Pugilist - Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On nitro at Iron Hill Lancaster. A choice borne out of necessity.

A: The dark ale is appropriately dark, a chocolately brown color that is opaque. A nitro-driven head, creamy-looking, rests atop the ale.

S: The nose is toffee and caramel, quite sweet although fairly light in stature. The aromas are concentrated upfront but quickly peter off, leaving nondescript malts behind.

T: More toffee and caramel, sweet with a light breadiness about it. The dangerously low alcohol leaves the ale thin, fast to pass off of the tastebuds. The lightness is a blessing and a curse, flavor but too fleeting. Quaffable to a very high degree, sessionable is an appropriate adjective.

M: Sessionable but plain; I'm afraid that I'd get bored after two glasses. The caramel and toffee are strong flavors right of the bat.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-27-2012 01:46:40 | More by akorsak

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On nitro at IH Lancaster.

Pours a reddish chocolate brown with a retentive light khaki head, no lacing. Big aroma for a mild/session of roast malt and chocolate with light hop bitterness. Coffee and chocolate with faint dark fruit in the flavor with a caramel and toffee malt body. Minimal hops or bitterness. Medium light body, slightly watery. Similar to Yards Brawler, a pleasant full flavored session ale; it'd be nice to see IH experiment with these styles more often.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-31-2011 19:29:14 | More by yourefragile

thain709

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - It was still cascading when the glass arrived to the table...settled into a deep, deep brown body with a brown head...the head was creamy yet bubbly and it retained as one finger tall...sheets of lacing were left

S - There was a lot of chocolate in the nose with some subtler coffee notes...dark fruits were present as well as a noticeable hop presence

T - Again, the chocolate presence was throughout the entire beer...it tasted like bittersweet chocolate...the dark fruits came out in the middle...I would say dates were most prevalent because there was a nice, sweet caramel note throughout...the coffee flavor showed up briefly at the end as well as the hops...it didn't leave a bitterness on the palate though

M - Light bodied...this was indifferent for me...you would think the nitro would have added some body, but it actually came across as watered down

O - The description said this was an homage to Yard's Brawler...I believe I had three of these one night...the chocolate flavor is nice and it's all around...there are other players that join in the flavors...you can't beat 2.6% ABV, talk about session!...my only complaint is the watered down mouthfeel

Serving type: nitro-tap
@ Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, 781 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster

10-09-2011 13:23:04 | More by thain709