon and orange candy and a touch of passionfruit and mango. The body is dominated by dry white wine, herbs and an earthy grassy bitterness. The finish is dry with low levels of maltiness.
These two Slovenian hops have great classic European hop notes with an added fruity punch."

New England Brewing Co - Wolf & Fox Slovenian Hopped Pale Ale Can

General

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 5.2% (High)



Label/Design: 7/10

Serving Style: Can

Region of Origin: Pacific (Australia, New Zealand)

Style Family: Pale Ale

Malts/Adjuncts: Unknown

Hops: Styrian Wolf, Styrian Fox

IBU's: 30

New England Brewing Co - Wolf & Fox Slovenian Hopped Pale Ale Can Notes

Appearance

Colour: Straw

Clarity

Brilliant

Clear

Slight Haze

Hazy

Collar of Foam & Head Retention

None

Poor (Up to 15 secs)

Moderate (15 - 60 secs)

Good (more than 60 secs)

Foam Texture

N/A

Thin

Fluffy

Mousse-Like

Carbonation (Visible)

None

Slow

Medium

Fast-Rising Bubbles

Alcohol Aroma

Not Detectable

Mild

Noticeable

Strong

Harsh

Aroma & Flavour

Esters Aroma: None
Phenols: None

Alcohol Taste:

Not Detectable

Mild

Noticeable

Strong

Harsh

Hop Pungency:

Mild

Moderate

Strong

Extreme

Hop Bitterness:

Restrained

Moderate

Aggressive

Harsh

Malt Sweetness:

Low

Medium

High

Cloying (Excessive)

Astringency: 

Low

Medium

High

Palate/Mouthfeel: 

Light Bodied (Thin/Watery)

Medium Bodied (Light + Full)

Full Bodied (Round, Rich & Creamy)

Palate Carbonation: 

Low

Medium

High

Length/Finish:

Short (Up to 15 seconds)

Medium (15 to 60 seconds)

Long (More than 60 seconds)

Oxidative/Aged Qualities: None

New England Brewing Co - Wolf & Fox Slovenian Pale Ale in the Craftd Alpha glass

Overall

Drinkability: 7/10

Overall Impression: 6/10

Notes

A decent pale ale with a real twist to it from the use of two 'old world' styrian hops. This one is a welcome change from the typical fruit forward notes from mainstream new world hops that's prevalent in 99% of other pale ales and IPA's. Although there's still plenty of fruit undertones, there's also some grassy, earthy notes as well. The finish is quite dry and bitter with plenty of fizz in the mouth to go with it.