What sweet music

Last year, Wicklow Wolf released a black IPA for Halloween called Devil's Glen. It seems they hadn't exhausted their supply of spooky Wicklow placenames, nor glow-in-the-dark label ink, because this year they're back with more of the same. Slaughter Hill is again 6.66% ABV, though they give us no further information on what it's brewed with. It's on point for the style, however, beginning on a pungently bitter and roast-forward aroma, suggesting burning tyres, mulchy leaf mould and damp wool. Lovely. The flavour is more straightforward: the dry dark grain of a porter hits vegetal hops, for two kinds of bitterness in every mouthful. That's softened slightly by lighter notes of flowers and medicinal herbs. It's heavy and warming too; more wintery than autumnal, but still finishes cleanly. I would have liked more and bigger of what it does, especially the hopping, but it hits the black IPA spot nicely. I hope we can expect another something similar next year.Extra Elevation proved to be…