A roman naturalist once described hops as wild and untamed, twining and choking the willows, taking them down like a wolf destroys its prey. They were named lupus salictarius, Latin for Wolf of the Willows.
Wolf of the Willows Beer and Merchandise
Wolf of the Willows is a brewing company established by Scotty and Renae McKinnon in November 2014. We have a passion for producing hand crafted, modern ales that are distinct in quality, flavour and character – what we like to call ‘Ales of Distinction’.
Our satisfaction comes from taking raw, natural ingredients and turning them into beers that we love to drink. We take pride in the fact that we brew the beer, we bottle the beer, we do it all. This all said, if we can simply provide you with a moment of enjoyment from a pint of one of our humble ales, then our job is done.
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The S'mores-Man - Toasted Marshmallow Nitro Amber Ale
6.2% ALC/VOL ISO GABS 2020 - Stay Home. Stay Puft. Biscuit malts and s'mores inspired ingredients of real toasted marshmallows, vanilla bean and Essential Wholefoods organic cacao round out this hefty Nitro Amber Ale. Beer available from May 28th. Stockists updates coming soon...  share
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Wolf x Wolf Tom Collins Sour
5.7% ALC/VOL Patient Wolf Gin and Wolf of the Willows collaborate again to recreate the 2018 GABS People's choice Top 5 award winning beer the Tom Collins Sour, to be part of the new release Wolf GABS ISO Beers. Lemon, ruby grapefruit, combined with botanicals - juniper berries, coriander seeds and tonka beans. Beer available from May 28th. Stockists updates coming soon... share
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Tiramibru - Tiramisu Nitro Milk Porter
6.2% ALC/VOL As part of this years Wolf GABS ISO Beers, we've collaborated with Campbells Wines and Maker Coffee Melbourne, to re-create the GABS 2016 people's choice Top 5 award winning beer Tiramibru. A tiramisu inspired Nitro Milk Porter, rich with flavours of espresso, cocoa and mascarpone. Dessert is served. Beer available from May 28th. Stockists updates coming soon... share
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Wolf PUP Australian Pale Ale
4.0% ALC/VOL. This crisp and easy drinking Australian Pale Ale has a little light ale malt, with rolled oats and wheat added to give it a little haze. Some Warrior hops to keep it low on the bittering, and the perfect amount of Enigma tropical fruit hops to round out this tasty, smashable beer. Stockists: share
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XXXPA - Wolf of the Willows 5th Birthday Beer
9.2% ALC/VOL If you're looking to step it up a bit, this tall tinnie is for you. Triple hopped with Mosaic, Galaxy, Kahatu and Nelson Sauvin, it's indulgently big, with eXXXtra hefty hops notes full of passionfruit, citrus and tropical fruits yet a light malt backbone. Triple XXX - Triple hopped - Triple your enjoyment. Stockists.. share
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2019 Lark Barrel Aged Imperial JSP
13.9% Alc/Vol Mark II of the Barrel Exchange Project with Lark Distillery see’s the release of the 2019 version of the Lark Barrel Aged Imperial Johnny Smoke Porter (JSP). This Imperial Smoke Porter was aged in 100L Lark barrels for an average of 9 months. The result is an Imperial Smoke Porter rich with whisky barrel aged flavours of vanilla, mocha, peat, dark chocolate, molasses, truffles and espresso. Stockists... share
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PACIFIC SOUR - Tropical Sour
4.1% Alc/Vol Bursting with lush tropical fruit flavours of pineapple, passionfruit, mango and guava, and finishing with a quenching tang from the kettle souring, this 4.1% session sour has your thirst covered. It's easy on the booze yet uncompromising in tropical hop aroma and juicy flavour. Take this Wolf to the Island Bar!
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PILS - Australian Pilsner
ABV: 4.5% Perfect for those days outdoors, getting active or socialising with friends, this Australian Pilsner is the 'Go to, No Fuss' Beer. Using Aussie Enigma hops and all Australian malts, this Pilsner is lagered to perfection. It displays clean stonefruit and floral aromas, a full mouthfeel, a dry crisp finish and a rounded bitterness. Refreshingly easy drinking. share
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The Woodsman Amber Ale
SEASONAL / WINTER RELEASE ABV: 4.5% Inspired by cool, clear winter nights, camping by the fire, and enjoying what nature has gifted us, The Woodsman Amber Ale is the perfect winter accompaniment. Notes of stone fruit hops are paired with soft, toffee malts, balanced by a velvety mouth feel and light bitterness. Malt driven, smooth and easy drinking, for the Woodsman in all of us.... Stockists. share
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XPA - Extra Pale Ale Cans
ABV: 4.7% Yes, you CAN. XPA now available in 355ml Cans. Extra Pale in colour with Extra hop aroma and flavour, Marris Otter and wheat malts in this XPA provide a sublte, biscuity malt background, supported by a a soft rounded bitterness. Mosaic, Centennial and Galaxy hops provide a firm hop aroma of passionfruit, citrus and tropical fruits. Clean and easy drinking for the hop lover.
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JSP - Johnny Smoke Porter
ABV: 5.2% Pouring dark brown to light black in colour, the senses are met with aromas of espresso, dark chocolate and campfire smoke. Rauch (smoked), Munich, chocolate, brown and black malts provide a firm malt profile that is smoky yet balanced by malt sweetness on the palate. The inclusion of East Kent Goldings and Willamette hops provides an earthy but gentle bitterness. With a smooth, moderate body and medium carbonation, this new take on the classic robust porter finishes with layers of chocolate, espresso and hints of smoke. Smoke up Johnny.....
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IPA - 'Homage' India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.0% Sit down and savour with a meal or on its own, this solid IPA is indulgent and refreshingly 'big' - for those moments when you want to step it up a bit. Their name sake, Lupus Salictarius, pays homage to the humble hop, so only fitting that their heavy hop hitting IPA does as well. Paying homage to their love of West Coast India Pale Ales, this IPA bursts with resinous, tropical hops, a solid malt backbone and a firm bitterness.
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BEER AVAILABLE HERE: XPA
WATCH HERE: IGTV
RECIPE BY: David Christopher
INGREDIENTS
1 x free range chicken
1 x can Wolf of the Willows XPA
1 x tablespoon brown sugar
1 x tablespoon white sugar
1 x tablespoon smoked paprika
1 x tablespoon cumin
1 x tablespoon dried oregano
1 x tablespoon chilli flakes
1 x teaspoon ghost chilli powder (optional)
1 x table spoon garlic powder
Garlic
Salt
1 cup Pineapple
1 x Coriander bunch
1 x fresh oregano bunch
Handful Parmesan cheese
Bacon
METHOD
Step one:
Combine brown sugar, smoked paprika, cumin, dried oregano, ghost chilli powder, chilli flakes, garlic powder.
Step two:
Rub spice mix all over chicken until thoroughly covered.
Step three:
Stuff chicken with fresh coriander and oregano.
Step four:
Take one can of Wolf of the Willows XPA and pour half out into a measuring cup and leave aside for dressing. Then place can upright on your cutting board and lower chicken onto the can.
Step five:
Prepare your barbecue for indirect cooking over medium heat (190°C to 230°C).
Step six:
Carefully place the chicken onto the barbecue and roast over indirect medium heat for 1-1 ¼ hours. Rotate at the 30-40min mark.
Step seven:
While chicken is cooking grill pineapple and bacon.
Step eight:
While chicken is cooking take grilled pineapple, garlic, XPA that was put aside, chilli , coriander leaves and stalks, white sugar, salt, and put it in a food processor or blender. Season to taste.
Step nine:
Once the chicken has cooked through or reached an internal temperature of 71°C, remove your chicken from the barbecue and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving (the temperature will continue to rise 3 to 6°C while it’s resting).
Grill the baby cos just before you remove the chicken.
Step ten:
In a bowl combine chopped bacon, chopped baby cos, shaved Parmesan, and Wolf of the Willows XPA pineapple dressing. Mix Then serve beside your XPA beer can chicken. Crack open a fresh brew and dig in!!
BEER AVAILABLE HERE: Wolf of the Willows XPA
WATCH HERE: IGTV
RECIPE BY: Telina Menzies
INGREDIENTS
385 grams bread flour, more for dusting (Wallaby flour is great from Woollies, has to be good bread flour, organic / unbleached)
Teaspoon instant yeast or 60gm 100% hydration sourdough starter
1 teaspoons salt
198-220ml of Wolf of the Willows XPA
Cornmeal, rye flour or wheat bran for dusting loaf (This isn’t needed, only if you wish to add more spunk / personality to the top)
METHOD
Day 1
Between 1pm – 5pm follow the below:
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add Wolf of the willows XPA, and stir until blended and dough formed; dough will be shaggy and sticky.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 21 degrees.
Day 2
Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
Shape
Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
The bake
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 250c. Put a heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Enjoy with a cold one, Cheers.
Braising in beer is common in beer-drinking nations such as Belgium. The flavour permeates the ingredients, whilst tenderising. An Aussie pale ale is best for chicken and pork.
Ingredients
50 gm butter, coarsely chopped
1 free-range chicken (about 1.8kg), cut into 12 pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 large field mushrooms, quartered
250 ml Wolf PUP pale ale
125 ml (½ cup) pouring cream
80 gm silverbeet leaves, coarsely chopped
¼ cup (loosely packed) tarragon
Method
This dish is a real crowd pleaser, and so simple! Paired with the Pacific Sour it goes down a treat. This dish is a great starter, or just fry up some chips and you make an instant meal out of it.
Ingredients
1 kg Cloudy Bay Diamond Shell clams
355ml Wolf of the Willows Pacific Sour
1 small fennel bulb, sliced
100 gm cold butter, diced
1/2 b parsley, washed & coarsely chopped
Method
Another fave recipe from chef Daniel Wilson of Huxtaburger. This guy can cook! It was awesome seeing him in action during the demo at our Cooking with Craft Beer masterclass too. If you like pork and IPA, this winter warmer is one dish you need to try out.
Ingredients (serves 4)
2 pigs cheeks, trimmed of sinew & hair
2 x 330 ml bottles Wolf of the Willows 'Homage' IPA
6 garlic cloves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large celeriac, peeled & diced into small dice
1 lt ml milk
This recipe is one of three dishes created by chef Daniel Wilson of Huxtaburger, for the 'Cooking with Craft Beer masterclass' we did during Good Beer Week 2016. Take note and enjoy!
Ingredients (makes 4 burgers)
4 x 125gm boneless beef short ribs, trimmed of sinew
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bottle Wolf of the Willows JSP - Johnny Smoke Porter
2 brown onion, sliced 3mm thick
1 carrot, chopped
Brining is one of the simplest tricks to adding great subtle flavour to meats whilst tenderising at the same time. Not only do you get the benefits of ‘seasoning’ (ie salt, pepper, etc), the beer allows these to permeate through the meats and by using JSP you get a lovely subtle, smoky flavour that is to die for. You can use any meat you would like but personal favourites are beef brisket, pork loins, chicken chops and Atlantic salmon tails.
Ingredients:
1 litre of water, cold
¾ cup ground rock salt
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey, local variety
2 tbsp. mixed peppercorns, ground
1 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
½ garlic head, peeled and chopped
6 fresh or 10 dried bay leaves
1 each orange, halved, and squeezed (can use 200ml juice)
500ml bottle of JSP
Up to 1.5kg of chosen meat
If you like beer, smoke and chilli..and who doesn’t, then this one is for you. This is a great sauce for all those foods that go down well with a beer – hamburgers, kranskies, steak, and many more. It’s particularly great for those ‘post beer session’ bacon and eggs and vegetarians who want to add a little kick to a dish. The hoppy fruitiness of the XPA compliments the acidity of the tomatoes and heat of the chillies.
7-10 Chipotle Chillies, depending on what heat you want (Cans of chipotle in adobo sauce are available from American food stores. Add in the adobo sauce as well. For best results grow and smoke your own Jalapenos, see note below)
400g can diced tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium red capsicum, finely chopped
½ cup of brown sugar*
½ tablespoon of sea salt*
Our XPA was born out of our love of hoppy beers that you can enjoy with mates at a BBQ in the Aussie sunshine. It is only fitting that one of our favourite XPA food recipes is something that is perfect for a typical Aussie BBQ but beats snags and rissole any day. The best thing is you can prepare it the day before and have ready to go when you want to BBQ.
For best results, cook over a coal or charcoal BBQ. It’s worth the effort and the flavour is so much better.
Chicken: Any ‘bone on’ chicken will do, i.e. drumsticks, Maryland, chicken chops, etc. Accommodate approx. 300g to 350g per person. We always get more as the meat inexpensive and you never know who might turn up.
Marinade:
For up to 2.5kg of chicken
2 medium white onions, coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Sales Enquiries
To stock the Wolf of the Willows range,
please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
PO Box 7389
Gardenvale VIC 3186
Brewery Enquiries
Come visit us at 39 De Havilland Road, Mordialloc VIC 3195.
For all brewery enquiries,
please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2020 Wolf of the Willows Brewing Co.