Forged Irish Stout vs Wicklow Wolf Stout

Wicklow Wolf was founded in 2014 in Bray and is now headquartered in a state-of-the-art brewery and taproom in Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow. Their oatmeal stout uses flaked Irish oats and specialty chocolate and coffee malts. They also collaborate with Butlers Chocolate on Truffle Shuffle, a milk-chocolate-truffle stout. They are one of Ireland's modern craft success stories — and the contrast with celebrity-brand stout is the entire point of putting these two on the same page.

Side-by-side specs

Spec	Forged Irish Stout	Wicklow Wolf Oatmeal Stout
ABV	4.2%	~5.5% (varies by batch)
Style	Nitro Irish dry stout	Oatmeal stout (flaked Irish oats)
Brewery	Porterhouse, Dublin (under contract)	Wicklow Wolf, Newtownmountkennedy
Brewery founded	1996 (Porterhouse) · 2020 (Forged brand)	2014 (Bray, relocated 2019)
Owner	Conor McGregor / Forged Dublin Brewery	Independent (founders Quincey Fennelly & Simon Lynch)
Visitable taproom	Black Forge Inn (the brand's tied pub)	Yes — Wicklow Wolf brewery and taproom open to the public

How they taste

Different style, different intent. Wicklow Wolf's oatmeal stout has a fuller body — that's what flaked oats deliver — and a richer chocolate-coffee profile, with vivacious roast-coffee notes upfront and a softer roundness on the palate that nitro stouts can't quite match. Forged is leaner, drier, and more session-shaped at 4.2% ABV.

If you're someone who orders stout as a dessert beer, or who likes stout in autumn evenings, Wicklow Wolf wins comfortably. If you want a sessionable can to drink three of in a row, Forged has the lower ABV and the lighter texture.

The verdict

Forged vs Wicklow Wolf

Different drinks for different occasions — Wicklow Wolf has more to say

Wicklow Wolf's oatmeal stout is the more expressive, more characterful beer. Forged is the more sessionable. They aren't really competing for the same shelf — they're serving different briefs. If you've never had Wicklow Wolf, the oatmeal stout is a fine introduction; the Truffle Shuffle is the showstopper (a chocolate-truffle stout collaboration with Butlers Chocolate that lands somewhere between dessert and beer). Forged works as the everyday, Wicklow Wolf as the something-better.

Pick Forged if…

You want session-strength stout (4.2% lets you have a couple)
You're shopping at a supermarket — Forged is more widely retailed
You want the predictability of a mainstream nitro can

Pick Wicklow Wolf if…

You want flavour intensity and craft brewery character
You can visit the taproom — the Newtownmountkennedy brewery is a destination in its own right
You're cooking, baking, or pairing with chocolate-heavy desserts
You want to support an independent Irish craft brewery