Full Sail Wreck the Halls

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

Sampled at Dickinsonbeer’s NJ January gathering. cloudy copper color, off-white foamy head. hoppy & resiny malt aroma. flavor is a bit watery up front, then caramel malt and hops in the finish. lightly hoppy aftertaste. a winter IPA? nothing stands out here, what’s the point?

@ Great Alaskan Barleywine Festival ’06. Good nose, flowery citrusy. Brownish orange color, good head and lacing. Bitter flavor. Citrusy, grapefruit/lemon, a little toffee in there, somewhere. Lite body, watery mouthfeel, bitter finish. Eh, nose was best part. Surprised to see the 6.5% ABV.

[Bottle] Good winter warmer brew. Pours a drak brown color with a thick molasses type finish in the pour. Like the aroma and the hops are sure present. Full Sail brewers must like hops. The balance was a tad off due to more hops but still a good winter beer. High in alochol so watch this beer when drinking, it can and will sneak up on you if your not careful.

22oz. bomber. Fairly clear copper color with a small beige head. Mild citrus hop aroma with some pine and toasted malts. Flavor is again mild, with an orange pith-like bitterness, countered by some sweet toasted malt. Easy drinking, enjoyable, but forgettable IPA.

Bottle

Pours a nice amber with a lasting head and clinging lace. Aroma is a bit of citrus with sour notes and just a bit of sweetness. Flavor is a sweet/sour hybrid of grapefruit, hops, and a touch of perfume in the finish. Palate is nice and slick. Not bad, but needs more assertion to live up to its claim of being a "ridiculously hoppy ale." Worth another try, definitely. Easy drinking.

Pours a deep, brilliantly clear, amber-tinged, copper color. It is topped by a frothy, three-finger thick, tan colored head. The aroma is redolent of hops; I get notes of pine, a bit of menthol and some definite notes of grapefruit. There is also some notes of something like plastic or wax, which is a bit too dominate of the finish.

The palate is a bit lighter than I was expecting; initially this is pretty nice though. The beer is not quite as hoppy as I was expecting either, it is nicely bitter throughout and notes of pine dominate the flavor profile. The pine is supported by orange-like notes of citrus. Interesting, this beer is just weak, which in an of itself is not necessarily bad, but there are not shining flavors and the beer seems to melt away to nothing. The beer is quite clean and I don’t notice any flavor flaws, but this beer is just plain lacking.

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22-oz. bottle, 2005. Pours slightly cloudy dark copper with a small off-white frothy head, mostly diminishing. Fragrant floral pine hop aroma, medium roasted caramel malt. Heavily bitter, moderately acidic tart, citrus rind hop, resinous flavor, low sweetness and lingering bitterness. Medium bodied and fizzy, dry and spicy palate.

Draft. Amber/copper color with a small light beige head. Light fruity aroma. very light body and easy driniing. Fruity flavor with a bit of malt. Somewhat astringent. Blah.