Moylans Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale

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

Strange washout of flavors. Aroma is so supremely hoppy that you expect that in the taste, but instead get a strange soapy flavor with some alcohol mixed in. Hop biitterness is all over the finish. Just doesn’t have that juicy resin and citrus in the nose. Very solvent-like. A little malt sweetness hangs around, but is primarily decimated by the bitterness. Hard to say what the problem really is here. Dare I say there could be too much hops? This does remind me a bit of that overwhelming solvent-like flavor I’d get when sucking on a hop cone (which is why I usually spit like I’m dipping, instead of swallowing the oils. I never thought I’d taste it, but i think this beer is just too damn hoppy. Not unbalanced by malt, like a Stone IPA or victory Hop Wallop, but just too much hops in general. I never thought I’d say that. This is jugely dissappointing because I love their IPA and Double IPA.

Poured from a 22oz bomber and served in a tulip. This beer poured a crystal clear amber with a thick, rocky head of beige foam that displayed decent retention. Sticky lacing coated the entire inside of the glass. The aroma of the beer was made up of big, fruity hops, caramel, bread, and grass. The flavor included notes of grapefruit rind, pineapple, peach, caramel, and a good dose of warming alcohol. The mouthfeel was definately full-bodied. Lush, chewy, and resiny! Potent hops provided plenty of bitterness to make this a really tasty DIPA.

Pours a caramel brown with a medium off white head. Smells of pretty big hops, some bitterness, and some definite malt character in there too. Not a whole lot of citrus. The flavor was very bitter grassy hops. The malt was quite noticeable as well but more up front as it just turned bitter in the end. The alcohol was quite noticeable throughout and left a little burn in the aftertaste. This is a pretty good double IPA. Nothing special though in my opinion.

22 oz bottle. Pours orange with a 1 cm off white head, mostly diminishing. Aroma of hops, orange and pine. Initial flavor is balanced with malt and hops neck and neck, but the hops quickly over take all other flavors. The hops are a little piney and little resiny, but its just hop overdrive. There is nearly no lacing, the alcohol is well hidden, and its a lighter, smooth mouthfeel. The aftertaste is intense and lasts between sips, very bitter and dry. Drinkable, when you don’t want to take anything the rest of the day. I would consider it again for a single beer day.

Bomber. Pours a murky orange,no head. HUGE hop aroma with apricots. Taste is big resiny hops and pine with a bitter finish. A little to bitter for me. Took an hour to finish the bottle.

22oz hop-bomber. Thick, unfiltered orange color. Very multi-faceted beer. A rounded hoppy flavor from the different varieties of hops. A strong malt backbone which stills shines through the hop intensity. It finishes bitter, dry, and piny, in a real good way. Displays the better attributes of a barleywine and a double IPA. Hardcore hophead beer.

Pours a clear amber with one finger of head, quickly dissipating. Aroma is a dank, floral, hoppy herbal bouquet. First flavor is resinous pine, that sticks with you. Excellent, bitter and oily. The name fits. ON LATER ANALYSIS: Not only is this a great beer, it’s also a beautiful beer. Copper with layers of cascading bubbliness. MUCH LATER ANALYSIS: This has become overpriced and lost a lot of its charm. Its missing something - in that its just bitter, not flavorful.

Bomber. Pours a hazy amber with a fluffed up white head. Nose is of orange, pine, grapefruit, and grassy hops. Its hard to pull anything other than hops out of this aroma but some sweet malts just make it. Flavor is disappointing as the nose is hoppier than the taste. Citrus and very bitter resinous hops start you off, followed by sweet caramel malt, yeast, some fruity esters which are all cut short with an overly astringent finish. Mouthfeel is medium and oily, turning very frothy and creamy with a quick swish in the mouth. What happened to hop flavor?