Moylans Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale

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

Thanks to friends in San Diego for this big bottle. The name says it all, and it does not disappoint. Pours textbook hazy orange with decent tan, frothy head. Aroma is pine and citrus hops -- a big bouquet, and malts. Holy moly! The hops hit you in the face, smack you upside the head, and pull your tongue in all directions. This is one of the most bitter, flavorful IPAs I’ve had to date. Scrumptious. Pretty well balanced too, hiding a lot of the alcohol. This is a big beer. Reminds me of Arrogant Bastard. Definitely one of my favorites.

Aroma of a pine forest colliding with a grapefruit grove.....hops everywhere exploding out of the middle of the collision. Honey light brown with a white foamy and sticky head. Wow is this thing an all out hop assault.....not that this is a bad thing. Lots of malt to keep it from being bitter, but that is a losing battle to the supremacy of the hop overload. Long bitter finish. Just a delight and a study in unbalanced hoppy goodness.

Hazy orange-copper with a dense head that lasts awhile. Aroma is like a floral hopsack with mild caramel notes. Lots of fruit with sharp hop bitterness. Dry and noticeably strong. Lingering hop finish.

Sampled at a recent Champaign-Urbana Beer Club meeting. This was the top beer of the night for me. Poured a deep amber with a weak off-white head. Visually not very enticing but let the aroma grab you. HUGE grapefruit nose sings lead with backup provided by caramel, pine, flowers, and herbs. Medium bodied with a smooth and slightly tingly mouthfeel. The flavor was a rush of hops, citrusy bitterness cut with a touch of sweetness. This was very impressive and one I’d like to get my hands on more frequently.

Bottled. It’s hazy, sparkling, honey-colored body is topped with a bone-white head of creamy texture, medium size, and diligent beer-hiding that leaves behind thick walls of lace. The aroma screams "HOPS!" (yay!) with a variety of citrus, peach, honey, flowers, and a yeasty undertone of sweet, dark bread. The mouth is medium-full with lovely, dry carbonation for a decent finish. Flavor...I can pretty much taste what I smelled: peach, honey, grapefruit, sticky and sweet, dark dough, followed by a bunch of pine, grapefruit rind, a touch of astingence (prone to happen with uber-hopped beers, but I’m going to age some of this and see if that doesn’t go away ;o). Obviously a little imbalanced towards the hops, but I do think it will mellow out nicely with a year--even 6 months--under the house so that it can learn to play well with others. =p I love wintertime!

It says triple hoppy right on the bottle, and it is. Hard hitting hop bite, resin pine, and strong grapefruit flavor. Also a weird gear oil smell and flavor, but good overall. And extremely hoppy.

Bottle. Pours an interesting color. Not really amber, not really brown. My best descriptor would be "tea-like". Moderately opaque with a nice sized light tan head that is formed from bubbles of multiple sizes. Sea-foam like lacing is left behind. Wonderful piney/floral aroma which is a pleasure to smell. Medium bodied and very smooth mouthfeel. Carbonation is low or the malt bill is tremendous, either way it coats the palate nicely. Flavor is a well balanced hop and malt bill. Pleasantly sweet with a generous, but not overwhelming, citric rind bitterness. Alcohol is tucked away nicely. Well crafted IIPA.

Pours IIPA golden with small white brim head. Nose of beautiful simcoe hop, similar to one of my faves goose island iipa. citrusy grapefruit hop deliciousness. Goes down swell, with a little too much alcohol on the palate. Otherwise fantastic.