Moylans Ryan OSullivans Imperial Stout

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

22oz bottle poured into a wonderful plastic cup courtesy of the fine folks at Super 8 Motel in, where the fuck am I? Ah, Gretna, NE, thank you Mr. Yellowpages. Pours a fairly deep black, still some notes of red around the edges when held to light. Aroma is a big ole dose of piney hops and dark malts, kinda resembles pine tar. Flavor is again big with the hops, a bit too much in my book, Would be much better if they toned the hops down and let the beer that’s buried under them shine. It does score some points for great head, phenomenal lacing and the nice bit of sludge at the bottom.

Bottle: Pours a deep black with a moderate brown head and light lacing. Nose is rich with roasty notes, chocolate, and espresso. Taste is lighter in the roast with more focus on the mocha, chocolate, and coffee flavors. Just a bit of that mocha sweetness and hints of vanilla is balanced out with a hint of the roasted malts.

Pours a dark brown color with a brown head. Aroma is of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, lots of mlolasses, and toasted malts. Flavor is all the same with a bitter finish that I don’t find very pleasant on this one. I usually like the bitter finish but there’s something off about this one.

22 oz. bottle - held out on drinking this one for almost 2 months; pitch black with tan head that fades after about 5 mins; aromas are a mix of roasted malts and sweet choco; drink incredibly smooth for an imperial with hidden alcohol and a very slight roasted aftertaste

Lots of ratings already, so not a lot to add. I was skeptical about this one since although I love the Hopsickle, the Double IPA was not to my taste. This one is up there with the best Imperial Stouts in my book, Stone, Alesmith, etc. It’s maybe just a touch below, not for any identifiable weakness, but just that it doesn’t have that hard-to-describe "Oh my God" quality. Given how hard it is to get Stone’s IRS (and Alesmith doesn’t distribute to WA), this may be my new go-to Imperial Stout.

Name: Imperial Stout
Date: 03/22/1997
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

Appearance: black, whispy head,
Aroma: sweet roasted malt aroma,
Flavor: lots of rich roasted malt flavor with high esters
-------- /> Name: Imperial Stout
Date: 02/23/2008
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar tasting

huge dark chocolate flavor, lots of hop balance with a fresh citrus edge,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4
-------- /> Name: Imperial Stout
Date: 12/01/2006
Mode: draft
Source: strong ale fest
Vintage: 2004

Aroma: strong roasted malt aroma,
Flavor: lots of roasted flavor leading to a long bitter finish

this is a very good American imperial stout. One must like a bit of alohol bite to appreciate imperials. The only thing that keeps Moylans from rating higher in my book is that imperial alcohol bite that is displeasing to my palate and generally keeps me away from imperials

22 oz. bomber courtesy of a trade with dirty_martini. Pours an opaue black with a large, bubbly, mocha colored head that was surprisingly gone by mid-glass. Very nice aroma of roasted malt and chocolate. Flavor was not as pleasant as the aroma with lightly roasted malt, wet cardboard, and cigar tobacco all noted. Bitter finish which takes away a bit from the full thick mouthfeel. Impy stout is my favorite style and while this one had some good merits, it was a bit disappointing.