The Locavore Project is a cornerstone of sustainability at Wicklow Wolf.
locavore
noun
North American
- a person whose diet consists only or principally of locally grown or produced food.
How we began
Before we became Wicklow Wolf, we were just an idea between two friends, Quincey and Simon. Influenced by their time spent in California a passion for home brewing and a thirst for craft beer, they began the journey in setting up a brewery in Wicklow.
Simon’s background is in horticulture and he wanted to plant hops on his farm in the Wicklow hills. A seed was planted and Wicklow Wolf was born thanks to the coming together of two friends wanting to start a brewery and the desire to plant a hop farm (the first commercial hop farm in Ireland in over 25 years).
Green Roots
Simon loves to tell the story of him and his friends protesting against polystyrene packaging outside a fast food chain on O’Connell Street as a teenager. His green roots and thirst for a sustainable approach moulded the philosophy for how Wicklow Wolf is run as a business and a brewery.
With this philosophy and approach in mind, ‘Locavore’ was born. A beer release that helped champion and celebrate the Wicklow Wolf hop farm and the year’s hop harvest. Since opening our doors in 2014, we have now brewed 17 different ‘vintages’ or seasons of Locavore.
From Irish blonde ales and Gorse infused Saisons to dry Irish stouts – we have championed the terroir of Wicklow through the ingredients we grow and put into the brews.
where we stand now
Nine years on, we want to do more, to celebrate Wicklow, our terroir, the provenance of this great landscape and to push our commitment to brewing beer in a sustainable way. With this in mind, The Locavore Project was born.
The Locavore Project epitomises the core philosophy that Wicklow Wolf was founded upon, provenance and pride. This allows us to celebrate the terroir of Wicklow, our home and champion it with small batch, local, experimental beers. Locavore allows us to experiment with small batches, new ingredients, mixed fermentation and push the boundaries of our innovation to brew something special to reflect and champion our home, Wicklow.
Locavore 2025 – Fresh Hop ESB
At Wicklow Wolf, our mission is to brew exceptional beers in a sustainable way. Beholden to nothing but the seasons and Mother Nature’s will. We have worked tirelessly up on the Hop Farm to ensure this year’s harvest was a success. For the 12th Edition of our Locavore Hop Harvest, we have crafted an Extra Special Bitter. An ESB brewed using the finest local ingredients – Wicklow Water, Yeast from our neighbours WHC Labs. Hops from our 2025 Harvest, and locally sourced barley, malted specially for us by Minch Malt. Locavore is a beer that champions Local Ingredients, Terroir, and Sustainability. Expect floral and earthy tones from the Wicklow Hops with bitter bite, all balanced by a smooth malty sweetness.
The Hop Farm
We follow Co-Founders Simon Lynch and Quincey Fennelly up on our Hop Farm as Simon discusses the story behind the Locavore Project and our Hop Farm. One of the key ingredients that go in to making our fresh hop Locavore brews.
The Malted Barley
Our Head of Production, John Allen visits Minch Malt as we get our speciality malt roasted for us specifically for the 2025 edition of Locavore. John sits down with David O’Hare, Sales Manager Ireland for Minch Malt and discusses the malt that went in to producing this ESB.
The Tasting
Head of Production John Allen and Head Brewer Andrew Hamilton discuss how Locavore Hop Harvest 2025 was made, the recipe and what you can expect from this delicious fresh hop ESB.
looking to the future
The Locavore Project is more than just beer. We will be looking at new and important ways to support, protect and champion more sustainable practices for our environment.
To date, we have championed biodiversity and a healthy eco-system by installing bee hives, planting hedgerows among many other things. We want to do more.
We have planted over 5,000 native Irish trees on our chemical free hop farm. We will plant more.
To date we have released a carbon neutral Locavore beer with the support of our friends in Clara Carbon. We want to become carbon neutral, not just for one beer, but for every beer we produce.
To date, we have participated in, organised and ran a number of clean ups throughout Wicklow. We want to do more.
Our mission is to brew exceptional beer in a sustainable way. To do this we need to work harder to do and be better. This is just the beginning for The Locavore Project. We want you to follow and join our journey along the way.