Iron Horse Trail
Stockyards Beverage Company

On tap at the brewery- pours a clouded gold with a puffy 2 finger white cap that retains and laces the glass...aromas of pine, grapefruit, mango, some sweet malts and spicyness.....moderate body, well attenuated...dry and hoppy...front side has malts and hops in balance with resinous fruity tones then goes bitter with drying in the finish....not a complex IPA but a flavorful unfiltered deeply satisfying sessioner...good but not great as it needs a bit more malt and hop complexity

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Feb 3 2022 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a foggy, effervescent golden-blonde, generating roughly one finger of bubbly, soapy white head that recedes within the next several minutes. By that point, I'm left with a generously foamy collar and lumpy cap, with plenty of beautiful lacing tossed about in the process - it's visually quite attractive, and the nose is no slouch either. Tangerine, lemon, passion fruit and lychee come to mind, with a fairly strong floral, grassy hop presence as well; hints of bubble gum and stone fruit.

It's a perfectly acceptable IPA - grainy pale malts and oats provide the backdrop, but it's the Galaxy and Mosaic hops that do most of the heavy lifting. I'm getting grapefruit initially, followed by tropical fruitiness (passion fruit?) and underripe peach; the floral, grassy, earthy bitterness really picks up on the back end, concluding with a bitter, somewhat astringent finish that continues into a weakly stone-fruity aftertaste. Medium in body, with moderately low carbonation that lightly agitates the surface of the palate, contributing to a smooth, soft, relatively fluffy texture. Reasonable drinkability for its abv, in that I wouldn't have minded another serving.

Final Grade: 3.88, a B+. Iron Horse Trail is the first Stockyards beer I've had the chance to try, and I must say I'm mostly impressed. Make no mistake, this is no NEIPA - it may look hazy, and it was dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Galaxy, but its bitterness largely overtakes any 'juicy' aspects that may be present. That being said, I love a nice, bitter hop bomb every now and then, and this is the sort of beer I could see myself returning to, if it were available locally. Worth a try: it has earned this hophead's seal of approval.

Pours a uniformly hazy pale yellowish golden colour with two fingers of tight bubbly white head, dipping to a creamy cap.
Piney resinous hops on the nose - notes of citrus - grapefruit - slightly dank and weedy, as warmed a bit sweaty. A grainy slightly floral malt aroma comes through as warms as well.
Slightly sweet cereal malt on the palate that gives way to mildly resinous piney and grapefruit hop flavours with a distinct pleasant bitterness at the back.
Medium bodied with a crisp, clean mouthfeel - well carbonated - a bitter bite lingers. Very nice - can see why got Canadian Brewing Awards American Style IPA bronze in 2019!

 

Oct 18 2023