Review: Iron Hill Brewery Crusher and Pumpkin Ale
Iron Hill Brewery, based in Wilmington, Delaware, seems to be crushing it, now operating three brewpubs in the area while selling canned versions of its products regionally. Iron Hill beer is hard to find outside of the immediate region, but we were lucky to receive a care package with two of its latest releases. Wilmingtonians, take note!
Iron Hill Brewery Crusher Session IPA – While relatively low in alcohol, this presents itself as a straightforward IPA, with an overload of bitter hops providing its backbone, well above the 48 IBUs noted. The tropical fruit notes promised by Iron Hill are pushed well into the background, just a hint of pineapple peeking through a ton of pine needles and earthy forest floor notes. Fine, but not overly memorable. 5% abv. B / $NA (16 oz cans)
Iron Hill Brewery Pumpkin Ale – The absolute recreation of pumpkin pie as a beer. Bold notes of vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg all meld together with a core of fresh pumpkin to give one the impression — at least at first — of chomping into a slice of pie after Thanksgiving supper. There’s ample hops here too, however, and after a sip or two they begin to take control of the experience, tempering an initially sweet experience with an earthy, bitter punch. As the beer recovers, though, the spices again rise into the glass, and if you leave your beer untouched for a couple of minutes, the aromas of the season will again fill its headspace. Pumpkin beers have never really been my go-to, but if Iron Hill’s rendition is arguably as good — and authentic — as they get. 5.5% abv. A- / $NA (16 oz cans)
Iron Hill Brewery Pumpkin Ale
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