Moylan's Pitches a Beer That's Sure to be a Hit with Giants Fans

People in Novato are still popping aspirin from the Giants fever they’ve had since their favorite baseball team won the World Series last fall. Now, temperatures are rising again with the countdown to Opening Day on March 31.

There are a few intense Giants fans who work down at and they are doing something special for the occasion. Moylan’s Orange & Black Congrats Ale, an unofficial salute to the world champs, will be released on Opening Day and be available for a limited time.

The brew is an American-style black ale made with the zest of locally grown oranges, according to brewmaster Denise Jones. She used a variety of barleys from Montana, Germany and Canada and Mt. Hood and Liberty hops from Washington’s Yakima Valley. The beer has a moderate level of alcohol (6.0 percent by volume) and bitterness, and it will be available on tap and at selected locations in the Bay Area.

The result is “a hearty brew for the bleacher bums, the gardeners of turf and patient fans who have endured 54 years of pine-grabbing torture,” according to a Moylan’s press release.

Brendan Moylan is a native San Franciscan and over-the-top Giants fan. Jones grew up in the Death Valley town of Bishop and later in Carson City and also is a huge Giants fan. Two months ago, Moylan — who spent a lot of time in his kayak in McCovey Cove during the Barry Bonds era — approached Jones about his orange-and-black idea.

“I looked at him with disbelief and wondered what the heck he was thinking, and soon after embraced the notion of making a beer that recognized the team that we love so much,” Jones said. “We knew that we wanted it to have a relationship with the fans first and foremost, so we carefully constructed a description that covered many of the past and current monikers that mattered to us. Our primary goal is to have this beer be embraced by fans without causing any controversy with the officials.”

Indeed, there is no mention of the San Francisco Giants on the label. It’ll go without saying.

Jones grew up with the voice of Vin Scully doing Dodgers games on the radio, but she was a Giants fan like her sister. Her first game was at Candlestick Park in 1969.

“We sat about 45 rows above the third base line,” she said. “It was summer and I had my jacket on as well as my black SF hat and a pennant in hand. Bing Crosby and his wife were at the game ... my mom snapped an instamatic of him walking up the steps with his classic tweed hat. I don't recall much else other than the side trip that we took through the Haight/Ashbury area so that my sister and I could actually see hippies for the first time.”

Jones’ family moved to Carson City in 1977 and she was able to get the park more often and watch games regularly on TV. During the World Series run last season, she made it to 15 games, including several in the postseason. A special thrill for her was being able to enjoy a Moylan’s beer she had made herself after ordering it at the Public House restaurant at AT&T Park.

Moylan grew up near Stern Grove in the city’s Sunset District and says his first Giants game was in 1967, a team that starred Willie Mays and Willie McCovey.

“That was our team,” he said. “We worked all summer to earn a little bit of money to go to the games. I stayed many a night out in the fog, then later on out in Section 44 in the bleachers.”

Many craft brewers are experimenting more with black lagers, black India pale ales and other brews made with dark roasted malts, but Moylan said it wasn’t a desire to jump on the black beer bandwagon that sparked Orange & Black Congrats Ale. Orange zest has been used in other Moylan’s beers, too, including the annual spiced Christmas ale.

“The whole inspiration was the Giants and the team colors,” he said.

Jones said it will be a treat to have a pint of Orange & Black Congrats Ale on Opening Day.

“I’m a Giants fan through and through,” she said. “I have spent thousands of dollars, driven thousands of miles and watched thousands of hours of baseball on TV in the hopes that I would have a championship team that I could be proud of. Maybe this beer is more for people like me rather than the team itself … a reminder of how much it takes to be a fan; especially a San Francisco Giants fan.”