Tre Amigos

Moylan’s Moylander Double IPA

Before leaving on our big trip, YM, RS and I decided we needed to take a trip up into the hills to try one of the best pizza places in Australia. Little Caesar’s has won numerous world titles for their pizzas, and I’ve been to their second store which is significantly closer to home and didn’t think too much of the pizza. I mean it was good, but not mind glowingly awesome. Well, late on a Sunday night we made the 50 minute drive up into Mundairing and sat down along with the other locals. We knew it was BYO and so had planned to bring along some beer to try with the pizzas. I brought the Moylander Double IPA, which I have had since, and it just seems to get better every time. At one of the International Beer Shop’s tastings, they ran through all the differences between IPA, DIPA and a few other styles, of which I remember that a DIPA was double the amount of everything, and in this case, it’s just perfect. There’s heaps of pine bitterness, grass and a big hop explosion, that really pummels your taste buds with all that it’s got. It’s really enjoyable, and not over the top, which is I guess my big worry for big, bold DIPA’s. The middle is smooth as silk, and the transition from the initial bitterness into the malt body flows as smooth as the Thames on a warms summers day. The ending flavour of the beer is bitter, and while some may find it a little harsh in the mouth, I think it tastes perfect. Whether the pizza toned down some of the bitterness, or after a few glasses of this I wasn’t feeling it any more I’m not sure, but all I can say is that this beer was made for Little Caesar’s Pizza. A match made in heaven. Bought from the International Beer Shop for approx $13 JG

Palate Wrecking Tasting at the International Beer Shop

Yesterday, YM, RS and myself headed down to the International Beer Shop to partake in our last IBS tasting before we head of to Europe, and from the facebook invite, we knew we were in for a real treat. At first, when I was invited to the event, I thought the beers would most likely be hop forward, double IPA’s, or something along those lines.

What amazed me was the fact that Luke (the manager) chose significantly different beers, but still managed to relate them to the theme of the tasting. We started off by being presented with tasting notes, which is a great accompaniment to the beers, and allows you to digest the background information as well as the beer at the same time. Don’t you find it’s great to have the tasting notes all written up, so that it’s much easier to reminisce about all the awesome beers and flavours? I throughly enjoy reflecting on a good beer with even more of it.

So onto the beers. In order of tasting they were:

1. Cantillon Gueuze
2. Moylan’s Moylander Double IPA
3. North Coast Old Stock Ale 2012
4. Mikkeller 1000IBU
5. Mikkeller Black Hole

After tasting these beers (we’ve tried the Moylander DIPA but are yet to review it), we decided our two three favourite beers of the afternoon were the Black Hole Stout, the Gueuze and the Old Stock Ale. For both YM and myself, that was the first time we’ve tried a gueuze, and found it to be awesome, it was a lovely balance between sour and tart and really easy to drink. We can’t wait to head to Cantillon when we get to Brussels and sample the rest of their amazing beers (yumm!!).

The Old Stock Ale was full of caramel, sweetness (even a bit of hazelnut) and it surprisingly masked its massive ABV really well. I was a bit worried to be honest about the Old Stock Ale, because my last barleywine, the Bigfoot was really quite overwhelming and overpowering, but I found the Old Stock Ale to be really quite mellow and subdued in comparison.

Lastly, the Black Hole Stout. Wow. Just wow. I can’t remember ever trying a beer that is just so well balanced, and keeps you coming back for more after every sip. There was a point I actually had to stop myself from having any more, because of the monstrous ABV of 13.1%. It had amazingly creamy flavours, with loads of coffee, cocoa, and an amazingly sweet almost liqueur like finish. This is a beer to go out of your way for and I urge anyone who is yet to try it to go out and save a bottle for a cold winter’s night. It really is on another level in terms of awesomeness.

Thanks once again to the IBS for putting on a sweet tasting, and if you’re in Perth and are yet to head along, be sure to mark the next one in your diary!

JG

Moylan’s Nor Cal IPA and Ryan O’Sullivans Imperial Stout

Recently, and maybe even the first time since we started this blog, RS, YM and myself got together for a night of beer tasting. I mean, we all see each other heaps but since none of us had plans for the night, we decided that we needed a night of beer. Even better was the fact the each of us brought a different IPA to taste, with the range including a Bear Republic Sonnet IPA, a Green Flash West Coast IPA as well as the Moylan’s I’m reviewing for you now.

It’s a fantastic experience when you’ve tried a few beers pertaining to the same brewery, as you get a feel for their style, and in the case of Moylan’s it’s definitely big bold flavours with beautiful biscuity malt bases. The Nor Cal IPA didn’t disappoint in the slightest. The flavours were full and fruity, with the beer feeling bready and full flavoured. While there wasn’t the same hop explosion as the Hopsickle, the hops definitely provided aromas of passion fruit, grapefruit and subtle pineapple.

Since trying the Nor Cal IPA I’ve also tried the Ryan O’Sullivans Imperial Stout which was full bodied, hearty and perfect for the cooler night on which I drank it. I found the stout to be intense, but super smooth on the palate, with lots of roasted malt, burnt toffee and subtle hints of chocolate and liquorice. It was a great way to get into stouts for the upcoming winter and I would definitely recommend it to those who are afraid of the stout like flavours.

In summary, the Nor Cal IPA is true to the US style IPAs and while it may not be as intense or hectic as Moylan’s Hopsickle, its a great IPA in its own right.

The Nor Cal IPA bought for $14.99 and the Imperial Stout for $18.99, both from the International Beer Shop.

JG

Moylan’s Hopsickle Imperial Ale

I had a very average week last week, and work on Thursday hadn’t been much better, but knowing I was going to try some awesome beers over the course of the weekend kept my spirits up. Every time I try a new beer or an old favourite, I get this feeling of excitement, of knowing that I am about to enjoy a drink that was created with passion, with thought and with care.

To be a craft brewer would have to be one of the most rewarding jobs at the end of the day. Even though some days may be a struggle making ends meet, knowing that you are doing what you love and what drinkers may love even more would have to make you proud. To know that you and all the other craft breweries are shaping the beer scene of tomorrow would be a special moment in a persons life.

YM recently reviewed the Moylan’s Old Blarney Barleywine style ale, and on this occasion, it was my turn to try a much raved about beer, the Moylan’s Hopsickle Double IPA. Everything about this beer screams over the top. From the colours on the label to the description mentioning that this beer is “in celebration of the hop”. Right from the get go, I knew that this was going to be a serious DIPA.

The Hopsickle pours a pale amber colour with a small creamy head. The aroma was full of hop flavours as was expected. I got massive notes of freshly cut grass, bread, pineapple, and loads of other tropical fruits. As the beer warmed, I again smelt the beer and I found that these fruity notes had given way to rich caramel and malt sweetness.

The mouthfeel had lots of big hop explosions, along with a beautiful biscuit body with flavours of caramel, and toffee sweetness. I thought this was a fantastic DIPA and would be open to suggestion for others to try. My grandpa who tells me all beer tastes the same to him told me upon tasting that the Hopsickle “is just way to much for him and too bitter.” while I do agree that it is has a bitter aftertaste, the combination of flavours make this a winning combination for me.

The International Beer Shop sells the Moylan’s Hopsickle for $21.99 a bottle.

JG