Ironbound Ale
Alewerks Brewing Company

Ironbound AleIronbound Ale
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From:
Alewerks Brewing Company
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
9%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.63 | pDev: 12.95%
Reviews:
40
Ratings:
46
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 02, 2015
Added:
May 02, 2007
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by CharlieMopps:
Photo of CharlieMopps
Reviewed by CharlieMopps from Virginia

4.17/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
#993 out of 2007

A: Pours a dark, opaque mahogany hue with deep amber highlights. Off-white head is nearly three fingers, which much density, from a moderate pour into an oversize wine glass. Retention is excellent, but there is surprisingly little lacing.

S: The aroma of this ale smells great; seems like there's a bold hop presence, but one that is backed up with a solid malt backbone. Floral and soft fruit hop tones with a subtle, sweet caramel-like malt side.

T: The taste reflects the smell nearly perfectly, as the balance of this beer is worthwhile considering it's an Imperial IPA. A bock-style malt sweetness comes first, kind of sugary, but not over the top. This is followed by a bittering, citrusy bite from the hops, with kind of a grassy or floral subtlety to it as well. I picked up on a couple of hop profiles in the finish, and it rounded out quite nicely, even for an IIPA.

M: Carbonation is not as high as others of its ilk, but I rather like it better this way, at least for this particular beer. Big syrupy hop feel in the end, and a nice thick malt residue up front. Somewhat creamy texture on the palate, also.

D: I actually think this is quite a departure from the other Williamsburg AleWerks stuff, and a welcome one at that. While perhaps not being the most astounding IIPA (a style that continues to try and be outdone again and again), its real strength lies in its attempt at balance. While of course containing a lot of hops, it provides more malt as well so as not to completely destroy the palate. This makes it more drinkable and perhaps more enjoyable.
Oct 27, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by jrob21 from North Carolina

Feb 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by Sanchezrox23 from Virginia

Dec 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Drknight from Virginia

Sep 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by petermethot from New Jersey

Jun 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by jfcaa193 from Canada (QC)

Feb 21, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by GolamKovach from Illinois

Dec 25, 2011
Photo of Mora2000
Reviewed by Mora2000 from Texas

3.58/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to someone for sharing this at the May Freetail bottle release.

The beer pours a dark copper color with a small white head. The aroma has a lot of resin from the hops, but I also get some brown sugar notes. Not quite what I expected since the beer smells more like a hoppy American Barleywine than a Double IPA.

The flavor is more of the same. There is a lot of toffee and caramel as well as some bitter pine notes and some brown sugar. The alcohol is definitely noticeable, giving the beer a barleywine-like flavor.

Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. The beer is still good, but with the age it now has on it, it is not really an IPA at this point.
Sep 10, 2011
Photo of tchenery
Reviewed by tchenery from Virginia

3.35/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
0158 of 2008 Limited Release.

A - The beer is a deep, deep amber color which is almost brown. It's much darker than I expected. It doesn't really support much of a head, but the bubbles present are large and off-white.

S - Very rich raisin notes that come across to me more as a barleywine. The hop presence has probably died out of this beer as it is a few years old. It smells a bit smoky as well.

T - A strange smoky, chocolate flavor at first. It almost tastes like mild chocolate covered raisins. Very malt forward and very musty. There is little to no hop flavor again as they have probably long gone, so I won't hold that against the scoring. Very rich and full flavors.

M - Big heavy beer. It has a weight to it that will indeed make it a sipper.

D - One time affair. It's a nightcapper for me.
Dec 12, 2010
Photo of JetSmooth
Reviewed by JetSmooth from Maryland

3.96/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This review will be of a brewery I recently discovered on a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. My wife and I were at a local restaurant in Williamsburg and found some beers from Williamsburg Alerwerks on tap. When we checked out, there was a pamphlet announcing brewery tours. Well, it didn't take bt a glance between us to know what we were doing the next day. This bottle was purchased on-site at the brewery and hand-carried home to be placed in my bar for later. Each year, Williamsburg Alewerks sets aside an equal number of bombers to the year and individually numbers them. This bottle was 390 of 2008 (which means it was bottled in 2008).

Eyes: Ironbound Imperial India Pale Ale pours with a deep ruby/caramel color that develops a thick, golden, almost souffle-like head. It took three pours and some painful waiting to fill the Williamsburg Alerwerks glass we also picked up during our tour. The color is rich and deep, but not dark.

Nose: The base of the nose is caramel; supporting a sweet malt and hoppy perfume. Somewhat resiny without being overly of pine. Maybe a little other-woodsy?

Tongue: Less-bitter than other IPA or Double IPAs I have had recently. I think the malt backbone of this compensates for the hops, which are definitely there and strong. There is no solvency or excessive alcohol, which is good for a 9 percent ABV beer. The caramel is so creamy, it's almost milk-chocolate-like.

Mouth: Chewy and full. There is plenty of residual malt to this beer, which gives a mouth that masks some of the hoppy "tooth enamel stripping" characters in other hob-bomb beers. There is also a fullness that I also experienced in their coffee-house stout. I would have initially put "smoky" in the flavor category, but there is an after-mouth of smokiness that doesn't really present in the flavor. Not chalky. Difficult to describe. It leaves you wanting to follow-up with another sip.

Overall: This is a beer for autumn! The colors are evocative of piles of leaves waiting to be jumped in, just like I can't wait to jump into another pint. The Unfortunately, this was the only bottle I grabbed. Next trip to Willamsburg, I am stocking up!
Sep 19, 2010
Photo of ghostfacekilla69
Reviewed by ghostfacekilla69 from Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
bottle number 0951 of 2008

a: deep ruby/mahogany with light fluffy off-white head and nice light lace pattern

s: caramel; swedish bitterness; light tobacco; light bouquet of piny flowers and hops

t: caramel; swedish bitterness; light tobacco; bitter hops and light medicinal flavors

m: smooth medium body with light carb

d: an interesting and bitter DIPA
~~~
bottle 965 of 2008

same beer almost 2 years later

a: amber/dark rust body; tight round bubbled head that is thick and fluffy with great retention; some tight small bubbles; murky in the center lighter and more translucent; light abv

s: very light fragrance; fruity with hints of toffee; some light sour apple;

t: mild toffee hits first as well as as the final aftertaste; middle of sip is filled with that syrupy taste that comes from lots of hops then is followed by bitterness from the hops; mild but grows

m: medium body, lightly cloying; med carb

d: still good; definitely milder
Sep 03, 2010
Photo of drabmuh
Reviewed by drabmuh from Maryland

3.45/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Bottled shared by the other Matt last night at his place. Bottle 128 / 2008.

Beer poured into a tulip glass. Beer is brown and hazy, forms a thin head of medium and small bubbles that leaves very little lacing on the glass.

Beer almost smells like Sierra Nevada bigfoot or Double Bastard, its super malty, slight sulfur in the nose.

Beer is sweet and malty, its not a bad beer but its super big and chewy. Heavy body, almost no bitterness, just a big heavy beer. Like a young barleywine or something else that leads with malt. No detectable hop character, anything that was there is faded or eclipsed by the malt. For an IPA its bad, for a strong ale or a barleywine, its average. I won't have it again.
Aug 30, 2010
Photo of dirtylou
Reviewed by dirtylou from Oklahoma

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bottle, #1125/2007, sent by Bert - owner of old hops

appearance: poured into my hopleaf tulip - very dark amber-mahogany body, light tan head with little retention

smell: aroma crosses over to the barleywine world - brown sugar, bitter hops, lots of pine, syrupy, caramel malts

taste: syrupy and full flavored with lots of alcohol present - dipa morphed into barleywine, or maybe it had these traits to begin with...chewy caramel, lots of pine and hop bitterness, sweet red fruit. interesting - would have liked to try fresh

mouthfeel: thick and syrupy, stinging bittnerness, moderate alcohol

drinkability: fine
Dec 14, 2009
Photo of Mebuzzard
Reviewed by Mebuzzard from Colorado

3.77/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A hazed up copper/caramel pour. Semi bright topped with a medium head that produced some rockiness.
Pine and light caramel aroma. It has a mix of strong resinous and slight sweetness smells to it. seems balanced, or about as balanced as an IIPA can get.
Pine is the prominent hop characteristic. Malt is hidden, but does come through at the very beginning with a hint of sweetness that leads to a thin caramel pressence. Then the hops hit. Resinous and sticky. alcohol is noticeable.
Good bite to it and this would be very drinkable if poured only a half pint. Strong abv.
Oct 14, 2009
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Bottle 559 of 2007

Appearance: Pours a hazy caramel color with a rocky beige head; a bit of lacing left behind

Smell: Rich caramel malt aroma, with hints of burnt brown sugar and pine

Taste: Sweet and piney, up front, with a slightly medicinal element, though it is very resinous; lots of caramel after the swallow, although the resinous elements persist throughout

Mouthfeel: Thick and chewy, with moderate carbonation; rather sticky

Drinkability: Two years of age have transformed this into a barleywine and while it remains drinkable, it is just a bit too resinous and sticky for my palate
Oct 09, 2009
Photo of CrellMoset
Reviewed by CrellMoset from Virginia

3.08/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
22 oz. bomber, bottle 1368 of 2008, split and poured into a cervoise.

Appearance: The segmented pours - the first a transparent copper, replete with fast average sized carbonation, the second a muddy, darker, opaque morass - are both capped by an impressive two fingers of tan, spongy white head. Retention is impressive, and the lacing stacks up as well - frothy, foamy, and swiss cheese-like. The hue is a little dark for my liking, but that's a small quibble.

Aroma: Dark amber malts - caramel-like, doughy - with a lot of high, estery notes that are marginally hoppish in origin if not in presentation. Faintly soapy in the aroma and faintly fruit-like, more on the tropical fruit side of things. Not sure what this bodes of.

Taste: Blergh. Not very good. A moderate amount of bitterness and a lot of faded hop notes - mostly leafy, tobacco like, borderline-vegetal - and an underlying mineral presence with a lot of faint, not quite sweet, marginally wholesome and heavily roasted but not quite toasted malts. It just doesn't taste like much.

Mouthfeel: Relatively thick but not syrupy or cloying with a decent amount of fast effervescence making for a body that rises fairly quickly, stays fairly even, and would have done a good job of enhancing what I'm sure were at one point a decent handful of flavors.

Drinkability: I'm assuming that - because this was a 2008 bottle - it is dead. Alas, as there are some makings of a solid (if very, very abnormally dark) DIPA, a favorite style of mine. If they make it again, I'll give it a shot, but I wouldn't recommend anyone buying a 2008 bottle at this late stage in the game.
Sep 02, 2009
Photo of blackie
Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

3.83/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
a: snifter type glass, shows a full and thick khaki head above a deep orange-amber ale, excellent retention and nice lace

s: nose packed with dark, oily pine resins, supportive malt body of toasted caramel provides some balance but doesn't really add much complexity as it struggles beneath the hop deluge, aromas of soggy grain, light metallic note wears off after breathing for a few minutes

m: soft carbonation around medium, body on the full side

t: malt body of caramel, toffee, and toast - the weight might suggest sweetness but it seems to be under control, hops are all pine and totally dominate the malt - and to echo the reviewer below there is little cohesion or harmony between the malt and hop components, big flavors of pine bough tea linger long into the finish with a high but not oppressive bitterness

d: a satisfying drink, but limited...the monstrous hop presence makes for a nice experience, but costs valuable points in complexity and balance; like its presumed namesake the CSS Virginia, the armour of hop resin proves difficult to pierce

bomber from Arrowine, Arlington, VA...bottle 1818 of 2008
Jul 06, 2009
Photo of TheMistler
Reviewed by TheMistler from District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle 1413 of 2008.

Opaquely hazy, a rather dark caramel color. Expansive, puffy, cream-colored head. Sticky lacing, nice retention.

Lots of citrus hops are slathered on top of the not insubstantial caramel malt presence, so far as the aroma. Caramel malt. Grapefruit, lemon.

Hops to the taste are less citrusy than I expected. Lots o' pine, sharp, building towards an incredibly dry finish. Given the pine quality, I'm surprised that it isn't particularly sticky. There is both solid malt sweetness and hop bittering, but I feel that they don't entirely meld, with each existing somewhat independently. Hence they don't really compliment each other, but they do nicely coexist. A little bit of alcohol warming, hints of pepper at the end and - more noticeably - ethanol notes. Nonetheless, ABV is well hidden. Bitter aftertaste.

The carbonation starts off prickly for a split second, but then becomes creamy very quickly. Medium bodied. Fairly easy to drink.
Jun 30, 2009
Photo of wchesak
Reviewed by wchesak from South Carolina

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
1079 of 2007 poured into an Allagash chalice

A - big white head with a tint of tan, nice brown opaque color

S - caramel malt smell with earthy citrus hop notes

T - malt begins but is quickly overtaken my citrus hops that are nice and bitter,leaves a great hop flavor afterward that lingers and makes you want to take another sip

M - between medium and full bodied, good carbonation, finishes quick and smooth to a hop aftertaste

D - glad I held off for a year for this one, I mostly notice lower ratings for people who purchased 08, patience is key, certainly fits perfectly into the definition of an Imperial IPA
Jun 11, 2009
Photo of mizzoueng
Reviewed by mizzoueng from Missouri

3.03/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle 1665 of 2008.

Did a hard pour and got minimal head. Head was bright white and what was there and while it lasted it was thin.

No real hops in the nose. Other reviews asy otherwise, maybe I sat on this a little too long, but it was refrigerated until now.

The flavor was all malt, some sulpher, and carmalized tones. The hops, that were there, were subdued and had some pine, but mostly grapefruit was present.

The mouthfeel was "sticky". The flavor and the beer seemed to just stick to my tounge and linger around for a while. This is actually a good thing for me as it allowed me to savor the beer for a longer period of time rather than quickly swig it down.

I would try this again and it is interesting and does a very good job of hiding the ABV. But it is not the typical IIPA that I would think of.
May 01, 2009
Ironbound Ale from Alewerks Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 46 ratings