Moylans Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale

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

Thanks to Dr. Bill for introducing this beer to myself as well as everyone else at Logans at GABF 05. I loved this beer so much I had to trade for it. Big thanks to Davecooks for sending me 4 bottles of this stuff. My favorite DIPA by far. Pour is surprisingly clear medium amber with a real nice lasting head and a kickass lace. Aroma is what does if for me with this beer. Dr. Bill himself said to me that this would be the best smelling DIPA I had ever smelled. He was right. Great fucking aroma. Pure pine and mint aroma to the extreme. Flavor is dominated by a shitload of tomahawk hops I guess because it is a hop quality that is seldom seen in other IPA’s. Just a lot of pine and mint all the way through, but a decent amount of clean light caramel malt. Perfect smooth palate, balanced with malt and hops but obviously more on the hops side, which is great. The bitter finish isnt as harsh as I would have expected, as there is plenty of real clean crystal malt. The best DIPA in the world.

Bomber poured a clear orange amber with a large lasting amber head. Aromas of grapefruit rind, earthiness, pine, light carmel and flowers. Palate was medium bodied, smooth and a bit resiny. Flavors of sweet carmel, grapefruit goodness, funky earthiness and fresh pine with a dry, smooth lingering bitter finish. A very tasty hop bomb for us hopheads!

Bottle (650ml) courtesy of toncatcher. Pours a slightly hazy, very bubbly, amber-orange with a large diminishing creamy off-white head. Very nice aroma of piney hops backed by sweet malt, a little spice, some citrus and a hint of alcohol. Delicious flavour bursting with a big-time hop medley (pine, resin, citrus and more), and though there’s some sweet malt backing it up, it’s all about the hops baby! Nice long bitter finish and the alcohol is hidden pretty well too, you wouldn’t know that this sucker is 9.2%. Medium to full bodied. This is a Hophead’s dream -- simply amazing!

Blind rating. Pours deep copper and brown with a rocky, foamy off-white head and spotty lacing, lasting head. Aroma is soapy, pine and spruce hops, perfumey and citrus fruits. Heavily bitter rind and moderate acidic hop flavor, burns the tongue, sour hop is lasting. Medium bodied and dry palate.

Bomber. One of those OMFG aromas that has West Coast all over it. Just a beautiful beer when poured into a Stella goblet. The name leads you to believe this is going to be a real hopsickle and it stands up to the hype.That takes real balls and I respect that. This is a real tongue buckler and a great IIPA.

Thanks to Dickinsonbeer. Pours a golden amber with an average medium off white spotty lacing head. Aroma was very in your face orange and floral hops wiht a sweet caramel malt balace. Flavor was not as intense as teh aroma. But still a huge hop presence. More of a piney hop flavor. But still had that solid malt balance.

GABF 2006. Amber bodied with a small white head. Nose is hoppy and bitter with lots of citrus notes, light caramel and hints of evergreen. Taste is pretty much the same - more citrus notes, caramel, and evergreen. Very tasty! Body is medium-full and chewy with some oily notes and a moderate carbonation. Ends with more citrus notes, hops, sweet malts and caramel.

On Tap @ Neighborhood in Downtown San Diego. Overall a pretty tasty DIPA. Don’t know why exactly I’ve waited to have this. Nice big hops and killer citrus. Not as good as some, but pretty nice.