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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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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JALISCO SOUR - Agave Sour
4.2% Alc/Vol This Agave Sour was made in collaboration with Tequila Tromba for the GABS Festival 2019. Agave, the base ingredient of Tequila, was combined with char grilled pineapples, a pinch of Mexican spice, then kettle soured. Follow #rimityourway for garnish ideas to bring your tinny that extra kick. Salt, spice and all things... 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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Lark Barrel Aged Imperial JSP
ABV: 11.2% The Barrel Exchange Project 2018. A unique exchange of ideas, passion and whisky barrels. Lark whisky barrels were individually hand selected based on their unique sensory characteristics. Emptied of the whisky, filled within 7 days with an imperial version of the Johnny Smoke Porter (JSP), left to age and then emptied. The result is an Imperial Smoked Porter rich with whisky barrel aged flavours of vanilla, mocca, choc orange, citrus, dark chocolate, molasses and espresso. Stockists: share
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'Southern Brut' Brut IPA
LIMITED RELEASE ABV: 6.2% The Brut India Pale Ale style is a new spin on the classic India Pale Ale, affectionately known as a 'hop champagne'. It uses special enzymes to produce a beer that is bone-dry, crisp, and loaded with vibrant hop flavours. The ‘Southern Brut’ uses hops exclusively from the southern hemisphere, is pale/straw in colour, bone dry, spritzy, and full of citrus, passionfruit, and kiwi-fruit. Brute strength in flavour and character, yet delicate enough to get the 'hop champagne' glasses chinking. Bravo! Stockists... 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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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.