Moylans Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale

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

22 oz bottle. Dark tea, not quite clear. Light white head skinning. Sweet pine needles, grapefruit and cat pee. Taste of OJ, grapefruit pith, squeeze of lime. Ends up with bread and metallic hops. Light carb, almost medium body.

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.

Shared with my buddy Ian. Hazy light amber pour with a thick white head. Big grassy pine citrus aroma. Thick chewy hop body, very aggressive, lots of caramel malt and citrus hops just bursting all about. Finishes with a bit of hop bitterness and a touch of the 9.2% abv. Very tasty IPA.

Orange red pour. Piny aroma. Hops dripping in tree sap. Taste is totally hoppy. Finish is dry and bitter and maintains the large hop profile. Solid but over the edge.

Pours dirty honey w/ full semi spritzy froth. Good hang time. Residual lacing is sticky and thick w/ a full canopy. The heavy aroma of tarred grapefruit rind left some scar tissue behind. Medium to full nectar w/ soft residual effers. Citrus rind upfront w/ almost not enough malt to back it up. Flavors of tar resin, spice, sodium, and dried leather. Not sweet at all. A faint hint of caramel on the finish as it warms while the strict asprin decimates your tastebuds with surgical precision. Overall: This is a classical masterpiece. I appreciate the under-utilized malt characteristic that so many brewers of this genre over use. Hopsickle attacks hard on all fronts but the lack of that gummy, malted backbone renders your palate useless and you know it for sure. Like a jealous woman who keeps her man spent so he doesn’t even have time to think of running around with another. She may be jealous but her effort makes her a good woman indeed =)

22 oz bomber. Pours a murky orange gold color with a thick beige head. Lots of hops floating around. Floral aroma with strong hints of grapefruit, pine and orange lemon hops. Taste is very hoppy with grapefruit and orange citrus flavor abound. A pleasant piney finish. Excellent !!

Source: 22 oz bottle purchased in Washington DC.
Glass: Poured into my Karmeliet tulip glass.
Appearance: Poured a hazy amber/gold color with a one finger white head.
Aroma: Heavy with pine and citrus, mainly grapefruit. Very clean.
Flavor: Solid malt backbone, but the hops are the star. Sticky pine and citrus all over the place. Well integrated..
Palate: Medium/full body with solid carbonation and a sticky mouthfeel.
Overall: Great IIPA. Nothing subtle about this one. All hops, but very clean.

Bottle, from Julio’s. Good nose, Citrus. More lemon/grapefruit, little orange pine too. Clean brownish orange color. Ok head that faded quickly. Minor lacing. Bitter flavor. The big grapefruit pucker. Sort of burnt (or maybe thats just the tastebuds getting overwhelmed) Medium body, creamy oily mouthfeel, BItter finish. Tasty in a punishing way. A one sided brew.