Misspent Youth
Moonlight Brewing Company

 

Transparent golden body. Faint aromas of lemon and orange, fresh cut grass, coriander. Taste is in initially hoppy and then finishes with a strong dose of pale ale malt. I don't detect as much fruit in the flavoring as I hoped for. This almost taste like a hopped up lager or even a a golden ale. Mouthfeel is light to medium. Finishes clean and dry. Very drinkable but probably my least favorite release from Moonlight Brewing Co.

a fine pale ale, but it is exceedingly bitter, and without the normal grain balance we have come to expect in the style, the hop intensity seems a little exposed, and like more bitterness than flavor comes from it, although i do like the beer quite well overall, its just a different kind of proportionality to it, maybe not as drinkable as it could be, but i appreciate its simplicity and straightforward approach to the style. no mistaking this one in a crowd! golden and mostly clear from the tap with a short but persistent white head and a nice nose of pine and straw, dry cereal grain, and that high alpha boldness usually reserved for much bigger beers. i like that i can taste an english sort of yeast character to it, not full blown. but a cool balancing element against the hops in the absence of a bigger grain bill. i also like how dry it is, the hops kind of stand alone at the end, and that works well. good carbonation, very light body, and an obvious freshness to it all. i wish i had access to more beers from these guys, they always seem to be doing something special, even in simpler beers like this. impressive in quality, i like its bite, a memorable glass of beer even if its not the first of theirs i would go rushing back to...

 

Cask at Ben and Nicks, Oakland, CA Feb 2016

 

This was another tasty Moonlight brew. Citrusy, tropical hop-forward brew with a clean, clear finish.

On cask this pours a gold yellow with a pleasing lemony hop character. It tastes crisp and lemony with a rounded finish to a pleasing bitter punch and a nice malt character. I like ‘em both!

This is a typically very good and interesting beer from Moonlight which I had, like most Moonlight beers, on tap at Flavor in downtown SR.

Bright gold, it has a big white head lasting for a logn time and leaving lots of lace.

Aroma is light but very nice, bright, aromatic grain, pepper, citrus (Bergamot mostly with grass and some lemon).

Taste has the aroma's elements, with balanced grassy-spicy-peppery-citrusy bitterness balanced with light, bready sweetness and yeastiness, hint of mineral and sulphur. It's bright, zesty, and juicy. It leans slightly to the bitter side with a pleasant, engaging, zesty bitterness and is overall a wonderful, engaging and well-rounded pale ale very reminiscent of some great English bitters.

 

 

Served on tap at Pi Bar.

A: No head not lace. Lightly hazy hay-gold.

S: Huge, raw, pale malt. Biscuit yeast.

T: large and refreshing with a shockingly bracing hop profile -- grapefruit peel, grassy herbalness, fleeting bitterness.

M: Robust and pleasant.

O: An enjoyable, but not exceptional, APA. Would drink again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On-tap at Whole Foods Santa Rosa. Served in taster pint.

A - Transparent golden body, with a finger of white foam that settles to a thin collar and splotchy lacework.

S - Icing sugar malt backbone, heavy citrus, some herbs and dank, slightly cheesy in character. Somewhat understated, but quite pleasant on the whole.

T - A mix of sugary malts, orange peels, herbs, and moderate hop bitterness that grows over time. Deceptive, just like Bombay by Boat.

M - Pleasant active carbonation, medium body, resinous and juicy. No alcohol, although I didn't expect any in a 5.4% pale ale.

D - It's a solid, enjoyable pale ale with a nice bitter kick to it. I found it easy to drink and would gladly order it again in the future.

 

Got this on tap as one of the guest beers at Gourmet Haus Staudt in Redwood City.

Pours a orange gold color with minimal head.
Amazing color, especially in the sunlight..
The nose a bit off on this, the flavors that do come through are apricots and a bit of a mustiness. The combination of the two tells me there's some interesting flavors at work here.

Upon the first sip i'm assaulted with a dry hit that dissipates to a strong bitterness, i wait for the hops, they don't come. I like it, it's just a bit jarring to expect a sort of sweetness or hop finish and not find it.

I feel like this beer lost it's way somewhere, it started well but finished half-way. I was sort of expecting more from the guys behind Death & Taxes, a mainstay of all decent bars in the Bay Area.

 

 

 

Served in a pint glass at The Trappist in Oakland, CA, transcribed from notes. My 20th review!

A: pours a orange/brown, with 2 fingers of beautiful head that retained for a long time. Considerable lacing on the glass as I enjoyed it slowly.

S: very hoppy, no real malt on the nose. Piney and hints of pineapple/mango/citrus. Opens up the sinuses!

T: initially the piney/citrus taste hits your tongue, but an intense bitterness dominates the flavor. Nevertheless, it is pleasant.

M: the bitterness lingers, the beer itself is very refreshing and smooth to drink, the ample carbonation and bitterness also adds a spicy quality to the beer.

O: a very good brew, sessionable, would love a growler of it in my fridge!

At Billco's Billiard Parlor today.

The beer pours a peachy orange amber color with good head retention and lacing. The nose is likewise fairly attractive, consisting of dry orange rind, grapefruit, light sweet malt and a hint of grain. The nose replicates the nose pretty closely in this dry, hoppy pale ale. The hoppy bitterness really bites in the finish with this beer, though the sweet malt still holds its own pretty well. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a long, very hoppy/bitter finish. Drinkability is OK, and you can tell the alcohol is pretty low in this dry style pale ale.

While I'm not sure I would call this pale ale outstanding, it still delivered plenty of flavor on a dry, hoppy frame. Not bad...

On-tap at Gourmet Haus Staudt

A: The pour is amber in color with a finger's worth of off-white head and some scarce lacing.

S: A decent citrus note to the beer, but the hop character is more toward the floral side. Lots of bready malts and a decent amount of spicy and earthy notes.

T: Lots earthy and floral hops up front, but the hop flavor dies away pretty quickly. Bready malts with a bit of metal, and maybe even some skunk. This is really bitter for a pale ale, and it sort of overwhelms the rest of the beer.

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: Not one of the better Moonlight beers. Too bitter without much good hop flavor.

On tap at Gourmet Haus Staudt. I've heard that this beer contains second use fresh hops; they were first used in 2010 Homegrown for dry hopping, and then later used in this beer for bittering.

Copper colored with a little haziness, this is pretty dark for a pale ale. The head is dense and lasting.

The nose is a mix of resiny, earthy, leafy hops and caramelized malt. It's not a terribly bold aroma, but it's clean and fairly enjoyable.

This is one extremely bitter pale ale, it tastes like the wort was boiled for an unusually long period of time. The malt backbone is very caramelized, though I can pick up little sweetness beyond the abrasive bitterness. There's plenty of hop flavor, too; leafy and herbal, earthy, resiny, fairly British in character though far more bitter than anything the Brits would make.

This is a tough one to rate. It goes down easily enough, I enjoyed my pint and it's very clean, but it's not constructed in a way that appeals to me much.

On tap @ Beachwood BBQ (Seal Beach, CA) on 3/20/10. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a slightly hazy copper, with a thin covering of bright-white head. This retains pretty well, throwing some light spotty lacing up on the sides of the glass. The aroma is floral and citric in the nose, with a solid backing of toasted sweetness. Nice evenness present here between the hops and malt.

The taste is VERY aggressive with the hops. Spice, pine, and bitter fruit just rock the palate up front, with the bready sweetness of the pale malts barely keeping things in check. There's an intense finish on this as well, with tons of lingering dryness and bitterness hanging back. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with sharpness to the carbonation which matches that hop profile. There is also an oily slickness to the body which helps add some smoothness to the feel but overall, this is mostly crisp and sharp in the mouth.

Wow, calling this an APA is an understatement, as this brought more American hop attitude than a lot of IPAs that I've had. While I enjoyed it's aggressiveness for the most part, the extreme bitterness of this was starting to get a little fatiguing by the time that I got to the bottom of the glass. Luckily this remained crisp and quaffable enough to ensure that it didn't happen sooner. Hop heads should love this one.

Moonlight can make even an American Pale Ale a unique treat. Misspent Youth has the requisite APA elements -- light caramel malt and American hop aroma -- but combines them in a way you've never had before.

Light golden amber pour with an average coupla centimeter head. First sniff is an exceptionally balanced portfolio of hops. American citrus hops are prominent, but never astringent. Hops resins are detectable, but only as part of a bowl of light flowers and fruits. The malt essentially gets out of the way, providing a lighter-side-of-medium body with a little caramel sweetness to act as a backbone for the bouquet. Bitterness is in check -- just enough to get you ready for the next sip.

A decent vehicle for Brian Hunt's hop-arranging skills.

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a dark golden/amber with a creamy rocky white head. Good lace.

S: Grapefruit, cedar, also a bit of a detergent play which was interesting.

T: Reminded me of a lot of Bombay by Boat. Hop profile is of wet leaves, earth, soil and pine. The more floral and citrus notes comes out as it warms. Just all right for me.

M: Good medium-bodied mouthfeel. Very long aftertaste for a pale ale, I could still taste it 30 minutes later.

D: This is an OK pale, not the hop character I like though.

on draft at 515 kitchen and cocktails in santa cruz, ca
no ABV listed

A: clear golden-orange, good clarity. 1 inch dense off-white head with good retention, when it finally starts to die it leaves thick clingy lacing

S: pears and red apples settle into a light bready aroma. pleasantly focusing on sweet, but light sugary aromas, but there is a deep reedy undertone that lingers after the initial fruitiness.

T: a crisp but not overpowering hoppy bitterness is well balanced by sweet, creamy malt. the hops stick around for a nice bitter aftertaste.

M: medium bodied with a near perfect carbonation level that smooths out the bite of the hops, making this highly drinkable. there is a touch of resiny/oily slickness on the roof of the mouth.

altogether, another great beer from moonlight. if you can get your hands on it, definitely give it a try... i know i'll certainly have another :)

On tap at Mondo in Sonoma. Poured into a pint glass. No abv is listed. Described on the beer menu as an American style pale ale.

A-Pours a very clear amber with a one finger off white head that has some decent staying power.

S-A nice mix of toasted pale malt, grapefruit, and floral hops. It reminds me in a lot of ways of a fresh hopped Cascade pale ale.

T-The taste mimics the nose. It has a really nice toasted pale malt base that gives it a nice level of sweetness. There is plenty of grapefruit and earthy hop flavor as well. The hops result in a pleasing level of bitterness.

M-Medium bodied and well carbonated.

D-A nice hoppy pale ale. It was quite sessionable and the pint went fast.

Looks like this is a new offering from Moonlight. A solid pale ale that is well hopped.