Moylans Ryan OSullivans Imperial Stout

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

Bottle. I think this may be the baseline by which I judge my Imperial Stouts. Had it early in my rating - indeed, my beer - career, and it stands out to me even now, despite low expectations going in. Nose is textbook roast: not toffee, not coffee, not chocolate, but all three in self-sacrificing harmony. Color is flat black with forgettable head. Flavor is milky, chocolatey, roasty with flavors that hint at the cousin to vanilla. Simply a solid beer and an exemplar of the style.

Bomber. Older bottle. Pours black and has thick tan head. Aroma of coffee and chocolate. Taste has light bitterness. Flavor of chocolate, mild noted of dark fruits. Thinner mouthfeel than I like with Imp Stouts. Way too easy drinking. Had this years ago and do not remember it being this good. One of the better IS I have had in a while. Very good.

22oz bottle over a year old. Pours a fairly visoucs near black somewhat syrupy with a thinner frothy mocha head. Aroma s surprisingly hoppy and quite oxidized, dark chocolate, dark fruits, nice oxidized malty fruity/sherry notes, I didn’t know this was going to be this hoppy. Flavor follows, rich, creamy lots of dark chocolate, raisins, figs, some fruity tartnss, oxidized hops and lots of them, pretty straightforward, bitter chocolate aftertaste. Full bodied, very creamy, fairly sticky syrupy, larger carbonation. Probably better fresh.

Bomber from Total Wine & More Roseville. Pours opaque black with a medium-sized fluffy brown head that sticks; looks wonderful. Dark fruits in the aroma right out of the bottle, in addition to chocolatey malts and brown sugar. Tarry flavor with espresso oils, ashy unsweetened chocolate, classically malty. Robust, thick palate. Very enjoyable impy in the end. Overall, very good to excellent.

Bottled. Thanks to Anders Holmskar. Almost black with brown head. Mint and chocolate side by side in aroma, where the chocolate dominates. Full-bodied and full flavour with rich chocolate along with hazelnut. Bitterness is medium. A very tasty beer!

Black with a fair amount of light coming through. Small light brown head. Aroma is straight forward roasted malt and caramell. Flavour is basically as straight forward with light hops coming through, very simple with a medium sized body, not bad, just bland and flavourless for a impy.

Bottle for a cold and rainy night... Black as black can get, decent mocha colored head that didnt stick. Light aroma of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. Taste is lots of roasted malts, slight chocolate note, coffee, and a slight bitterness. Medium texture for an impy. Hides the alcohol well. Overall just a solid imperial stout.

Black. Beige head. Cigarr and vanilla en masse, but not much more. Nice but not very complex.