Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale | Moylan's Brewery

3.3/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

4.44/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a bomber of Hopsickle from Hi Times in Newport Beach, CA on 02/12/2017. No bottled date, which is pretty asinine in this enlightened age of "drink fresh." APV 9.2%. Colorful label touting the various awards won by this imperial IPA and providing you with directions to Moylan's Brewing in Novato, CA. Novato is located 30 miles north of San Francisco in Marin County.

Actually, I'd classify this beer as an Imperial Triple IPA -- it has an insane hop-forwardness with an Imperial IPA's backbone. This beer relies upon Amarillo, Palisade, Simcoe and CTZ hops -- a ton of these hops.

Hopsickle pours a light hazy copper with low to moderate carbonation. 1 finger of ecru foam which dissipates quickly. Beautiful lacing. The smell is strong notes of honey and hops -- citrus, flowery and piney hops. This aroma, while relatively okay, doesn't prepare you for the assault on your taste buds.

The taste starts with honey and bitter pine hops, followed by hops, hops and more bitter hops, ending in a delightfully (or painfully, depending on your opinion) bitter honey taste. At first sip, the honey (malt) backbone washes out the complexity of the hops. But then the bitter hops quickly overwhelm the honey taste, leaving just a wonderfully bitter, piney taste that lingers in your mouth for literally hours afterward. I'm not kidding -- for hours afterward. This is some very cool sh*t!

This is definitely an imperial IPA of extraordinary hop intensity and bitterness. That said, Hopsickle isn't for everyone. I doubt many drinkers will truly appreciate the bitter/sweet insanity of this imperial IPA. It literally knocks your socks off with its hop bitterness and honey malt. This isn't just something one drinks every day -- this is also what one savors on special occasions.

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3.75/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.84/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.47/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

4.06/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a tulip

L: Pours a semi-opaque golden orange color. 1.5 fingers of white head falls quickly. Moderate lacing.

S: Hops, hops, hops. Citrus and pine... peppercorn, all mixed with bready malts.

T/F: Rich malt body... full, and with a very big hop profile. Lots of resiny pine, light citrus notes... sharp and peppery. Juicy and oily. Finish is bitter.

O: A big hoppy Imperial IPA. Not the best I've had but definitely upper third. Well worth snagging for a test drive.

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3.75/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4.21/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.34/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.51/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Darker than average ipa, this one brings a healthy dose of crystal malt if you're into that kind of recipe from yesteryear. So much hop oil it makes it almost impossible to form the off white head on top.. Aroma dropped lots of caramel sweetness and C hop bitterness.

Taste is just going for those ibu numbers, trying to make it as bitter as possible while creating an almost barleywine like malt body and sweetness to boot. Its hot and bitter.

Only comes in a bomber, way expensive for its one trick pony bitterness. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, but ultimately this is a barleywine to me.

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3.77/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

4.04/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

4.21/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.04/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

4.75/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

3.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.34/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.02/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22 oz bomber into snifter. No visible bottle date.

A: Copper tinted orange with generous 2-3 finger dense white head. Lasting retention and leaving lots of lacing.

S: Fresh pine cones, and bold earthy hops. Orange peel and grapefruit.

T: Dank, resinous, earthy hops from start to finish. Faint citrus with grapefruit and tangerine.

M: Medium body with average carbonation. Finish is bitter with hop oils lingering on the tongue.

O: Seriously huge hop bomb that I thoroughly enjoyed. My first from Moylan, and hopefully not my last!

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4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Not more than 4.25

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4.73/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75