Freak of Nature Double IPA

Freak of Nature Double IPA

Wicked Weed Brewing

Asheville, NC

Freak of Nature is dry hopped with 3.5 pounds of hops per barrel.

ABV: 8.4

ABW: 6.7

COLOR: 6

BITTERNESS: NA

ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1073

AVAILABLE: NC

The first whiff suggests a certain botanical that is, at press time, only legal in the northernmost West Coast state of Washington. Dank hops float to the nose of this hazy golden nectar; an underlying cracker-biscuit body supports the lightly citrus, slightly weedy top notes. A lingering piney bitterness sticks with you even as this beer finishes very dry. Warning: It’s very easy to forget this beer is a double IPA because it’s not overly sticky-sweet or cloying.
- Lisa Morrison

A bright full gold, it raises a tan white head. The nose dives into the Northwestern hop sack, delivering garlicky dankness and oranges in equal measure. The palate is bitter and dry, yet pleasingly juicy, with an elegant structure and minerality that belie its apparent austerity. The finish is super clean, like a powerful hop mouthwash. Dank hop character generally puts me off, but this is an excellent example of how to use it. It strives for and achieves deliciousness on its own terms, and I admire that. But why do I suddenly want a bag of Doritos?
- Garrett Oliver

Lisa Morrison
Lisa Morrison, aka the Beer Goddess, talks beer every day at her beer store and taproom, Belmont Station, and on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.

Garrett Oliver
Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Companion to Beer, the author of The Brewmaster’s Table, and the veteran host of more than 900 beer dinners in 15 countries.