Moonlight Bombay by Boat IPA

Brewed by Moonlight Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Fulton, California USA

A Mes rate. Keg at the Rake.Clean orange gold with a thin white head. Fruity malt, not much from the hops other than a bit of bitterness and maybe some grassy undertones. Rather straight forward really. Faintly floral which is nice. Good dry bitter finish but that’s about all it has going for it. Don’t get me wrong it’s not offensive, it’s just not doing much. Crap. Just written my notes and Chris comes back with some more of it and blow me if it’s not completely different. This is much better. The malt comes through a lot more and gives it a pleasant supporting backbone and a really good delicate underlying sweetness. Excellent tangerine notes go really well with the malt and gives it a good marmalade character. First pull - average, later on - tasty.

Draft @ Sacramento Brewing Company. Pours a bright, clear orange color; off-white head with great retention and lacing that coats the glass; nice texture, lasting. Basic, roughly defined aroma of orange bitterness and basic sugar; constantly reserved. Average carbonation. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: plenty of bitterness (oranges, earthiness) with some astringency and roughness in the hop character; somewhat juicy, but not exceptional. Lasting bitter finish: oranges, minerals, lasting astringency and chalkiness.

Draft at the Bistro’s IPA Fest. Nose has caramel and floral hops with a hint of banana. Clear yellow with a medium glass lacing white head. Flavor is lightly bitter with some white pepperiness.

On tap at Sacramento Brewing. This golden/amber ale poured with a decent off-white head and a toffee aroma. There is a pleasant caramel malt flavor with a modicum of hop bitterness. Very balanced and tasty.

Tap at Sac Brew. Nice amber pour with a creamy off-white head. Nice citrus aroma. Fullish body with creamy carbonation. Flavor is floral/citrus hop overlaying mild caramel. The bitter bites. It finishes somewhat floral and lush. Lots of lacing. Great beer.

From tap at Magnolia. Pours cloudy orange with a small white head. Aroma is solid hops grapefruity. Mild sweetness, dry and solid bitter flavoured. Grapefruity flavoured into a dry and flavourfull finish.

Date: July 07, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: clear copper, fine off white head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet pine and citrus aroma
Flavor: sweet crystal malt flavor, lots of citrus hops, sweet pine, well balanced bitterness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

On cask. Slightly hazy, orange-tinged gold colored body with a firm head of fizzy ivory. Resinous hop aromas that suggest heavy pine and grapefruit, but also feature an unidentifiable English-like hop profile as well. Very complex and dank. A subtle, cookie dough and caramel malt note adds a touch of sweetness to balance it out. Restrained yeast esters with an English character. Medium light bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel with an assertive hop bitterness. A high level of hop bitterness emerges immediately on the palate, maintaining intensity evenly into the finish. Along the way, plenty of pine, earthy, and grapefruit hop flavors emerge. A soft, slightly biscuity, toffee malt sweetness compliments nicely. Remarkably hoppy with a clean hop taste. Hop flavors are unique in that I’m sure I’ve never tasted this combination before, but it works very well. Excellent IPA.