Moylans Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale

Whoa. The smell is wonderful. It is on the next level. Grapefruity with a hint of peach. Damn that sucker is bitter. Bitter like a grapefruit is because you know how grapefruits can be bitter but you know that it is fruit and has natural sugars and stuff so it has also kind of sweet. Its got a decent malt background but not so much that it feels heavy. We have a winner here.

650 ml. Clear copper with a small lasting disc of cream that leaves a nice frosting behind. Aroma is grapefruit drizzled with brown sugar and a hint of cocoa. Flavor is way hoppy as advertised, with barely enough malt to balance. Grapefruit, resin, and spruce vs. some way over-matched caramel. Near-medium body is smooth, slightly watery in a drinkable fashion, and of course very hop-dry.

Bottle pours a hazed amber with a decent and clingy head. The aroma is very citrus hop oriented, with a nice sweet malty foundation. The flavor is like beer grapefruit juice! This is a serious IIPA, with some really nice juicy notes to make it all work. The palate is rich, weighty, and cleansing. Overall, this is one of the better IIPAs I have had in a while.

Many thanx to Carl Kins. Tasted with William and friends on 29.11.08. Hazy dark golden to orange color, with off white head. Aroma bit caramel, and many hops. Medium to full body. Taste is hops, hops, hops, also bit malts and carmel, good bitterness.

Bottle: Poured a bright orangey color ale with a huge foamy head with great retention and good lacing. Aroma of bitter and citrus hops is quite intense. Taste is a mix between a dry caramel malt bases with some intense bitter and citrus hops. Full body with good carbonation. This is really a one-dimensional beer but still well done and great version of a West Coast hop beast.

Pours very hazy amber with a 2 finger off white head, decent retention and lacing. Aroma is huge on citrus hops, a little melon, tons of caramel malt and a slight earthy hop note. Flavor is bitter and citrus right up front sort of like orange peel. Then comes the malt really just enough caramel and toffee to keep you from being overpowered by hops. Finish is bitter with a hint of melon and yeasty spice. Body is thick and slippery with a nice alcohol warmth. What I like about this ale is the fact that it really does seem like a hops showcase, where many other IIPA are just as heavy on caramel and toffee as they are citrus and pine, this brew is all about the hops. Not the best IIPA I have had but damn tasty.

22 oz bottle. Pours clear golden color with a nice white foamy head of tightly packed bubbles that has great retention and produces very nice lacing. Aroma is strong resiny citrus hops. Very floral and in your face. Flavor is citrusy with almost a grapefruit undertone to it. Very resiny and loads of bitterness at the end. This beer is not for the week of palate. This is a total balls out IIPA. There is also a nice lingering bitterness that makes you want to wash it down with another sip. Well done.

Earthy nose. Nice hazy amber pour. Taste is of hops, citrus, hops, pine and hops. Did I mention hops? Opulent mouthfeel and a beautiful bright finish. Alcohol is nicely disguised.