Wicked Weed Freak of Nature Double IPA
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Tasting Notes
Freak of Nature leads with a loud hop aroma — tropical fruit, citrus rind, and a thread of dank resin that signals its West Coast leanings. On the palate, flavors of mango, grapefruit, and pine build quickly before a firm, resinous bitterness takes hold in the mid-palate. The body is medium-full without crossing into syrupy territory, and the malt backbone stays quiet, doing just enough work to keep the hop intensity from turning harsh. The finish is long and dry, with bitterness that lingers well past the last sip.
About the Brewery
Wicked Weed was founded in 2012 in Asheville, North Carolina, a city with one of the most competitive craft beer scenes in the American Southeast. The brewery built its early reputation on aggressively hopped IPAs and a serious sour and wild ale program that ran simultaneously — an unusual combination that earned it national attention. Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired Wicked Weed in 2017, a move that drew backlash from parts of the craft community, though the brewery has continued producing its core and specialty lines out of Asheville.
Food Pairings
The aggressive bitterness and tropical hop character here work well against rich, fatty foods that need cutting through — a double cheeseburger with sharp cheddar benefits from the bitter scrub, while spicy Thai or Indian dishes find a reasonable partner in the fruity hop notes that soften the heat without disappearing into it. Aged Gouda or a strong white cheddar can hold their own against the bitterness and mirror the beer's slight sweetness. Grilled salmon with a citrus glaze echoes the tropical and citrus flavors without competing with them.
Style Guide
American Double IPAs — sometimes called Imperial IPAs — take the hop-forward blueprint of a standard American IPA and push the volume up on both bitterness and alcohol, typically landing between 7.5% and 10% ABV. The style originated in American craft brewing in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with Russian River's Pliny the Elder frequently cited as the benchmark. Unlike a West Coast IPA, which tends toward lean, dry precision, Double IPAs carry more malt body to balance the amplified hop load — though the best examples keep that malt presence restrained enough that hops still dominate from start to finish.