Iron Horse - Hepworth & Co. (Brewers) Ltd.

oberon

North Carolina

3.56/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an impy nonic a clear golden/brass with nice tight formed one finger bone white head that left a few broken chunks of lace as it settled slowly.Mainly biscuit malt aromas with some hard water very light fruity tones as well.Biscuit malts again are the main flavor note with that hard water being a little more predominant,hops are light with some leafiness in the finish.Pretty basic but drinkable wich is pretty good for the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 21:42:39 | More by oberon

brentk56

North Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a modest but sticky head that leaves some lacing behind

Smell: Biscuity, with a whole wheat bread character; a touch yeasty and a touch sweet

Taste: Bready at the outset, with a developing grainy character; some sweetness appears underneath at mid-palate and then lingers into the finish; modest bittering in an earthy way

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation; somewhat creamy

Overall: A rather forgetable beer though I think the bottle may have seen better days

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 02:00:22 | More by brentk56

StJamesGate

New York

3.2/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Amber-blonde with puffy pitted steady white head with lace. Flinty grain and slight herbal hops nose, all very dim.
Tart, Wheetabix grain with a touch of caramel then lemon barley water hops.
Biscuity finish and sweet toffee linger. Light-medium, soft, slightly chewy.

Easy bitter, which is also to say insubstantial. Flavor is for a 3.8% beer, not 4.8%. Not one to come back to.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 15:06:15 | More by StJamesGate

emerge077

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Drinking this at a cool 50º in a tulip glass.

Deep saturated apricot color, a finger of eggshell foam after the first pour. It fades to a mottled skim after awhile. Clarity is bright, and there's a rising trail of carbonation from the center.

Some dried fruit in the aroma, apricot or orange, also slightly oxidized. Tastes pretty malty, some sweet breadiness, caramelized sugars. Lingering herbal bitterness in the aftertaste. Medium bodied and pretty drinkable, though it could be fresher. Bottle was undated, purchased from a cooler.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 21:20:51 | More by emerge077

wremrats

Maryland

4/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Golden orange with a thin white head that lingers and laces down the glass.
S - Initially a bready flowery aroma with a touch of tanin. Fades into a nice malty floral aroma as the pint goes down.
T - A nicely balanced bitter with some lingering honey like sweetness.
M - Medium to light body.
D - Easy drinking. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 04:13:53 | More by wremrats

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Fairly good head of foam over a lightly hazed amber liquid.

S - Nose is apple and fruit with a big dose of hay.

T - Some caramel, good hopping and a lingering finish. Some toastiness and husky grain as well. Bare hint of lemon.

M - On the dryish side, and crisp. Carbonation is middling.

D - Pretty tasty and drinkable. Not too shabby.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 01:15:54 | More by allergictomacros

GrizzlyBrew

Georgia

4/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice British ale. I opened side by side with Pullman by Hepworth. The two are very similar. Going back and forth between the two helped distinguish characteristics.

A - Golden, mostly clear body, white/off-white head (didn't stick around too long though)
S - Nice, crisp malt nose with low hops
T - More of the nose, with very low toasty notes (I like to think someone was baking biscuits in the same room while the beer was being brewed) Repeated tastings (and comparisons to Pullman) revealed a low, but pleasant crystal malt character
M - Light, but not thin
D - I could definitely throw back a few pints, although I do prefer the drier Pullman

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2011 21:39:42 | More by GrizzlyBrew

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a pint glass.

A - Pours a slightly hazy dark honey colored yellow with some nice red tints. A dense white head forms that is about .5 inches tall and recedes at a moderate pace down the glass.

S - English pale malts up front with some slight sweetness and fresh baked bread aromas. slight citrus hop character with some flowery notes as well.

T - those very distinctive pale malt hints are up front quick with some nice sweetness followed by the grainy and bready notes. Very grainy with some hints of nuts in there as well. There is a slight hop finish that balances the malt out at the end. Very much a bitter nice and balanced with lower intensity on both flavor fronts but still delicious.

M & D - Nice light body with great CO2 and great ABV. Easy to drink and yummy.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2010 23:13:09 | More by JoEBoBpr

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.9/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Honeyed amber with a thin but sticky off-white head.

Biscuity English pale malt mixed with some medium caramel and a thin line of toffee fill out the malt profile. Pleasant, herbal English hops balance almost evenly and even linger into the finish. Some subtle fruitiness adds another component and gives some depth.

Really a solid ale here. The bottle says English Pale Ale. I'd put it more in the Premium Bitter category, but I'm no master of English styles either.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2010 18:57:19 | More by bump8628

Soneast

Wisconsin

3.2/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy, light amber color, developing a half-inch cream colored head that condenses nicely into a thin layer leaving very little lace.

Aroma is a biscuity pale malt, some slight floral hoppiness, and a touch of skunk to round things out. :(

The flavor also showcases a fair amount of British malt character; somewhat biscuity, almost toasty, some caramel notes with some hoppiness rounding out the flavor profile with an earthy bitterness, that ultimately finishes slightly sweet. Once a gain some skunkiness is evident.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, carbonation is fairly high for the style, but it still retains a nice drinkability.

This is why I don't buy many imports. They almost always suffer from poor storage issues, especially those styles that are more hop forward. Despite that I still thought the beer was decent, and I could certainly see me drinking it again...hopefully when it's fresher.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 22:40:16 | More by Soneast

wheatyweiss

Wisconsin

3.65/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 25 ounce bottle into an imperial.

Pours a honey color with a moderate head that leaves decent lace. Moderate cloud.

Aroma is of tannins and mineral rich water. Tea like aroma with a bit of bready malt backing.

Flavor is bright malt with a slight caramel flavor. Mineral content of the water gives the typical English ale iced tea flavor. Mild hop bitterness is slightly floral and somewhat fruity with a touch of honey and pineapple.

Mouthfeel is medium with a nicely structured carbonation.

Good session bitter for the price.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2010 00:08:13 | More by wheatyweiss

smcolw

Massachusetts

2.73/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Two-finger eggshell white head--dense. Light amber color with a slight haze. Some chunky lace.

Very mild aroma of softer, paler malts. Some caramel. Nearly no hop.

More watery than I'd expect for the style. There's a distinctly adjunct flavor to the malt...disappointing. Mild hop finish--not long lasting.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2009 23:10:32 | More by smcolw

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured with a nice large, textured, foamy, frothy, off-white head and a bit of lace. Color is a clear amber. Aroma is typical Brit esb and nothing of note. Flavor is more interesting - with a little sour tang on the sides of the tongue, some decent hop and malt and so some sweet and bitter flavors. Body and carbonation are good. Finish is ok with some odd solvent flavors. Not a bad beer but nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2009 02:24:57 | More by drpimento

Twitchsey

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a dark amber with minimal head and no lacing as the head dies down. There is a slight citrus aroma with almost a grassy field hint to it.

High carbonation with an initial sweet flavor that rolls over the tongue. finishes with a strong bitterness from the hops that dissipates quickly leaving a mild aftertaste.

The taste is unique but pleasant. though I feel as if some of the characteristics are a bit strong, taking away from the overall balance of the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2009 03:40:12 | More by Twitchsey

fullsweep

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

500 ml brown bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: dark amber in colour with moderate clarity, a thick, off-white foamy head that dissipates slowly and leaves lots of lacing

S: very mild with grassy (post-rain), grainy and earty notes

T: bitter upfront, with a roasted flaor that's almost porter- or stout-like though I'm not sure where that comes from because the beer shows no other signs of being roasted

M: nice carbonation and bite with a smooth quality as well

D: this one goes down easy

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 09:47:45 | More by fullsweep

JohnfromDublin

Ireland

3.7/5  rDev +6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tasted on 19th March 2006, a 500ml bottle well within the best by date. It cost €2.79 in Molloys off-licence, Dublin. Having had the very good Pullman Ale from this small brewery, I looked forward to trying this one.
Poured into a pint tumbler, an amber ale with a thinnish head. Head remained quite well throughout. Maybe there was a touch of haze in the body, not crystal in any case.
Smell was grassy and fairly one-dimensional.
Taste was also fairly one-dimensional, but was quite "hoppy" and had a clean finish. It felt a bit thin, and felt lower in ABV than it actually is. Decent enough brew (preferred the Pullman).

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2006 09:57:08 | More by JohnfromDublin

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

2.55/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Tasted by half-pint at the Prince Albert, Brighton, where there were three cask-conditioned ales by Hepworth on offer upon my visit (Iron Horse, Pullman, and Best Biter)

A: coming in an amber hue with reddish-orange hints, there's no beer head detected and rather static the body is.
S: put simply, a sour-sweet note of prunes is combined with a floating, flowery hops... Very weired combination in aroma and I was almost wondering if it was off for its sour edge. But I went on to taste it...
T: a funny flavour of preserved prune-ish sour-sweet fruitiness dominates the palate, fast leading to a, well, "hallow" or "body-less" caramely malty overtone, and a, fortunately, dryish bitter aftertaste that salvages the overall lacklustre flavour... The aftertaste, again, is positively dry, but neutral in flavour.
M&D: overly flat on the mouthfeel without any single bit of necessary fizziness to keep it drinkable... and for a 4.8%abv. Best Bitter the flavour profile goes awry and loses its focus. Almost off? I'm not sure, but it's definitely not on form and now I regret that I didn't ask for a replacement. Need to try it in a better pub next time--this pub is certainly no real ale haven, despite its strong profile on Hepworth's ales.

Serving type: cask

06-30-2006 18:44:04 | More by wl0307

CRJMellor

Arkansas

3.95/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark maroon with some tan highlights. Smooth and small but dense creamy forms on the pour tons of coated lace on the side of the pint.
Aroma of caramel and a real raw resined hops permeates.
Flavor of caramel, wheat and a sticky hop paste with some floral characteristics.
Mouthfeel was somewhat light for style with abundant sweetness on the finish.
Drinkability is very solid. Classic bitter to style, well made and easy drinking, slides right down the gullet after coating palate with a good dose of malt and hops.

Serving type: cask

04-13-2005 17:08:09 | More by CRJMellor