Full Sail Sunspot IPA

Brewed by Full Sail Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Hood River, Oregon USA

Date: 04/11/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

hazy dark copper, wispy head, drippy lace, sweet tangerine and citrus aroma, lots of citrus hop flavor, nice fruity character, long bitter finish,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Dull hazy amber. Woody, lightly citrusy aroma with earthy, caramelly malts...the whole thing being rather vague. Crisp, woody hops on the palate with grapefruity bitterness and light toasted sesame bagel malts backing it up. A good IPA isn’t complicated in taste, just execution, and this is solid, despite some misgivings I have about the aroma and appearance.

(RBSG04) Off-white head atop amber body. Aroma is medium sweet, caramel, grapefruit, some cherry. Taste is medium sweet, grapefruit, herbal, some caramel. Alcohol noticeable but not overpowering. Medium body.

Light white head covers the hazy amber-orange pour. Very minty hops punctuate the otherwise quite fruity, orangey aromas, over a base of caramel malts. Spicy flavour profile surprises with its yeasty bite, but the impressive malt-hops balance steals the show. Complementing honeyed woodyness acts its miracles upon citrusy, limey, leafy and sawy hops that strike home with typical west coast bitterness. Intense small bubbles cleanse for the next sip, while the firm medium body betray a more than honest malt bill.

Poured a dark amber with an averaged sized off whte head. Strong orange smell with some flowers. Tastes was a little bit of a let down. Some malts and not at all bitter (almost balanced but not quite there).

Bottle... Cloudy orange ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Very nice retention. The nose is of tea, clementine and very mild grapefruit. Citrusy, earthy flavor provides blasts of tea and grapefruit. Leans toward the bitter side of balance despite a solid malt profile of caramel and toffee. Medium to full-bodied with a milky mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. Lengthy, bitter, astringent finish. A shout goes out to Crosling for providing the bottle!

Pours a transparent copper orange with a spotty-lacing off-white head. Aroma of citrusy grapefruity hops and some toasty pale malt. Starts lightly sweet and malty with a touch of caramel and toasted grain balanced with a lot of grapefruity hops with a drier sticky, earthy finish. A decent IPA, but needs more malty sweeetness and more flavor hops.

The Lure:
Resinous, grapefruity hops use sweet oranges to balance off their spiciness. Bold yet serene, an apt IPA presentation.

The Festivities:
Bready malts serve as pillows for the orangey hops and their portentous resinous bitterness. Wooden dryness leaks from the hops, but the sweet fruitiness is thankfully able to create equilibrium.

Transcendence:
Sun rays pierce the greyness.