Rahr & Sons Iron Thistle

I had hoped to share another Wednesday IDPA match writeup, but thunder cells were popping up all over the area Wednesday afternoon, so I opted not to chance the 70 mile trip to the range. What shall I do now that I have some unexpected free time? I know, I'll try one of the beers 45er sent me last week!

I opted for the Rahr & Sons Iron Thistle. (If I can't shoot my iron, I'll, um, never mind.) This "Scottish-style Ale" pours a deep brown color. A hard pour creates a moderate light brown head, but one that lingers for a long time. The aroma is rich with sweet dark malt, with a bit of coffee thrown in. The flavor brings a pleasing combination of sweet malt, nuttiness and some roasted bitterness. As the beer warms there is a also a hint of smoke added in. The mouth feel is somewhat creamy and the sweet malt and smoke flavor lingers.

This is a very enjoyable beer. It's a seasonal selection from the Forth Worth, TX brewery. I'm reminded of why I'm found of the Wee Heavy / Scotch Ales. (Even if I do typically gravitate to the hoppier Pale Ales and IPAs.) At 8% ABV, Iron Thistle is a beer to sip slowly and enjoy. That is unless one is inclined to take repeated sip after sip in order to make notes for a review. The things I suffer for this blog...

Thanks to 45er for sending this along. It certainly helped overcome the missed match disappointment.