Hepworth Iron Horse

Brewed by Hepworth
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Horsham, England

Serve in English pint

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UPDATED: MAY 14, 2007 Feb, 2003: Bottle.Andy Hepworth was known for the quality of his bottled ales while head brewer at King & Barnes, including two years in charge of the legendary Worthington White Shield so it’s no surprise that with his own brewery, The Beer Station, he is able to produce decent quality beers. This is a cold filtered beer, nicely done so it hits one initially as fresh and fruity. I got out a bottle of Worthington White Shield and a Belgium brewed Bass Pale Ale as comparison. The colour of the three is almost impossible to separate, though White Shield is slightly the darker, and Iron Horse the lighter. The head on the Belgium Bass was longer lasting, and collected in interesting spit gobbets. The Iron Horse head was the smoothest and best behaved; Chrissie described it as a tuxedo compared to the Bass’ jeans. White Shield had an upfront pine-resin, while the other two had fruit. The Belgium yeast of the Bass gave it an interesting medicinal quality. The Iron Horse impressed most initially with its burnt caramel. The beer with the most alcohol had the fullest body - White Shield; while the beer with the least had the lightest body - Iron Horse. Iron Horse was the most dry and the best finish - a touch of grapefruit and some tobacco; but the journey was the quickest - the malt fruit passing away too soon, leaving the hops to do most of the work. The Bass was the most complex, the aroma involving lemongrass and muscadet grapes, the main taste bringing in more vegetables than fruits, some cabbage, turnip and parsnip, while the medicinal aftertaste included a hint of sweat. The White Shield was the most balanced and enjoyable - the aroma involving caramel, coffee and butterscotch, the main taste involving raisins and apple, and the aftertaste involving leather. Although the Belgium brewed Bass Pale Ale was certainly interesting and complex, the overplay of sweetness and lack of hop development led to White Shield, with its overall balance, winning this informal battle of the Pale Ales. Or maybe ... perhaps that Belgium sweetness is more tasty after all? [3.0]
Jan, 2005:Bottle. This was a gift from Paul Webb, brewery manager at Hepworths. It’s a cleanly brewed beer with good malt flavour and a decent spank of bitter hops to offset the opal fruits sweetness. This is my sort of beer, and I find this very enjoyable and well made. But I don’t find myself lifted by it, not in the way that I am by Dark Star’s Festival for example. All the right stuff is here, and it’s all in the right order, but it’s all just a bit too clean and well behaved. [3.2]
May, 2007 Bottle from local Spar. A pleasant malty bitter with a fruit and nut character, and a good rub of earthy hops. Nice. [3.3]

Caramel malt, bread, and a little orange in the aroma. Flavor starts sweet with caramel and toffee. Finishes with some hop bitterness and a little sour flavor. I liked this better than the rating indicated--good, easy drinking beer.

Bottle thanks to Helen and Keith. Dark bronze in this light with a fat, level white foam. Sensible, slightly herbal, aniseed-like English hop aroma streaked with attractive peanut butter notes and a red jellied fruit, Sheps hint. Soft and stony with hints of almond, wholemeal crackers, aniseed and caramel-drizzled pear. Honestly. Safe but good.

Bottle from Beers of Europe
Amber...clear...large frothy white head...good lacing
Aroma - Caramel malts...some sweetish toffee....slight floral notes....light spicy hops...hint of berries 7
Taste - Caramel malts...toffee...light bitter spicy bit grassy hops...very light fruits...mellow flavours...slight cake mix....emphasis on the malts
Palate - soft carb...thin to medium body...smooth...light sweet caramel. Finish as main flavour with some more bitterness...cleans well
Overall - A reasonably good pale ale...nothing outstanding...flavour a bit restrained for the abv but what’s there is pleasant....nice easy drinking

Crisp honey aromas on the nose with herbal hops. Iron Horse pours slightly hazy with an amber hue. Grassy hops upfront with an earthy bitterness and hints of pine. Not bad.

Bottle at the Hepworth stall at MasterChef Live, Olympia Centre, London. Pours gold with a small, white head. Has a sweet malt aroma with hints of caramel. Medium sweet flavor, toffee, light fruits, slight herbal bitterness. Light to medium bodied with fine to average carbonation. Mild bitter finish, slight leaves, caramel malts, mild bread. Nice beer.

Pale copper colour. Quite a floral, hoppy aroma and a hint of wood too. Nice dry, hoppy flavour.

Bottle from Sainsbury’s. Pours a light brown colour with a thin white head that soon disappears. Plenty of roasted malt in the aroma, the taste is malty with a hops and a hint of some caramel with a dry finish.

Caramel malts and earthy in aroma. The flavor is malty and slightly bitter with the requisite fruity malt/hop aftertaste. Not bad overall, similar to an EPA but still enough punch for an ESB.

Deep golden-pour with a bit of soft sweet caramel/toffee flavour. There is a bit of fruit and some orange peel and some cherry. Estery and herbal. Fresh and a little bit hoppy. Soft palate - pretty lovely brew. A little bit of floral character.

500 mL bottle and the Nook. Pours dark orange with a thin but persistent head. The aroma is apples, some nutty notes, and orange and pine hops. The flavor is a measured and subtle bitterness, with roasted malt sweetness in the front. The palate is medium, fairly carbonated, and a little astringent. A good, flavorful bitter.