Moylans IPA

Brewed by Moylans Brewery & Restaurant
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Novato, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

UPDATED: AUG 13, 2006 Utterly delicious. Massive sitric aroma rises from the frothy head. Pours a fairly clear, deep golden in color. The combination of Chinook (lemon zinger) and fuggles (earthy resin) is a hop lovers dream come true. The malting has enough sweetness, but lets the hops shine. Lingering bitterness. The Moylander is great, but this is more my speed. How this isn’t rated higher is a head scratcher. Fabulous.

Huge aggressive bitterness all over the mouth, including bouncing right on the tip of the tongue. Huge hop flavor, exploding in the mouth both floral and fruity. Mango, orange, and even fresh canteloupe. Everything points to that color, which is nearly the same as the beer itself. Pine resin explodes in the back of the mouth. Beautiful ability to present a complex veriety of hop flavors, but they are sorted out such that you taste them independently. Plenty pale malt to hold up the hops and keep it in enough balance to keep the hops in check and prevent them from running wild and overpowering the beer, but plays enough of a backseat to allow this beer to be a hop vehicle. This is everything an American IPA should be. The mouthfeel is fantastically smooth and full, but light enough to keep the beer from getting oppressive. Just a fantastically crafted IPA. I am very sorry that I’ve been overlooking these guys for so long. I’m going to start seeking out more Moylan’s beers. BTW, I was shocked to see that the hops used appear only to be Fuggles and Chinook. I couldn’t even begin to guess how they made this beer with those hops. Consider me impressed.

UPDATED: JAN 1, 2008 A very balanced aroma--just as much caramel as sweet grass. Great solid hoppy sting lightly balanced with malt. Based on the description, I was afraid it’d be too malty for my taste. Underrated I think.

On tap at Jerry’s. Orange with creamy beige head / Fresh pine nose / Light to medium body with lush, creamy hop finish / Fresh flavors of pine, orange, pineapple, and burnt sugar, with toasted finish / Outstanding.

First enjoyed several years back from a 22 oz bottle and thought it was....pretty good, but not great. Certainly not up there with Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale or Racer 5. However....had it on tap in DC recently and was remarkably impressed. Ordered and received a keg yesterday and have just sampled for the first time: WOW! This stuff rules. It is so crisp, so clear, so wonderful. It is not overly piney like Green Flash West Coast IPA, and yet it has more depth and complexity than Two-Hearted. Beautiful lacing on the glass, unusually light in color for an IPA, but simply magnificent. The keg conditioning makes ALL the difference. This one is truly special boys and girls. The only drawback is cost: $210/keg.

UPDATED: MAY 30, 2010 Moylan’s IPA India Pale Ale--Purple Label--2008 22 oz. Bottle. 6.50% ABV. 70 IBU’s. (4.5 / 5.0) Lacy mild white head. Clear pretty bright gold color. Rich earthy floral hop front. Thin dry sweet earthy hop infused crisp mild caramel pine body. Rich bitter hop spice mild citrus pine end. Crisp body, Huge Hops! Sampled 7/26/2008. $4.49 Each. Moylan’s IPA India Pale Ale--Green Label--2009 22 oz. Bottle. 6.50% ABV. 70 IBU’s. (4.25 / 5.0) Dense rocky lacy big white head. Clear bright pretty orange gold color. Earthy floral hop front. Crisp mild sweet earthy caramel pale malt mild pine citrus body. Rich bitter hop spice end. Big earthy hoppy IPA. Sampled 9/12/2009. $5.99 Each.

Colossal cornucopia of flowers, spruce & pine, spice, etc., etc. I’m drooling like a Pablovian dog. The brew pours a honey amber. The mammoth head is about as big as a beer head can be. 1st pour = 1/4” of brew, the rest of the pint glass is head. The head is rocky, off white, stiff, fully lasting, and leaves behind perfect globs of lace sticking to the sides of the glass. The flavor has outstanding balance for the style. A floral malt start moves to a spicy acidic middle. The finish though decent could be more bitter. The light body is creamy and soft, the finish feels a tad dry. Very sophisticated for the style.

Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured a bright orange-amber color with a huge and towering orange-white head that is still there 1/2 an hour later. The aroma was a lovely mix of resin, pine and grapefruit - moderately sweet. The flavor was sweet and tangy with robust notes of pine, resin and grapefruit and a solid nut and caramel malt base. The finish is long, piney and fruity. Just a touch harsh and bitter towards the finish as it warms. Lovely.