Mt. Pleasant Brewing Company- Iron Horse IPA: This Brew Will Put You On The Right Track

Here is another pick up from my trip last weekend to Michigan.  It is amazing to me at the number of Craft Breweries that are located in Michigan.  Living in Illinois I can tell you we are greatly underrepresented in the Craft Beer world.  Don’t get me wrong, we have a hand full of production breweries and a dozen or so brew pubs in the northern Illinois area but most of the Craft Beer you see in stores is from outside the state.  From what I gather, we are a fairly decent Craft Beer consuming state but where’s our production?  Being in Colorado last year for GABF you could throw a rock and hit a brewery and I wish it were at least close to the same here in the land of Lincoln.  Is the general populous macro-centric?  Even so, with the growth of the industry and the decline of the big three you’d think that there would be a transition by the people to quality Craft Beer but I could be wrong.  I hadn’t really heard of Mt. Pleasant Brewing Company until Wes did a review of their Coal Stoker’s Blackberry Ale a while back and when I was at the Liquor Cabinet in St. Joseph, I saw some of their brews in the mix a sixer section and decided to grab a bottle of their Iron Horse IPA.  I dig the name and I love IPAs so here goes.

Mt. Pleasant Brewing Company classifies this brew as an India Pale Ale (IPA) and their website describes Iron Horse IPA as, “Don’t be shy, try it. Like any good I.P.A. this one has plenty of hop presence but not so much that it is not approachable by our hop-weary friends. Instead of “biggering and biggering” like so many I.P.A.’s these days we are keepin’ it real with a beer that will make you want to drink more than just one. Don’t worry though, hops heads, this beer still has enough bite to cut through any spicy dish you might want to pair it with. Try one, or five, with buffalo wings or a spicy blackened chicken dish. Iron Horse can also go quite well with shrimp, crab, or other light fish, so we have heard from a few of our loyal patrons. So, belly up and try Iron Horse if you have ever wondered what a good I.P.A is like. We promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Iron Horse IPA pours and orange/caramel color with a big 2” cream color head.  The aroma is a mix of citrus and earthy hop with a slight sweet malt hint in the background.

This is a very solid IPA.  Iron Horse IPA has a very nice citrusy hop bite that is just a hair over the line of being balanced, in a good way.  I get a faint malt sweetness at the start then its all hops from there on out.  Like the speeding locomotive on the label this brew picks up steam and the hops get stronger through the taste.  My only knock on this brew is that is seems a bit over carbonated for the style.  Despite that, this is a good IPA that is worthy of your hard earned scratch being spent on a six pack or two.  To all you Craft Brew fans in Michigan, I’m jealous of the Craft Brewing prowess in your great state.  I dream of a day when Illinois has such a homegrown selection like Michigan.

ABV:  6.6%

Consumed: Trinity Brewing Company Glass

Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack