Moylan's Brewery

Brewery, Bar, Eatery

15 Rowland Way
Novato, California, 94954
United States

(415) 898-4677 | map
moylans.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.7
Beers:
61
Ratings:
6,288
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.02
Reviews:
47
Ratings:
79
pDev:
8.96%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Calvarro:
Photo of Calvarro
Rated by Calvarro from Spain

4.36/5  rDev +8.5%

Oct 05, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of heymikew
Reviewed by heymikew from California

3.99/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Worth a visit if you are staying in the area. Moylan's produces some decent beers (and better whisky). They still turn out some of the legacy beers from the (RIP) now defunct Marin Brewing Co.
Mar 10, 2024
 
Rated: 4 by Cuervo_PCB from Florida

Sep 05, 2020
 
Rated: 3.56 by BerryKumquat from California

Apr 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.23 by gr8fulbeerhead from California

Apr 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4.16 by Miesemer from Pennsylvania

Mar 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Feb 05, 2017
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
i always imagined this place would be bigger, its quite humble in its size, a freestanding location that looks like it could have doubled as an old red lobster or applebees or something. has that sort of exterior and layout inside, but the place has been around a long time, and they have had quite the distribution footprint for their size too, impressive when you see how small it is. sort of irish sports bar vibe inside, a little more authentic, but similar feel. lots of old beer memorabilia on the walls, and something like 12 beers on tap, maybe more. they had a good mix of their classics that i knew and some new more experimental stuff. i liked the flaneur belgian pale a whole lot, and enjoyed the tealight as well. these guys have been one of those sort of staple california breweries for me over the years, so it was cool to finally check out their spot. i wish we had time for more beers, but the ones we had were all very solid. service was fine, a bit distracted but friendly and liberal with the sampling, just perhaps a little disinterested. they have a good thing going here, a very loyal following, and i think a healthy mix of well known stand by beers and experimental new stuff to keep it interested. great stop when cruising north from san francisco!
May 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.01 by vonSchulze from California

May 01, 2016
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3.77/5  rDev -6.2%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
I recently stopped in here on a trip to Northern California. From what I understand, Marin and Moylan's are in cahoots somehow, so the experience here was pretty much the same as I had at Marin. The inside hosts a brewery, bar, and restaurant and just like at Marin, I got a definite sports bar type vibe but Moylan's seemed a bit cleaner and more put together. The bartender was quite nice and answered all of the questions I had. They had around 15 beers on tap, most of which they already bottle, and a few one offs. They also can sell certain bottles to go from what I saw. The quality of everything was good.
Feb 17, 2016
Photo of WillDavis707
Rated by WillDavis707 from California

4.55/5  rDev +13.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4
Really good food, and about 20 beers on tap.

Will fill any growler
Oct 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by SmashPants from Australia

Dec 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by bobbyhands from California

Dec 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by smanrob from California

Nov 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.88 by Breeden88 from Arizona

Oct 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by kingpin1010 from California

Oct 25, 2014
Photo of MIrvine
Reviewed by MIrvine from California

3.5/5  rDev -12.9%
Nothing special here. Decent beer selection but space is really tired looking. Nice large bar area is a good spot to pop into for a beer if you're stuck on the 101 or 37 parking lots. Food is OK.
Oct 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by BSanino from California

Oct 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by SanFranJake from California

Oct 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by 2beerdogs from California

Sep 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by wrightst from Maryland

Sep 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by jakecattleco from California

Jul 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Takashi from Canada (ON)

Jul 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by david18 from New York

Jun 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Hatzilla from California

Jun 21, 2014
 
 
Rated: 4.75 by joelambic from Illinois

Jun 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Kbooth8 from California

May 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by RBassSFHOPit2ME from California

May 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by dougieboy from California

Apr 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Rubalaca from California

Mar 19, 2014
Photo of IRONRakkasan
Reviewed by IRONRakkasan from California

3.7/5  rDev -8%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75
The staff were knowledgeable of the beer, of which they had a large range to choose from. The beer range is also well worth it too.

The food selection was good, ambience fine. I enjoyed myself there, along with the sample platter. What I didn't expect was my sister's fiancé from Italy regarding the meal and beer there tops as far as eating out during his trip.
Mar 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Databrew from California

Mar 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by jaydoc from Kansas

Feb 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by leprakhan from California

Nov 20, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by EFR94 from Pennsylvania

Oct 29, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by MISSALMA_XO from California

Oct 16, 2013
Photo of beerwolf77
Reviewed by beerwolf77 from Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Stopped in here for lunch and beers on our way up north. We were waiting for them to unlock the door so we had the place to ourselves. Apparently locals don't drink beer at 11am on a Monday. Nice wide open restaurant feel to the place. The taps were all standard Moylans offerings. My wife went for the gusto and started with hopsickel. She regretted it but finished it like a true beer geek. We cycled our way through every beer they had and enjoyed a hearty lunch. The bartender was super friendly. She didn't have much else to do since the place was a ghost town.

Overall a nice pit stop on our way up to the north.
Feb 15, 2012
Photo of dgilks
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

3.74/5  rDev -7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
For the tourists like me, Moylan's is in the middle of nowhere but it was also a convenient stop on the way to Santa Rose from SF.

Basically a large shed in a commercial area north of SF with a brewery and a big restaurant/bar in the way only the US does it.

The beer on tap was all house beer with a couple of hand pumps for a bit of interest. The quality was varied with the beers I had being average for the American craft scene.

Service was decent but with only 1 bartender tending a full bar, it was a touch slow.

On the whole I'm sure Moylan's is popular with the local suburban crowd. It offers a reasonable environment for dinner with the family and is equally suited to a couple of drinks with friends but to me it felt a little dull and lacked the character of a Hair of the Dog or Lagunitas.
Nov 22, 2011
Photo of GJ40
Reviewed by GJ40 from North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
I visited while in SF on business. The pub is in a pretty commercial area and has a pretty commercial feel to it (not that unlike a Chili's or Friday's). They have TVs and draw a big football crowd on NFL Sundays. I prefer the more unique and authentic brewpubs that simply grow out of the brewery.

The beer selection is solid with basically everything they brew on tap. There were about 20 when I visited. This was a brief stop for us so we just went with samples of the IPA, DIPA and Hopsickle. It was a nice progression. They were tasty and very fresh.

The Moylan's Brewpub isn't unique, personal or especially memorable but they get the job done and offer some great beer.
Sep 12, 2011
Moylan's Brewery in Novato, CA
Brewery rating: 3.7 out of 5 with 6288 ratings