Review: Moylan's Moylander Double IPA

Beer: Moylander Double IPA

Brewery: Moylan's Brewing Co., Novato, CA www.moylans.com

Nose: The nose of this beer yields but a hint of the hop complexity held within. Floral with hints of fresh pine needles giving way to a somewhat sharp bitterness towards the back of the inhale. As a real fan of bold hop fragrances I could spend hours just smelling this beer.

Color: The initial pour yields a nice level of carbonation with a full, lustrous head following a proper pour. A deep, rich, full dark gold color is prevalent throughout. Very inviting.

Taste: The label explains that this IPA includes ‘double hops, double malt’. While the double malt may very well be present the first tasting of this beer will emphasize hops, hops, and more hops. The initial tastings will reveal a pronounced, grapefruit style bitterness yielding sharply to a lingering hop aftertaste. The natural carbonation makes itself evident early in the drink, quickly fading into the dry, almost earthy or wooden hop flavor which dominates the beer. Further enjoyment will reveal more of the malt backbone of the beer...strong, firm, yet always in the background in comparison to it’s more flashy and boisterous hop brethren within the taste. The brief encounter with the malt, however, immediately after the initial hop rush and just prior to the lingering floral hop aftertaste, provides the beer with the contrast which will have hop lovers or those passionate about ‘big’ beers jumping for joy. It is this contrast which makes the hops seem otherworldly in their boldness and complexity. The aftertaste, predictably, is almost as powerful as the beer itself initially before reclining slowly to a slightly more muted, yet still evident, hop presence which will probably last just about as long as you would like it to last, or maybe even longer.

Face it...this is a hop lover’s beer, no doubt, but those willing to try something a little more adventurous and ‘big’ will find a beer of unique complexity and character. Each sip reveals more to enjoy about this lovely and, to some, disturbingly hoppy California style IPA. Remarkable...