Moylans Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale

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

Whoa!!! talk about hops, right from the first hiss. Some citrus, pine, Sweetness. oily on the lips. Great brew! I couldn’t do it everyday though!

pours a hazy orange shade of brown with a fluffy light tan head. great retention leaves behind lace rings around the glass. very earthy aroma... brown sugar, pine, lemon skin and white grapefruit pith. the palate is on the sweet but there is a reward with a bunch of resiny bitterness. the flavor starts sweet and malty with some brown sugar then turns to pine, citrus pith and cinnamon-like spiciness. bitter finish lingers for quite a while. full bodied, slick mouth feel and a creamy smooth texture. there’s a bit of stickiness left on the lips.

Bottle. i’m fairly excited after the pour of this one... haven’t had the first sip, yet, but the aromas are fantastic. Pineapple/grapefruit front with a bit of a pine resin/juniper backdrop that has some caramel sweetness, too. Pour is an orange coloration that is lighter than I would have guessed, and doesn’t have too much of a head. Really foamy, but only about a finger high. As it’s dying down there is some nice lacing going on. Following that, things begin to fall apart just a bit. Body is really hoppy (and mostly pleasantly so), but the malt presence doesn’t give quite enough backbone to support all that bitter hops and it comes across as a little thin. That was my reaction on the first sip, and I think that things are straightening out after I’ve gotten a little more accustomed to what is going on. I would like a bit more malt presence, but this is darn nice, even without it. My biggest complaint is that there is a bit of a harsh note that sometimes surfaces (not always) in the aftertaste.

Bottle from Kegs & Barrels in Plano, TX. Pours a hazy, deep amber with a creamy beige head. Aroma has loads of piny & citrus hop notes. Flavor is strong pine & grapefruit with a sharp hop bitter, malty solid flavor. Mouth feel is med-heavy body with medium-high carbonation. Overall, VERY good shit!!!!

Bottle. Pours a clear light orange with a small white, foamy head. Aroma of bitter grassy, garlicy hops and bitter grapefruit. Flavor is super bitter and a little too bitter for my tastes (even as a hop lover). The hop profile is a little off too. Not a fan of this one.

(10/28/08) Bottle drank at my hostel in San Francisco. Slightly hazy amber color with a big white bubbly head. Powerful aroma of malt, cookies, caramel, resinous hops and some pine needles. Sweet and malty flavor in the beginning with caramel and biscuity notes. Continues hoppy and very bitter with pine and some earthy notes. Medium to full-bodied. Quite oily in texture.

Dark copper color with a 1 cm white head. Pine resin and grapefruit hop aroma is robust, but not as intense as some DIPAs. Probably not the freshest bottle for aroma. Nice thick palate. The finish on the taste is insanely biiter and long. The bitterness throughout is citric and like chewing grapefruit rind. A good DIPA.

Purchased from Bevmo Santa Rosa, June 2007. Somewhat hazy dark copper with a manilla head. Piney and citrusy PacNW aroma with a toastiness underneath. Flavor has notes of toffee, caramel, lots of pine, grapefruit, citrus PacNW hop goodness. Prominent yet pleasant, resinous bitterness - some pepper. Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Nice IIPA/Barleywine hybrid.