Wildcat India Pale Ale - Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company & Taproom

seaoflament

California

2.75/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Beerzebub for the opportunity to try this one, I had not even heard of this brewery until I received this beer. I shared this beer today at the AleSmith BA Decadence release.

Poured a golden color with a decent amount of foam. Good retention and a swirl of the glass would bring back some more head.

The aroma was mostly piney and grassy. Some hints of toast, caramel, and brown sugar. Decent.

From the first sip I detected a weird buttery and biscuit finish. Piney and slightly grassy bitterness with a very dry finish, long lasting bitterness in the aftertaste which wasn't too pleasant.

Good carbonation level, medium-high. Way too dry and bitter in the finish with an astringent grain flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2009 01:24:17 | More by seaoflament

Yetiman420

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to Beerzebub for including this as part of a trade.

Cloudy right off the bat into a Unibroue tulip glass. Half finger white head which was soapy with lacing. Spot on for appearance.

Aroma was fruity with malt sweetness at first and became slightly off flavor halfway through. When topped off, the fruit yeast flavor returned.

Label describes this one as a perfectly balanced IPA with lots of hops. While I prefer my IPA's unbalanced to the hoppy side, I can appreciate well balanced and am keeping this in mind as part of the review.

Towards the end, the maltiness became overpowering for me and impacted drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2009 16:12:46 | More by Yetiman420

ccrida

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Clear orangish gold with a big, super dense, creamy head, rocky and slow settling, leaving pretty heavy lace.

Smell is a big blast of resiny columbus hops, a touch of lemon and some sweet malts.

Taste is pretty good, and I generally agree with what the label claims, that it's a balanced hop monster and classic NW IPA. More citrus notes from the hops, though still plenty of resin, with a firm but not overwhelming bitterness. Nice clean malt backbone, lingering bitter and breadiness. Just not really wowing me, it was refridgorated but not sure how fresh, if it is, I could use more hop flavor to counter the bitterness, or perhaps a bit sweeter malt.

Mouthfeel is on the oily side, medium light bodied, dry finish.

Drinkability is pretty good, an aggressive IPA, I could stand more complex hop flavor, as columbus isn't my favorite hop, and it's also got a pretty spicy bitterness. The ABV is well hidden, it's tasty, and goes down with ease, but it won't be one I seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2009 02:47:58 | More by ccrida

jwc215

New Jersey

4.6/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to piclee for this!

POurs slightly hazed golden amber with a fluffy white head that leaves a coating of lacing.

The smell is of grapefruit and pine. Great American hop aroma with an underlying grassy/herbal and biscuity malt aroma.

The taste is of grapefruit and pine - other citrus fruitiness as well. Nice! A subtle touch of grassiness and biscuity and caramelish sweet maltiness supports the bitterness in the finish.

It has a smooth medium body.

This is a great IPA that showcases Columbus hops with a rounding sweetness that is more biscuity pale than caramelish. Well-done! I would drink plenty of this, if it were available in my area! (Unfortunately, a 22-ouncer had to do, but... I did want more! My kind of IPA!

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2009 22:43:06 | More by jwc215

DoShek

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Poured with a solid two fingers of off-white head, golden orange color which is kind of light for an IPA, great clarity, great head retention keeps a thin but solid layer of foam on top as I sip this one down the glass, sticky lacing leaves way points marking the beers progress

Aroma - tons of hop aroma comes blasting out of this beer, grapefruity citrus, resinous, great hop character from the 100% Columbus hops used in the beer, hints of bready malt

Taste - hops from the aroma announce themselves loud and clear in the taste, the malts make their presence known in the background but stay out of the way enough to let the hops do their thing, with each sip the malts come in first but then relinquish the focus to the hops on the mid and back palate

Mouthfeel - smooth and full-bodied

Drinkability - one bomber was a bit of a palate workout, but I could still go for a little more

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2009 10:46:51 | More by DoShek

jujubeast6000

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

Reviewed 6/1/2006 (22oz bottle):

Pours a yellow-reddish clear colored body, with a big head, off-white yellowish in color. Some good lacing. Has a nice sweet aroma, some hops, malts, northwest beer aroma. A bitter taste, some malts, slight acidic aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2009 13:50:09 | More by jujubeast6000

alva

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle purchased Jan 11, 2009. Note: bottle pictured (plain with central "Wildcat" text) is no longer produced. New label is predominantly green and now the largest text says "Snoqualmie". Label also offers this info about the beer:

Orig Grav: 1.062 - Intl Bittering Units: 75 - Alc by Vol 6.6%

Snoqualmie is a brewery I had tried years ago and decided wasn't my thing. Recently I tried them again after reading the Bros excellent review of the Steam Train Porter. I agreed that was a superb example of the style and decided to explore further.

The Wildcat is a typical northwest IPA. It poured very nicely into a standard pint glass. Head quality was good and retention was excellent. Color seems a little pale for an IPA but clarity is very good.

The aroma from this beer is my favorite part. It lets you know the hops are coming. Citrusy and clean. The taste almost delivers on the promise. The hops are very strong but are a tad harsh relative to the body. This seems more like a very bitter pale ale to me, even if it is 6.6%. With my first couple sips I noticed a bright, biscuity malt flavor but by my fourth or fifth swig the hops have completed dominated my palate. That isn't really such a bad thing but I would have preferred more balance.

That said, I did enjoy this beer and will likely pick one up from time to time. I'm glad to hear the brewery didn't wash into the river during the recent flooding!

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2009 04:51:28 | More by alva

RustyDiamond

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased from bottletrek dot com, no bottled on/best by date indicated on bottle.
Hazy yellow-orange with tons of floaties. Creamy 2 fingers of off-white head. Piney sweet aroma with a dash of rubbing alcohol.
Dry, tart, bitter piney hop flavor. Grapefruit also noted. A tad metallic on the finish, but not too heavy. Not my favorite from the Pacific NW...

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2008 22:35:49 | More by RustyDiamond

koopa

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

220z bomber purchased online from Bottletrek

Appearance: Pretty russet orange colored hazy body with a nice 2 finger foam head. Lots of rentention and lacing.

Smell: The nose has lots of hop presence yet it doesn't scream hop bomb either. Lots of citrus notes meet floral notes at a careful juxtaposition point called perfect balance crossing :)

Taste: Despite the medium to thick mouthfeel this IPA is crisp and refreshing. The hops don't dominate but they don't let up either. Some biscuit like malt helps to fortify this brew. While the citrus hop is chief, there is some floral hop support.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability: Perfect carbonation really makes for a fun mouthfeel and helps the slightly thick body.

This is a pleasantly great surprise. Seek it out!

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2008 15:51:53 | More by koopa

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

got this one in a recent trade with westsidemiller. thanks steve!

22oz bottle. sampled nov 18/08.

pours a deep, hazy orange with a small cap of very fine white head. the head drops fairly fast but leaves a fine pattern of lace down the glass.

aroma is good. alcohol. loads of pine and grapefruit. bit of orange. whole wheat bread. biscuit. cracker. bit of tangerine. light caramel and honey.

taste is good. just over medium bitterness level. bit of alcohol. white bread and biscuit. cracker. pine. grapefruit. bit of orange and tangerine. just a touch of caramel sweetness. as it warms a nice floral character starts to come out too. really nice.

mouthfeel is good. medium body. very fine medium-low carbonation level.

drinkability is good. balance is pretty good, slightly unbalanced toward bitterness. nice depth to the malt and hop profile. good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2008 03:03:32 | More by grub

DrDogbeer

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from teh 22oz bottle into a sam perfect pint. Pours a slightly hazy dark yellow with a pillowy white head. Tons of thick lacing. Smells lightly of some citrus, but mostly sweet malt. Taste is bitter! Tons of bitterness on the side s of the tongue. Some citrus and a slightly piney aftertaste. The odd thing about the beer is its mouthfeel. It is extremely thick! A bit oily too. Very interesting. Good IPA, not overwhelmingly good, but solid!

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2008 01:00:31 | More by DrDogbeer

AKBelgianBeast

Alaska

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Wetpaperbag for this one.

Pours a nice slightly hazy orange/yellow with a very thick fluffy ice cream head that cascades for some time. Nose is toned down but is mostly west coast hoppage, sweet malts and slight perfume.

Taste follows with BIG west coast hop bitterness. Not a tone of citrus hops here, but they are certainly present. Pine hops however a out of control here! Super piney, and waaay bitter. Some slight perfume and a good malt presence, however ever so slightly un-balanced, as the hops side of things in this beer is outrageous. A very dry and bitter finish. I am guessing that there was defenitely plenty of dry-hopping involved here.

Mouthfeel is thicker than usual which i like. Carbonation is ample. Slick in the mouth, and goes down quite easy....

Drinkability is good here, but the rowdy bitterness detracts from it slightly. The abv doesnt show up, this one is very drinkable.

Overall a very good brew. Defenitely one for the HOPhead! Super bitterness. Gotta be super dry-hopped. Would love to see a little bit more of a malt backbone here, and maybe a little less dry hopping (I think) A unique and hop loaded beer from snoqualmie. Defenitely one i would grab if it were local, when looking for a super bitter, palate thrashing IPA. Thanks again Bags!

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2008 23:14:33 | More by AKBelgianBeast

Chelsea1905

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a great golden yellow, that was suprisingly clear for the amount of hops that came from the smell.

The smell was strong in hops, and fruity.

Taste, everything a west Coast IPA should be. Sweet, sharp and full of hops!

The Hops in some way dulls teh effervescent texture of this beer. Bubbly at first then dulls off nicely.

Just bought one bottle, but a pretty hefty feel. Think it could only be a couple of bottles of this

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2008 04:57:06 | More by Chelsea1905

Wetpaperbag

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- This beer looks good. The beer itself is a clear amber color. The head is fluffy and light looking. When I poured the beer the head was very active.

S- There is a nice hop smell that gives great citrus notes.

T- The taste has a nutty taste at first, then the hops come though and have their way with your tongue. Very citric tasting and feeling. Its almost like chewing on a grapefruit peel. This one will kill your tongue.

M- Other then the death of my tongue this feels good in the mouth.

D- Drinks easy. Great local beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2008 00:17:43 | More by Wetpaperbag

Vancer

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A foamy lil' Cat, generous pile floating on the hazy amber ale. Sticky, gentle swirls of lace ring the glass. Sweet and juicy west coast IPA with the ol' citrus and pine dominating. Nice cross-over into the quaff, sturdy and generous amount of both. Bit o' juicy-fruit. Good amount of hops finish it off with a gentle tingle on the tongue.

Nope, nuttin' wrong with this one, another fine IPA for one to sample.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2008 21:33:34 | More by Vancer

bosco7

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Golden-amber fluid with a sticky/chunky head atop it. Really nice looking.

Strawberry, moist leather, grapefruit, and cedar. The fruity sweet grapefruit really comes off like a girly shampoo, in a very good way.

Bitter! Bitterness throughout the entire sip. Sweet with a little mango and strawberry upfront. Tons of resinous pine, wasn't expecting from the sweet/fruity aroma. Finished with more bitterness.

Prickly mouthfeel with a barely medium body. Carbonation could be scaled back for sure.

Overall a nice IPA, not the most balanced out there but it is definitely tasty. One of the better IPAs from the region along with Silver City's IPAs. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2008 03:47:36 | More by bosco7

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Snoqualmie- Wildcat IPA

Thanks to thethrone(Adam) for this 1!

A- bright yellowish orange with a big frothy head. messy lacing.
S- Bitter grapefruit and lemon with creamy biscuity malt.
T- Sweet citrus; tangerine, lemon, and grapefruit rind with a sweet creamy/ buttery shortbread biscuit malt.
M- Sweet bitterness up front with a good creamy body. Mild honeylike sweetness in the end. Dry aftertaste.

Overall- Another solid beer from Snoqualmie! A definite session beer. Find this 1!
(Thanks Adam!)

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2008 20:29:28 | More by NJpadreFan

Wasatch

Utah

3.18/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clean/clear golden orange color, some carbonation, huge thick creamy off-white head, with lots of floaties, tons of sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, hoppy, citrus. The taste is slightly sweety, hoppy, malty, with some citrus notes. Medium body. Drinkable, I guess, lots of floaties, hope I do not get sick. Because of this, the low rating.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2008 00:54:19 | More by Wasatch

unHipHopHead

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is one of my favorite IPA's

This review is for a 1pt, 6oz bottle, although I took a road trip and purchased a growler of this goodness previously which was truly amazing.

This beer poured perfectly, a nice fluffy head and after a few drinks some serious lace, i mean we are talkin' bordello-red light district lace... yeah.

The drink is wonderfully balanced, great taste with hops that linger for days. Very refreshing.

I'd recommend this brew to those who appreciate IPA's, otherwise it might be a bit too hoppy.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2008 01:49:11 | More by unHipHopHead

BeerTruth

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one was on my 'wants' list for a while, RoryGilmore was generous enough to hook me up in a recent trade. Thank you kind sir!

22 oz. bomber poured into the special Sam Adams glass.

Pours a medium copper hue with a full two finger off-white head that remains for a good while. Eventually a nice layer of webbing is left behind on the sides of the glass with a creamy layer of bubbles resting on top. There's also some "floaters" in this beer, not sure what, but who cares. Smell is smooth citrus of grapefruit, tangerine, and lime. A nice caramel malt balances out the aroma quite well with some floral undertones. Taste is very similar to the aroma. Pink grapefruit, lemongrass, and some earthy hops up front followed by a smooth caramel malt. Pine and honey midway leading to a somewhat bitter aftertaste. Overall this is a very balanced IPA. Medium bodied with a soft and creamy feel. Carbonation is steady and fits the beer quite well. Very solid and enjoyable West Coast IPA, one I had no problem putting down myself.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2008 00:19:23 | More by BeerTruth

cswhitehorse

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The Wildcat pours a cloudy light copper/orange color with a soft pillow foam head that is fairly sticky with a good 1-2 finger lacing.

The aroma has a slight maltiness to it but is dominated as it should be by a hop skip and a hop. You get a good pine smell coming through as well as grapefruit.

The taste reminds me of a an IPA that is true to the original style. It is reminiscent of Bridgeport's offering but less fruity and floral. It does have the same taste structure to me. A good malt backdrop with semi rough hops.

In the mouth is was some what chewy and left a nice bitterness on the tongue. Overall a wonderful IPA. Snoqualmie should look for some more bottling capacity and sell more down here in Portland.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2008 03:12:03 | More by cswhitehorse

tpd975

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a nice bright tangerine hue with an ample one finger head. Nice sheet lacing is noted.

S: Fairly light with hops dominating. Niced floral aromas with hints of pine and grapefruit.

T: Nice and sessionable brew. Mild hoppy flavors with citrus dominating. This is balanced nicely by a perfect level of sweet caramel malt.

M: Fairly light with a nice level of carbonation. Nice summer brew.

D: Pretty drinkable, would be great to session during the hot Florida summer months.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2008 17:40:39 | More by tpd975

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up from bottletrek

Bomber pours straw/bronze with 3+ fingers of rocky ivory colored head. This hazes a bit, plus some floaties at the bottom of the bottle, great head retention& good lacing

S: Citrus hops

T: Piney & grapefruitty hops in abundance with a hint of biscuitty malt up front. Some honey malt & caramel fights through the hop barrage as this warms, but mostly puckery grapefruit & pine dominate. Puckery hops in the finish, & touch of grainyness. Almost pulled a 4.5

MF: Chewy with moderate carbonation, skews a might bit hoppy

Drinks pretty good, I believe the hops would just overwhelm me after a few pints though. Hop heads will dig this, but a bit too unbalanced to session on for me

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2008 04:02:24 | More by russpowell

GJ40

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sampled from a 22oz bottle in a tulip glass.

A great looking beer with a golden color, a slight haze and a thick, white head with outstanding retention. Fruity hop aroma with a bit a yeast coming through. Smooth flavor with a citrusy hop flavor, a mild bitterness and a semi-sweet aftertaste.

This is a good beer. Very smooth and clean. A nice American IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2008 19:16:22 | More by GJ40

SaucyA

Michigan

4.4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Beautiful clear golden orange. Poured from a 22oz. bomber with a nice, white, 1 finger crown. Ample bubbles, unfiltered. Lacing all over the glass.

S - Light, flowery and piney hop bouquet. Juicy, fresh hops and a slightly bready underlying malt.

T - Awesome hop profile, like the nose but doubled. Sweet malt backbone helps balance the bold hops. Juicy and bitter finish. I'm loving the earthy and flowery hops in this one.

M - Medium carbonation and body. Slick and easy to drink.

D - Nearly sessionable at 6.6% and a pleasure to consume.

Notes: Huge thanks to Lothore for this gem. A truly well-crafted AIPA and a great benchmark for the style. I would drink this consistently if it were around.

Get your hands on this and savor the PNW. I'm so sad it's gone :(

*A month after this review I managed to get my hands on 6 more. Thanks dfsiegel! This is a GREAT brew!!

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2008 03:17:09 | More by SaucyA