Today I’m in the town where I grew up, St. Louis, MO, with my family for my cousin’s wedding. After the lunchtime wedding, we’ve got several hours to kill before the reception. Having just seen Iron Barley on Man vs Food only a couple nights ago showing their Monte Christo double dog, I suggested to my wife that we stop there for lunch and a beer. They had some pretty good beers on tap, but I was in the mood for something a little hoppy and was hoping this would hit the spot.
Location: On tap at Iron Barley in St. Louis, MO.
Numbers: 6.0% ABV, 60 IBUs, 15.0 Plato (1.060) OG, ~ 198 Calories
Ingredients: Malts: Idaho 2-Row Brewers, German Vienna & CaraAmber; Hops: Columbus, Galena, Amarillo, Simcoe & Cascade, Dry hopped with Cascade
Appearance & Aroma: Copper colored and clear, it had a very thin creamy head which left some nice lacing on the glass. There was a mostly malt aroma with a hop aroma that smelled a bit like citrus hops and wet grass.
Taste & Feel: It was creamy smooth, with a bit of an oily mouthfeel. In fact, each sip I took of the medium bodied beer felt like I was coating my mouth in hop oils. There was a light sweetness up front, followed by a healthy dose of citrusy hop bitterness. In the middle, more of the grassy and piney hop flavors came through and continued on throughout the finish, lingering a bit in the aftertaste. However, in terms of balance, the hop flavors didn’t edge out the maltiness by much.
Food Pairing: This went very, very nicely with my Monte Christo double dog, as it really helped to wash down the very rich salty and sweet flavors. Additonally, the hop bitterness was a nice change of pace from those flavors.
Overall Impression: Despite the hoppiness, there was a solid malt backbone, even if the malty sweetness was only apparent for a split second up front. That sweetness led perfectly into the complex hop flavors this beer had. The combination of citrus, pine, and grassy hops was bright, clean, and great tasting, and overtook the malt flavors by just a little bit (which was perfect for me). Overall, I thought this was a very good beer and I’d love to try it again.
My Rating: 
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