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Iron Joe Oak Aged Scotch Ale With Avoca Coffee
Rahr & Sons Brewing Company

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From:
Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
 
Texas, United States
Style:
Scottish Ale
ABV:
8%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.01 | pDev: 7.73%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
23
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 13, 2019
Added:
Apr 16, 2016
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4 by kjkinsey from Texas

Jul 13, 2019
Photo of Buck89
Reviewed by Buck89 from Tennessee

4.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: a slightly hazy copper-brown color with a thin light-tan head.
Aroma: rich caramel and coffee. Faint oak. Really nice blend of the flavors.
Taste: lots of fresh coffee up front, followed by caramel, oak, vanilla, and toasty malt. A nice bitterness from the coffee and hops.
Feel: medium-bodied and carbed.
Overall: a nice malty coffee beer with an excellent mix of the flavors.
Mar 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by jakecattleco from California

May 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.18 by jaydoc from Kansas

Mar 23, 2018
 
Rated: 4.02 by TylerJ from Iowa

Mar 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by mmilyko from Nevada

Feb 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.11 by Sam_Lowry from Texas

Jan 03, 2018
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

4.26/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
The body is black cherry lacquer, becoming dark red at certain angles, with a fizzy khaki head that settles to a soft creamy blanket.

Smell has a nice, smooth, round and roasty mocha with a hint of caramel and biscuit.

Holy wow, major palate surprise! This is absolutely luscious, velvety and thick, with a round carbonation that envelopes the mouth. There's just loads of delicious mocha all over this beer, with caramel, toffee, toast and some bittering component of maybe grapefruit rind or…actually, it's possibly the woody, spicy oak. Iron Joe has a semi-dry finish despite its smooth, fluid luscious feel. What kind of cheat code is this?!
May 25, 2017
Photo of wyrdsmith
Reviewed by wyrdsmith from Texas

3.89/5  rDev -3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
First, a bit of framing: I'm currently reviewing the Iron Joe as imbibed via can on a Saturday afternoon in mid-April. It's a beautiful day outside and I'm enjoying whatever's playing on the radio in the background as I write.

I think I'll begin by pointing out that this is not a Scottish Ale. No. To point to the can, noting in prominent gold lettering, with a bold black subtitle, this is Iron Joe, a Scotch Ale with Avoca Coffee. That distinction is important for those expecting something close to the Iron Thistle. While the ale rests on the back of the tongue and after the lingering coffee traces have disappeared, the true star of this particular brew is the coffee itself. I am not aware of what dark beings Rahr and Sons have contracted with to produce such a fusion, but one can only wonder at what they traded.

Upon opening the can, I was treated to an immediate assault of the aromatic Avoca Coffee. For those not in the know, Avoca Coffee Roasters is a small independent coffee shop and roaster located in Fort Worth, just a few blocks south of the Rahr and Sons brewery. For those that like to shop local, I imagine this pairing to a be a no brainer. For those looking for something unique from the Dallas-Fort Worth craft brewery scene, then look no further.

The first taste is going to be almost overwhelming, especially if not paired with light or sweet meal. Take your time after that first sip (or swig) and register the initial chocolate, caramel, malty flavor, with the heady coffee overtones. It's ok. That's how it's supposed to flow over your tongue. The can itself bears an image of a western cowboy, with worn hat and rugged features. Not rugged in the sense that modern fashion might evoke, but rugged in the idea of a worn trail-hand following a thousand-strong herd of cattle up the Chisolm Trail. The bitterness of that first taste certainly evokes the thought of a rider waking up to the dregs of coffee that were rebrewed from the day before. But that only seems to serve the ale well as its heavy, robust nature follows at the back of the tongue.

There's no doubt that the Iron Thistle played a role in this beer's creation - if you wait a while and let the coffee aroma die down and the initial roasted malt and marshmallow caramel smooth out, you get the rounded burn of Rahr and Son's more traditional Scotch Ale. In fact, while the recommended serving temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit - three degrees warmer than the Scotch Ale's - if you sip, savoring the coffee flavor, as you finish out the can the ale's undertones come out in force as the brew warms with time.

But, should this be judged as a Scotch Ale? No. This should be judged as a brewed fusion, and, to its credit, it does very well. The appearance of the ale as it pours from the can is average. The Smell, flavorful and strong. The taste is evocative, but at times overpowering. The feel on the tongue burns with its Scottish heritage, heavy and loaded with flavor. In each of these individual points, this would otherwise be another average dark ale. But when brought all together. Rahr and Sons presents something that is more than a sum of its parts.
Apr 08, 2017
 
Rated: 3.99 by kevinpd58 from Louisiana

Mar 20, 2017
 
Rated: 4.31 by ruzzal from Texas

Feb 18, 2017
 
Rated: 3.3 by Dromines78 from Oklahoma

Dec 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.71 by aknalley from Texas

Dec 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.08 by Stinger80OH from Ohio

Oct 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4.08 by BdM from Netherlands

Oct 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by valkyre65 from Texas

Oct 04, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by MichialTanner1 from Texas

Jun 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.76 by Texasfan549 from Texas

Jun 02, 2016
Photo of DucksFan16
Rated by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

4.21/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
05/06/2016
May 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.69 by OKbrew89 from Oklahoma

May 06, 2016
Iron Joe Oak Aged Scotch Ale With Avoca Coffee from Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 23 ratings