Iron Horse I.P.A. - Mt. Pleasant Brewing Company

Fusion_Pirate

4.1/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured cold from a refrigerated bottle into a weizen glass, Iron Horse IPA had zero head to speak of, with minimal lacing and decent retention. The color is a rich, cloudy amber-orange. Very inviting to the eyes!

S: Rich, citrus hops hit the nose immediately, with a floral, rosy finish. This is a really refined-smelling beer.

T: The generous hops hit the tastebuds up front, coupled with notes of spruce and malts, even a hint of caramel. The carbonation is extremely mild, allowing for the flavors to make their mark on the tongue uninterrupted. Not the best IPA I've ever tasted, but definitely better than average.

M: One of the things I appreciate most about a good IPA is when the brewer keeps the carbonation under control. This expertise is exemplified in Iron Horse IPA. The mouthfeel is smooth, quick and dry, just it should be!

O: No pun intended, but this beer "Pleasant-ly" surprised me! At 6.6% abv, Iron Horse falls within typical IPA gravity standards, but the rich flavor and mild carbonation make it a very sessionable beer (as long as you're walking to your next destination)! I could easily see myself grabbing a sixer of this at some point.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 20:00:13 | More by Fusion_Pirate

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours very murky amber with a relentless massive off-white head that never seems to stop forming. Left a moderate amount of lacing.

S - Grapefruit and mango up front, followed by some lemon zest and orange peel.

T - Pineapple and sweet grapefruit up front followed by a decent amount of mango and malt. A tad bit watery in the finish.

M - Medium bodied with moderate to heavy carbonation.

O - Overall, This was a good IPA and very, very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 04:43:15 | More by SometimesIfart

Agentveba

4.25/5  rDev +18.1%

02-24-2013 21:37:24 | More by Agentveba

CMUbeerenthusiast

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +18.1%

02-20-2013 23:42:44 | More by CMUbeerenthusiast

beer4brian331

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

02-11-2013 05:16:30 | More by beer4brian331

tastymug

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

02-09-2013 22:44:52 | More by tastymug

ssimpson89

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +4.2%

02-09-2013 03:02:05 | More by ssimpson89

elNopalero

Texas

4.24/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I had this at Erbelli’s Pizzeria in Kalamazoo. It was sold under the label “Iron Maiden IPA” and listed as their house IPA but the server said that it was the Iron Horse IPA from Mt. Pleasant Brewing Company. Figured it was worth a shot and I wasn’t disappointed.

This pours a clear amber gold color with nice tight foam. It has an orange citrus aroma and light pine spice. The flavor has a fun spirited bitterness. It’s sharply bitter upfront with a long lingering bitter finish with orange & pine hop flavor. I get a real pleasant piney resin flavor with a hint of a botanical finish. It’s a surprising enjoyable brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2013 08:41:33 | More by elNopalero

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +11.1%

11-08-2012 17:06:15 | More by t0rin0

Gtg642

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

09-24-2012 23:33:19 | More by Gtg642

jbierling

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

09-03-2012 18:48:46 | More by jbierling

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is an okay ipa. It could stand to have a bit more of a mature flavor profile. It seems a little too bright and boisterous and not pulling enough character from the hops. Decent enough though, and not too bad. Just needs to be bringing some more muscle if it wants to compete against all the other great IPAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 18:03:38 | More by RblWthACoz

hilgart1

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -9.7%

07-25-2012 13:13:25 | More by hilgart1

amishbooze

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%

07-10-2012 23:47:39 | More by amishbooze

Zaphog

Michigan

3/5  rDev -16.7%

06-28-2012 03:46:40 | More by Zaphog

nicoga3000

3.75/5  rDev +4.2%

05-19-2012 17:23:10 | More by nicoga3000

sidetracked

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden yellow-orange with a cream head.

Aroma is a nice mix of biter grassy hops and sweet caramel malts.

Taste upfront is bitter grassy hops with a little caramel, bready malt that follows through to the finish. Little additional bitterness at the finish--grassy and lemony hops. Light lingering bitterness.

Light to medium body and somewhat oily with moderate carbonation.

An enjoyable light IPA with a nice bitterness to it. Good level of malt balance. Not mind blowing, but a solid beer that I'd have again.

6/6/2011

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 22:18:49 | More by sidetracked

Another6Pack

Michigan

3/5  rDev -16.7%

11-22-2011 01:37:30 | More by Another6Pack

clint1019

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - medium amber in color with a thin cream colored head.

S - Very floral & citrusy smelling with a very light caramel aroma.

T - Identical to the smell. Has a strong floral & citrus hop flavor with a light caramel taste.

M - light - medium bodied and lightly carbonated.

O - I'm impressed. This is a very nice ipa for such a small town brewery.

Serving type: growler

10-19-2011 23:48:46 | More by clint1019

Florida9

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Color is Brownish amber. Forms a thin off-white head that reduces to a very thin surface coating. No lacing.

S: Light caramel malts and pine. Some very light citrus notes.

T: Caramel malts. Light sweetness and a slightly nutty quality. Moderate piney hops and a mild-moderate bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with appropriate carbonation and a mild-moderate bitterness.

O: A fairly typical IPA. Drinkable, but rather ordinary and not particularly exciting.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 01:35:46 | More by Florida9

Vonerichs

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear amber body with thick white head. Decent lacing.

Smell is light, but is piney hops and toffee malt.

Taste is watery. Piney hops with a bit of grapefruit. The sweet malt is too much for the hops.

Mouthfeel is thin and slick.

Just an ok beer. A fine IPA, but in a world of great IPAs this doesn't stand up.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 02:00:51 | More by Vonerichs

prototypic

Ohio

2.98/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Iron Horse pours a deep copper color. It’s hazier than I expected. Looks a little orange with light behind it. Perhaps a little red too. The head is off-white and stands about a finger tall. It dissipates quickly. Lacing was a little sticky, but definitely on the light side.

The nose is underwhelming. It kicks off with a pretty strong, sweet caramel/toffee scent. Eh. Not my favorite thing in an American IPA. Hops are easily noted and add citrus orange and strong piney notes. A toasted malt scent kicks in late. I’m not a big fan of that in American IPAs either. Smells pretty balanced. Alcohol is a little noticeable, but doesn’t smell too strong. Eh. Not that great.

The flavor is rather average. It does have a caramel malt base that is sweet. It’s too prominent for an American IPA. Toasted malts are also in the mix. Hops finally emerge. They are quite piney. Citrus orange is also noted. There’s a slight hint of bitterness, but it’s quickly lost in the avalanche of malt. It’s fair to say that it’s quite balanced. Alcohol is blended fairly well. It’s a little noticeable, but isn’t too prominent. Finishes sweet with a piney hop flavor.

Iron Horse has a medium body. Carbonation is relatively light and soft. For what it’s worth, it feels pretty smooth. If I liked the flavor more, it’d be even more satisfying. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.

Iron Horse I.P.A. is my first experience with Mt. Pleasant Brewing Company. I was really hoping for more. Frankly, it’s just too malty and balanced for an American IPA. At least as far as my preferences go. Less malt and more hops would immediately improve this one. All in all, it’s very average for the style. It doesn’t do much to distinguish itself. It might be worth a try, but that’s about it.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 03:03:44 | More by prototypic

gopens44

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A -Dark bronze with a good 1.5" foamy latte colored head

S - Strong grassy, earth hop smells

T - Immediate bitter punch that falls off into a rather malty backbone. Little bit of dandelion in the bitter hop part of the taste with a tiny touch of molasses in the malty side of it.

M - Thin with lots of carbonation. Lots of bitterness on the tongue and in the aftertaste

O - Good but lacks a little depth.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 22:53:49 | More by gopens44

ElizabethCraig

Indiana

2.1/5  rDev -41.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Purchased bottled in Michigan.

Appearance is a medium cloudy amber, with slight white head (this was poured into a sample glass, so head is usually compromised in that case)

Scent: I got almost no scent from this when cold, just minimal malty grains. A bitter caramel malty scent came through as it warmed.

Medium carbonation, I'm going to describe it around 2 minutes off of the cold-bottle pour as more flavors were noticed then. Bitter hops to alcohol-burn/medicinal herb flavor to a citrus/herb body. Effervescence lingers on the palate a bit, along with a lingering bitterness that I don't really care for and can't describe the notes of throughly enough.

I did not finish my sample glass of this, which is rare for me, as the scent of the beer was giving me an immediate and massive headache.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 21:21:40 | More by ElizabethCraig

ModemMisuser

Indiana

2.68/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance - light cloudy amber. Very little head - though I shared the bottle with my wife, poured into sample glasses. Usually though, heady beers show their head in these glasses.

Scent - very little. Perhaps a slight non-specific "bitter" scent.

Taste - moderate hop bitterness. A slight alcohol/medicinal taste. Very little malt; though slightly more as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel - fairly thin. Not quite water, but not "medium" either. Medium carbonation.

Overall, the beer isn't terrible, but I wouldn't seek it out or choose it over any other craft IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 21:21:13 | More by ModemMisuser