Moylan's Brewing Co: IPA

Hello all! I am here to review a new beer. This time it comes to us from a new brewer (for me), Moylan's Brewing Company based in Novato, CA (nor cal) 30 miles north of San Francisco, and 75 miles south and west of Sacramento. I have seen their brews time and time again every time I'm browsing the beer section at my local QFC. Please note: I am just recovering from a cold that left my nasal passages well clogged, so perhaps you should take this rating with a grain of salt. I don't believe my nose is 100% fully recovered yet and therefore cannot promise my sense of smell (and taste for that matter) to be up to its normal expert standards :P Regardless, I am here and testing out this new beer :]

Moylan's Brewing Co is known somewhat well for pioneering the craft brew trade in nor cal by opening its doors way back in 1989. Since then they have expanded, won numerous awards, and have gained many a follower. As for popular brews on the market, I can only recall seeing this one in my local QFC, but looking at ratebeer.com it would seem that other popular brews include: The Dragoons Irish Stout, Imperial IPA, Kiltlifter Scotch Ale, Double IPA, Imperial Stout, Old Blarney Barley Wine, and the Tippery Pale Ale (a more complete list can be found here). I however simply have in my hand, Moylan's India Pale Ale.


Name: Moylan's IPA
Category/Style: IPA
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 70
OG: 1.094
Malt Types: American 2-Row, Crystal, Munich, & Acidulated
Hop Types: Chinook, Simcoe, Columbus, & Ahtanum
Yeast Type: White Labs #001 Chico
Additives: Dryhopped
Bottled: Unknown

The Pour: Murky golden yellow, slight orange hues. Head is weak, lacing most likely non-existent.

The Nose: Initially the aroma is of oranges and brown sugar, a definite trace of sweet malt present as well. Even though the website claims a floral aroma, I think this one is dominated by pine and citrus. Going deeper I am getting some dulled citrus, pine, and grapefruit, as well as some spice, maybe some honey and clove, and something else I can't quite place. I'm detecting some notes of pineapple as well as some kind of heavier meaty notes as I swirl the glass. Smells a bit musty, and maybe even some smokey hints? Quite intriguing I should say.

The Taste: A slight initial sweetness fills the nostrils, but leaves quickly revealing a fairly weak but spicy carbonation. I get a little bit of burnt orange notes and piney sweetness in my cheeks midway through. Definite resiny, piney hop character all the way through to the finish, lingering for quite some time after the last sip. Mouthfeel is light to medium airing on the medium side. Carb is light, kind of tingly; not too heavy, just right. Somewhat dry on the finish but not overly so.

The Verdict: Overall I liked this IPA. It has the bitterness one desires when looking for an IPA, and the spicy piney notes as well. I wouldn't say this is the cleanest or crispest of IPA's I've ever had, but it's not half bad. I thought the nose was most intriguing; notes of orange, smoke, pine, malt, clove, and honey, what's bad about that? I would definitely recommend this for all of the hopheads out there (myself falling into that category) and for those who do not mind the resiny hoppy taste left in ones mouth long after the last sip. As stated above, I found this at my local QFC, but I'm sure you could also find it at PCC, World Market, Whole Foods, or any other specialty beer store :]



Thanks for reading!

Zach