Texas brew review: Revolver Brewing’s new Ironhead IPA

The default for many beginning American craft breweries is to make an American pale ale or India pale ale. The two hop-forward styles are some of the most popular in the United States, and it’s pretty rare these days to find a brewery that doesn’t make at least one.

Revolver Brewing is not most breweries, and it took more than two years for the Granbury brewers to produce an IPA for distribution.

Before finally landing on its first foray into American IPA, Revolver went through 14 recipes. It started as an English IPA, then eventually things morphed into the brewery’s own twist on the West Coast IPA.

True to form, Revolver’s entry is balanced, flavorful and different despite the “West Coast” description. It obviously doesn’t fit into the “What’s going on here?” category that Blood & Honey and Sidewinder belong in, but it also doesn’t taste quite like what you’d expect from most American IPAs.

Sure, there’s plenty of hop flavor — it is an IPA, after all — but it’s not overpowering and it avoids that tough, piney aftertaste that some IPAs — and particularly West Coast IPAs — can leave.

Brewed with what brewmaster Grant Wood refers to as a “judicious use of American IPA hops,” Ironhead utilizes big hop varieties like Apollo, Centennial and Citra while Saphir helps provide the characteristics that are not so overbearing. Saphir has become a bit of a house hop for Revolver, as it is present in the recipe of most of Revolver’s beers except for Blood & Honey.

“Saphir brings a softer, gentler bitterness to it and a little more of the floral and grassy than the resinous dank note,” Wood said.

The beer’s name is in honor of “Ironhead German” co-owner Ronnie Keisler. Not much of a beer drinker before helping found Revolver — and certainly not an IPA lover — the elder Keisler finally found love for hops, and Ironhead represents a balanced IPA that even a recent hop convert can fall for.

Ironhead is currently available in draft around the area but will be packaged soon to become the fifth bottled beer from Revolver. It will launch in the second week in August.

Quick sips

Oak Highlands launches: It seems like every weekend there’s a new brewery hosting its grand opening. This weekend, Dallas’ Oak Highlands Brewery opens its doors from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday in Dallas’ Lake Highlands area. Tickets are $15, which includes a koozie, a pint glass, three beers and music in the air-conditioned taproom. 10484 Brockwood Road, Dallas. oakhighlandsbrewery.com.

This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Texas brew review: Revolver Brewing’s new Ironhead IPA."