Wicked Weed Brewing – Double Dose (Pernicious IPA and Tyranny Red IPA)

Wicked Weed Brewing was established by brothers, Luke and Walt Dickinson and lifelong friend Ryan Guthy. With support of Ryan’s parents, Rick and Denise (local Asheville entrepreneurs) the Dickinson’s and Guthy’s established Wicked Weed Brewing in September 2012 in the heart of Asheville, North Carolina. 

After home brewing for years, and a term at Dogfish Head Brewery, Luke (and Walt) were itching to craft some west coast style IPAs and funky Belgian brews right in the Appalachian mountains. The tripod jumped into the scene with a big splash and a 15 barrel brewhouse to support their vision. Now fast forward 3 years and visit their facility on Biltmore Avenue… prepare yourself for at least 20 different beers on draft and great food to pair with ‘em. Staying true to their big IPA and hoppy style beers, visiting the brew house you are sure to see some staples and some crazy experiments/variations that set these guys apart. 

Remember their other passion of brewing big Belgians beers? Head a couple blocks down from the Biltmore establishment and reach The Funkatorium. Opening in 2014, this is the location of all things barrel aged and all things sour. Stay tuned for more on the Funk University in future posts, got a few bottles in the cellar to share with y’all 🙂

This post is all about the hops and the big west coast IPA style. After a month moving to town, WWB bottled a couple fresh batches of their – Freak of Nature, Pernicious IPA, and Tyranny Red IPA. I would say that is perfect timing. Now on to the ‘two for Monday’ with the Pernicious and Tyranny Red.

Pernicious IPA (Bottled on 8.8.2015) coming in at 7.3% ABV brewed in Asheville, NC

Served in my Sauvin glass made by The Pretentious Beer Glass Company.

Appearance: finger of white head, slight golden haze in color, carbonation level is on point with a nice hiss cracking the 330 mL bottle, wonderful lacing left behind on the Sauvin

Aroma: lots of grapefruit, piney notes, pineapple, tropical fruits, great aroma of big hops, lemon peel, slight hint of melon and mango, hint of honey and sweetness

Mouthfeel: medium bodied brew, nice carbonation, crips and hop forward beer, hops stay stuck on the pallet and covers the whole mouth (awesome)

Taste: tons of tropical fruit, subtle backbone of malt to help young out the huge hit of hops, some nice citrus in the middle, also some sweet and bitterness of grapefruit

Finish: crisp and very clean finish, a wonderful hop bouquet that brings everything together, super smooth for a 7.3% ABV beer, top notch west coast style IPA brew

Overall: 9.3/10 

An extremely well done and balanced hop forward IPA. A world class beer in my world, and super fresh.

Tyranny Red IPA (bottled on 8.15.15) coming in at 7.0% ABV brewed in Asheville, NC

Appearance: half finger of off-white head, ruby red / burgundy in color, has a very nice clarity level, head drops quickly 

Aroma: big malty notes coming from the Sauvin, subtle hops that are desperately trying to reach the surface, small hint of pineapple, but overall didn’t get a ton on the nose with this beer

Mouthfeel: medium to big malty body, a lot of malt coats the pallet and mouth, some piney hops start to show their face as the beer warms up

Taste: subtle hints of caramel, but countered with some bitter hops, mouth is really confused…, some biscuit, slight booziness, but hops definitely make their presence known as the brew warms up

Finish: pungent malty and hoppy balance, but carries a crisp finish, intense hop stickiness stays around, perfect beer for a crisp cool evening 

Overall: 8.8/10

Giving this an 8.8/10 in it’s style. Overall this was a confusing beer, both on the nose and pallet for me. Perhaps I served this too cold, because both flavor and aroma came out when the beer warmed up. 

Thanks for reading the first installment of ‘two for Mondays’. 

Cheers!