Uprising - Iron Fist Brewing Company

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.38/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a three finger cream head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Cloudy amber color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Light grapefruit nose, flavor is well balanced with caramel and grapefruit hops. High ABV is hidden but this triple IPA is warming. 750ml bottle from Gift Specialists Oceanside, California.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 22:47:17 | More by jdhilt

Zorro

California

3.84/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Chill hazed orange with a small off-white colored head.

Smell is slightly sweet and malty. Spicy and hoppy with unmistakable scent of Belgian beer yeast. A bit of coriander with some banana, apple and ginger aromas.

Starts out mildly sweet with a little tobacco taste at first. Mild bittersweet thing going on here. Flavors of wood and strong tea with a considerable alcohol warmth in the chest. Some fruit in the taste but not as distinct as the aroma.

Mouthfeel is good, on the edge of syrup.

Overall pretty tasty and damn strong. On the sweet side not recommended if you like a dry beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 01:44:31 | More by Zorro

Brenden

Ohio

3.59/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This one is a hazy dark gold verging on amber with a soft whitish head between one and two fingers tall that holds itself together well and leaves nice, thick patches of lacing in good quantity.
The aroma displays both the Tripel and the IPA aspects, with a leafy and somewhat fruity hops bitterness alongside the sweet candi sugar-like notes and the clove, earthy and lightly spicy Belgian yeast notes. It's pretty well-integrated all in all on the nose. Alcohol is interestingly not too much of a factor.
The flavor gives much the same, but adds something the aroma conceals. There's a bit of a solvent-like or medicinal flavor underneath each sip that mars an otherwise good beer. As such, it also gives off a sort of misplaced sourness in the finish.
The feel is pretty good, a firm medium body holding it all together that could use a little more carbonation to provide a little more of both crispness and smoothness.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 21:52:15 | More by Brenden

someguyinohio

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a bomber.
New brand for me - IRON FIST out of Vista, CA.

Not usually a big fan of mixed breed beers, kind of like an El Camino, doesn't do truck or car very well, but this one is surprisingly good and very interesting because of the combination.

On pour:
Froth is excellent on pour, and lacing holds well to the glass.
Color is a very attractive opaque amber.
Smell is XXX Belgian, very little IPA. The sour notes are prominent.

Taste:
Right up front - Very Belgian. The IPA takes the proletariat seat in the back of the bus.
I'm not usually a Belgian fan, since the Belgian to my tastes can be skewed a bit too sour.. Perhaps this is where the malt and IPA hops rescue this genre of Belgians from the usual skew to the left of the revolution. The decidedly alcohol finish (12% ABV) is again prominent but still in line with the Belgian taste profile. It completes the Belgian style.

Summary:
UPRISING caught me by surprise. I have never been a fan of combo beers where you have multiple personalities which often result in a confused palate and a beer by the bureau with no singular attractive personality. UPRISING is a melding of two complementary political parties, that might drink at the same bar, but typically don't drink together. Here they do.

Not a classic Belgian, and certainly not an IPA, this beer like many other of my favorites, such as Dragon's Milk, Night Tripper and Blithering Idiot, "colors outside the lines."

UPRISING is one of the precious few exceptions where the combination of two differing political camps is a better effort together rather than apart.
More importantly, together, the two disparate parties create an UPRISING.

Viva la revolution! Well done IRON FIST.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 00:56:58 | More by someguyinohio

Halcyondays

California

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle,

A: Pours a deep amber to brown, much darker than I'd expect for a so-called tripel. Nice full white head, with spotty lace.

S: Grapefruit, dark bready malt, lots of green herb, a nice hybrid of styles.

T: Dark bread character with a heavy amount of hops. White grapefruit and melon rind, lemon zest, heavy citrus on the back end.

M: Full-bodied, rich and creamy with a pleasing booziness.

O: A real nice effort from Iron Fist. Tasty as Hell with a lot of flavours. Dominated by the hops but has a great yeast character as well. Balanced as you can get at this strength, I liked it a lot.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 05:02:49 | More by Halcyondays

yonnie

California

3.93/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured into chalice. Dark ruby-reddish brown in color with a finger of cream colored head.

S - Fruity, bubblegum, banana, malts, very subdued hops.

T - Bready, malty, bubblegum, banana, some hop bitterness. Alcohol is quite hidden but still gives some warmth.

M - Medium to full bodied, medium carbonation. Not too thick.

O - This is what I would call an "Imperial Belgian IPA", due to its relatively high ABV. Overall its an interesting brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 23:34:59 | More by yonnie

srandycarter

California

4.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Deep caramel malt with a reddish hue.

S - Floral. Juicy fruit all over it. Hops and malt there but WAY in the back.

T - Large malt at first, floral and fruity in the center, nicely bittered at the end.

M - Creamy, well carbed, at bit to the bitter in the end.

D - I like it! Tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 03:12:31 | More by srandycarter

vande

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

** notes from vacation week...

A: A hazy/cloudy brownish-amber pour with very little head.

S: For a pretty strong beer, the alcohol is not really evident on the nose. Sweeter presence of some fruit and floral notes.

T: Very easy to drink for a big beer. The fruit & floral notes are present; the Belgian yeast are evident. I'd like to drink this side-by-side a Belgian IPA from Belgium sometime. It'd be interesting to compare.

M: Medium to heavier/thicker bodied...little carbonation present. Very smooth pour.

O: Another tasty offering form a small brewery out on the West. I'm thinking Iron Fist will be one that will continue to hit the market with treats that many will continue to enjoy and look for!

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 03:46:40 | More by vande

augustgarage

California

3.5/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Little Bear - a 25cL pour served in a large tulip; brief review from notes:

Faintly cloudy burnt orange liquid with a beige half-finger of soft foam. Delicate lacing and good retention.

Spicy hop-oil aromatics - floral with winter fruit.

Moderately bitter, earthy, husky, and fruity flavor profile. The variety of flavors is good, but they are poorly integrated. Alcohol is well hidden throughout, there being additional body and flavor but no solvent-y notes in the nose or on the palate.

Lightly carbonated, creamy, and warming mouth-feel.

A decent ale, though it comes up lacking compared to the best examples of the style. Worth re-visiting in the bottle, as I find most Belgian styles better with bottle conditioning.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2012 17:11:36 | More by augustgarage

sublimesipping

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap st EBB in Mt. Airy PA. A beer that is a hybrid of styles. Some Belgian and a definite hop presence. Served in chalice. Brest mouthfeel and balance on this beer. Tasted of butterscotch; the beer had great balance and went down so smooth. Greta finish as well with a warmth and slight alchoholic acidity. Overall a great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2012 03:02:55 | More by sublimesipping

UCLABrewN84

California

2.95/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Iron Fist Brewing Company in Vista, CA.

Pours a slightly hazy honey brown with a tan head that settles to a an oily film on top of the beer. No lacing on this one. Smell is somewhat fruity along with some notes of vinegar and nail polish remover. Taste is really just a mixture of fruity flavors. There is a medium bitter finish after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average beer and the smell is a bit weird. When I tried this one there is no way I would have guessed it is supposed to be a Belgian IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2012 00:45:47 | More by UCLABrewN84

drabmuh

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Churchkey in DC, served in a snifter, beer is amber and clear with a thin white head some lacing moderate carbonation.

Aroma is yeasty, mildly solvent, mildly hoppy, smells fine.

Not the best Belgian IPA i've had but decent, it is strong with a nice floral yeast / hop profile, a little dry on the finish but there's nothing wrong with it. I dont' think I'd have it again though.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2012 18:33:09 | More by drabmuh

Retsinis

California

3.88/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Fellow BA Bigturo brought a growler of this to share. Review is from notes, and one of the earlier tapping of this beer about two months ago. I've had the oppurtunity to taste this again on 8/6, and the beer had improved, so I adjusted my point scores a bit as a result.

A: Poured from the growler into a tulip glass, the beer pours a cloudy and hazy dark amber organge, with less than a quarter inch of head, depositing some lacing if swirled.

S: Bread, sugar malts, and mild hops, surprisingly given the style, it's a bit malt heavy. Label says it was tripel hopped, and they are there, but it smells more of an malt heavy imperial IPA to me.

T: Touch of caramel, pepper, orange zest, hops, and sweet malt. Slightly bitter finish, but not too dry. The alcohol barely registers. If this were a blind taste, I'd say it was 7.5%, not 12%, so in that regards a lot of care to balance the beer was done.

M: Lightly carbonated, medium mouth, a little sticky.

O: Interesting, not bad, but just okay for me personally. In my opinion, for what it's worth, the beer might need some tweaking before they bottle this, in my humble opinion, or perhaps it is just not to my tastes. I think there were some unfermented sugars in there, which can of course happen at this high ABV, and when it is unfiltered (A plus, not a ding) If and when it is bottled, the conditioning in the bottle, and some cellaring should round it out just fine. Iron fist just about hit a year, so they are still young for brewery. I do like the fact they are already coming out with some new draft only brews.

Serving type: growler

08-16-2011 22:02:32 | More by Retsinis

HopHead84

California

3.68/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

7/31/2011

On tap at Iron Fist. They call this a Belgian Tripel/IPA. I guess it's a strong Tripel that's heavily hopped.

A: The beer is a sort of dull and cloudy orange in the snifter. There is almost no head. There is one tiny piece of foam clinging to the glass, and it doesn't look like it will last much longer. The beer looks forlorn.

S: Sugary bread with caramel and ripe apple. Caramel apple!? Notes of grapefruit and orange are evident, as well as light floral notes. A light clove-like spiciness is apparent. 12%? I don't smell any alcohol. This is very interesting, and I dig it.

T: Similar to the aroma, with sweet bread and sugar as well as apple, grapefruit, and orange flesh. Alcohol is very well hidden, surprisingly so. There's a little spicy clove and a moderate bitterness. The finish is dry, fruity, and bitter.

M: Upper medium body with very low carbonation. Mouthfeel is smooth and sticky with alcohol warming.

Overall: A nice Tripel with a little more hop character than a traditional example of the style would have. This would be better with a lot more carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2011 22:26:22 | More by HopHead84

BrlyHpsWtrYst

California

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Iron Fist. Draft only release

Desribed as a "Belgian Trippel IPA"
A: Pours a hazy amber/orange with an off white head
S: An enormous bouquet of Apple, pear and perhaps orange blossom, sweet esters, hardly any booze which is impressive to me
T:Follws the nose. Big sweet fruit flavors dominate which I am told is due to a very unique new hop that was used. Hoppy but not bitter, A very belgian yeast component on the finish. Warming but not hot in any way
M: Medium to full bodied, light carbonation
O: A very unique approach to this "style".. Belgian IPA's tend to taste, to me, like a west coast IPA pitched with a Belgian yeast strain, this is not that way. Unconventional and interesting

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2011 22:44:49 | More by BrlyHpsWtrYst