Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial IPA

Congratulations to the Packers and all you cheeseheads out there - Super Bowl Champs!  Rodgers has indeed proven to be a legitimate successor to Favre.  By the way, did anyone else think the half-time show was awful?  The song Fergie sang with Slash was like nails on a chalk-board.  But, the game was great and the Packers earned their throne.

You may have noticed that lately, I've been drinking and reviewing a lot of Imperial IPAs.  Well, it's true, and I can't really explain why that is.  The only explanation I can come up with is the fact that we are about 65% through an absolute shit-storm of a winter in MN, and my body is naturally craving the warmth, bite, and vitamins found in big IPAs.  So for those of you that hate IPAs, and hate me for reviewing them so much, I give you my most insincere apology. 

Tonight I am popping open this bottle of Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial IPA.  This beer comes in Moylan's signature pint bottle with a label that lists the awards the beer has won, along with a map that shows where the brewery is located.  The label states that this beer is 9.2%ABV, and that it is "Triple Hoppy".  Triple hoppy makes me triple happy.  The beer pours a clear dark orange with a hefty off-white head the sticks.  The aroma is....pungent, wafting, fumegous, potent!  Strong smells of ripe, fresh-cut oranges and smashed flowers, and lemon zest.  There's also a bit of sweet honey in the background.

The first sip doesn't disappoint - this beer is an absolute hop-bomb.  Oily resins and bitterness lead the assault.  The hop profile is a blend of fresh pine and cedar, along with fresh lemons and some flowers (imagine eating... the smell... of a fresh flower).  The malt backbone takes back seat - it's there, and provides a nice honey sweetness, but really hides in the shadows of the hops.  The finish is a paradox, dry and oily.  The body is medium and the carbonation is crisp.

Overall Rating:  (5.5 out of 6.0)  Now please keep in mind, these ratings are always subjective, so they have to be taken in context.  My taste buds crave the lupulins - the more bittering hops, the better.  So for me, this beer was bliss.  This is an IPA that actually comes close to my favorite - Surly Wet - a beer that sits close to my heart.  The only difference with this beer is the malt backbone - a little more muscle there, and this could take down Surly Wet as my favorite IPA.  Hop-lovers rejoice - this beer is phenomenal.