Moylans Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale

Brewed by Moylans Brewery & Restaurant
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Novato, California USA

pours a cloudy copper gold with hint of red, front hoppy aroma, strong hoppy front to bitter finish. dry aftertaste.

22oz bottle. Beer pours amber with a sticky head. Aroma of lots of mint, grapefruit, and a light malt sweetness. A ton of hops. The flavor is straight hops as well. There is some light malt sweetness, but the boat load of hops steam rolls it. Mostly piney, but some citrus and tropical fruit come in too. Not even in the neighborhood of balance. The mouthfeel is full and prickly. This was a good exercise in the power of the hop, but the lack of balance felt unrefined and left me wanting. I missed the malt depth that I think can highlight good hop flavor even more than simply a dump-truck of hops. (3.3)
Rerate: Another bomber. I’ve grown to like hops a lot more in the last half year or so since I first experienced Hopsickle. At the first go-around, I thought it to be completely out of balance and bitter to the point of being barely drinkable. Even at that time though, I saw a certain appeal in this hop-centric balance of flavors. Well, damn if it isn’t as bitter and hoppy as ever. The aroma impressed me more this time; so much hop character comes jumping out at you that you might just fall over. A freshly opened bag of pellet hops barely smells this hoppy. The flavor is certainly unbalanced, but the full character of the malts, though remaining quite dry and clean, gives you plenty to chew on as well. I appreciate how well the hops are showcased. Overly sweet malts or sharp alcohol never get in the way of the hop flavor, which is pretty impressive for a beer of this strength. I guess that a little less bitterness would make this easier to drink, but then it wouldn’t be Hopsickle. this isn’t the kind of beer that you casually drink whenever; you have to want it.

An abundance of hops and other flavors (citrus, pine, alcohol) come together for a medley of interesting tones played throughout your mouth. This beer is not just bitter...it is biter-bitter, in that it coninues to bite after the beer is long gone!

Hops are fairly piny, but quite a bit of citrus too. A tiny hint of vomit in the aroma as well. Tastes a little spicy, with some alcohol, Finish is pretty good, but not tongue-twistingly so. It is quite lengthy however. The bitterness lies flat on the tongue as opposed to crawling around as it should. Consistency is maybe a little thin and also a little sticky.

Pours a nice dark caramel amber color with a decent head. The aroma is fantastic with a wonderfully sweet and hoppy note. The flavor doesn’t quite follow through from the aroma though. It’s just bitter, and that’s about it. There is a relative balance to it of course, but nothing that cries special to me. It has a very creamy mouthfeel though, which is a plus.

22oz bomber, cloudy gamboge orange hue with creamy lasting white head, varied hops from cirtrus (grapefruit) and pine however hoppy aroma amost to the point the alcohol smell peaks through, a bitter to earthy late finish stays in the back if the mout , liked how the bottle said "Live Ale - Keep Refrigerated," definitely a celebration of hops and did it without too much powdered dryness, would have liked to know the IBU, good fresh tasting, balanced nothing overwhelming or too distinct, good and drinkable.

22 oz bottle. This beer poured a hazy orange color. The aroma was heavy on citrus - orange, pine, and fruits. The flavor was phenomenal. Alcohol is pretty well hidden for a IIPA. The hop flavor is great - but not too overpowering.

Pours a wonderfully hop hazed caramel orange color. The aromas are wonderfully fruity and hopped out. I get Melon, pineapple, citrus peel and a dash of pine to round out the explosion of aromas. While the aroma prepared me for what may have been one of my favorites of this style, the flavor left me wanting. The aromas I experienced did not come through at all. The bitterness is strong and piney, some notes of grapefruit rind and fakir lime leaves. The hops suck the moisture out of your mouth leaving the finish dry and bitter, without the complimentary citrus flavors I had hoped from this bottle. Still a good beer, but maybe better with some sushi ala (bunkypop).