Moylans Ryan OSullivans Imperial Stout

Brewed by Moylans Brewery & Restaurant
Style: Imperial Stout
Novato, California USA

black as night with a gorgeous tan creamy head. nose is chocolate, sweet, and dark roasted malt. taste is burnt malt, espresso coffee, piney hops... bitter metallic finish. not as thick as other IS’s, but with an oily finish. alcohol nt very prominent.

THOUGHTS: My bottle just said Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout. I wasn’t expecting too much from this one. It was nice but nothing special. It was cheaper than most impy stouts. So if I was really craving an impy and was short on cash, I’d get this again. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark brown that was opaque black in the glass with a large, tan head that slowly diminished and left excellent lacing. The aroma was moderate to heavy roasted, burnt and coffee malts, moderate pine hops, smoke and soy sauce. The flavor started a little sweet and bitter, and finished a little sweet and very bitter with a long duration. There was caramel malt, bitter coffee, a little chocolate, piney hops, roasted and burnt malts, a little tar, tobacco and nuttiness, and metallic hops. It needed a little more malt to balance things out. Mostly bitter chocolate, bitter coffee, and bitter pine hops. There was some cocoa at the end. The full body was oily then dry with soft to tingly carbonation and a metallic and light to moderately alcoholic finish.

A rather boring impy. Aroma was very nice. Strong chocolate and roasted malt with a distinct licorice to it. Pour was a thin near black with a tan film for a head. Taste was very thin and one dimensional compared to the aroma. Old chocolate milk, Starbucks and just s slight bitter chocolate aftertaste. Not much carbonation. A bit on the watery side with very little aftertaste.

Taste 2/9 Bottle. Looks: Pours PINK with a GREEN head -- just checking to see if you were paying attention. Opaque black with a thick tan head. Aroma: Dark coffee bean roast, mild chocolates, a little wood ash. Taste: Smoke, dark roast coffee, chocolate. Quite acidic. Medium bodied, with a foamy mouth feel. Doesn’t get sweet. Hops are felt with the alcohol like pepper under the tongue. You rarely feel the presence of the alcohol. Good brew.

22oz bottle. Near black oily pour with a light brown ring. Smell is kind of weak roast malt and coffee. Has a near creamy mouthfeel, with fairly lively small carbonation. Body is fairly full, with heavy roast coffee flavors. Some dark chocolate, which increases as it warms. A little coffee bitter in the finish that borders on too much. The alcohol is slightly here also. A little hot, some age could probably do this one some good. Drinkability is hurt a bit by the warmth and bitters. Worth trying though.

22 ounce bottle from Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a ruby red tinted dark brown color with a medium brown head. Good head retention and average lacing. Big coffee aroma with bit of roasted malts and hops in the finish. Taste is roasted malts, citrus hops and coffee. Full bodied.

Brewed in the USA......Pours black with a nice small lasting tan head. Aroma of dark chocolate, rich coffee, roasted malts and smoky notes. The taste is of chocolate, espresso, mild hops and dark malts. The mouthfeel is fantsatic, extremely smooth and robust with a pleasant dryness at the finish. Overall, a well balanced imperial stout that conceals the 10% alcohol thoroughly.

Bottle. Pitch black pour, barely noticeable carbonation. Aroma was rich bitter dark chocolate with a little vanilla. Flavor of smoke hit me right away, then mellowed into some roasty malts and espresso. Mouthfeel was a little thin for my preference. Overall, a decent imperial.