Bad Wolf Brewing The Chimera
By the time you read this rev view — hell by the time I finished the growler back in early March — Bad Wolf’s The Chimera will have been long gone. That’s just how this for-now nano functions. They crank out so many different batches of beer that they are usually out by the time you hear about it through your favorite social grapevine.
This particular IPA was brewed with Falconer’s Flight and Simcoe hop varieties. It weighed out at 7.2% ABV and tongue-tingling 96 IBU. It’s also a beer from the Manassas, VA brewery that I’d love to see on a more frequent rotation when they finally complete their expansion. The Chimera was a great way to enjoy the first warm day of March.
Appearance
A small, off-white head of foam calls to a thin cover atop the unfiltered, rusty amber brew.
Aroma
Pine, leafy hops, grass, a soft hermal note, grain and a little readiness greet the nose with a welcoming aroma.
Taste
It’s not fruity as some Simcoe-based IPAs I’ve had recently, but I do like the overall hop character that The Chimera has. It’s got an earthy profile with pine, grass, herbal notes, grapefruit and a good bit of bread malt backing it all up. The bitterness, as expected, is pretty high, but not in a tongue buckling sort of fashion — the tingle lasts for a good while in the finish. The alcohol is masked well as the beer goes down dangerously easily in that regard.
Overall
The Chimera is a tasty IPA with a good, earthy hop character that I can get behind, especially on one of the first warm days of the year. The leafy, grassy hop flavors and solid bitterness certainly helped pull away from the Winter that would not end. Now, I just hope to see it again in the future.
Rating: 3.75/5
