Full Sail Wreck the Halls

Thick, bright orange pour thins out a bit with a little time; the original heavy foam of dirty white recedes to a thin film of soap. Dull aroma of soft spices, brown sugars, caramel, iced tea, artichoke, and urinal; lots of aerosol with a deep inhale. Taste is a jagged collage of crystal flavors, so thick and pungent that the iced tea tone develops a syrupy, heavily steeped character; furthermore it’s more of a blackberry and earl grey type of sweetness than it is the artificial, sweetened grapefruit tea routine that’s more common. Not less obnoxious, just different. Full of fruit, oily peach and apricot, and caramel, but licked all the way through with that bland bitterness of damp tea leaves; hawaiian bread, cotton candy, and cookie dough bring it back a bit with a more tolerable malt thickness. Medium bodied in the mouth, not hollow in any sense, and not overly ripe with rough bitterness. Finishes with some pleasant mandarin orange sweetness, very wet and syrupy. Turns out to be fairly decent despite that nagging crystal weight.

2007 bottle. Pours a hazy, ruby color with little clarity and a head that is yellowish, average, creamy, frothy and somewhat lasting leaving lots of tight lace. Nose is nice but a little subdued for the style; light spicy notes, light toasted caramel, light pine cone, faint leafy notes, and faint grapefruit peel. Flavor really does grow on you with a nice toasty, caramelly, almost toffee backbone and faint roasty notes; hops are still present with a moderate bitterness and notes of light pepper, fresh pine, a mint note which creeps up on you, and light notes of citrus. Palate is medium, moderate carbonation, and a lightly dry feel, maybe a bit watery. Finishes with fairly long and a bit dry with a faint caramelly note behind spicy, earthy pinecone notes. Not what I would have expected from an IPA with a subdued nose and a moderate bitterness, but the balance in the flavor and malt backbone really grow on you the more you drink. By the end of the bottle I was really enjoying this unexpected and really could find myself buying this one every year during the holidays.

Date: 01/12/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

hazy orange, wispy off white head, drippy bits of lace, sweet crystal malt aroma with big floral and citrus hops, sweet crystal malt flavor, lots of complex hop flavor with earthy and citrus hops with a floral edge, nice long bitter finish, thins out a lot upon warming

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *4

Bomber pours clear copper with light tan head. The aroma in musty humid prunes, roasted malts and faint pine and grapefruit hops. Much like the aroma the taste starts with roasted malts along with grapefruit and pine hops. Toward the finish the roastiness grows along with pale malts. I get a slight fir tree flavor into the finish. Not very winter like. I was expecting some spice and higher gravity. Tastes like a slightly hoppy amber ale.

Dark hazy copper with not very much head. Aromas of citrus and apricot. Flavors were more of the same. Sweet and some greenery . Not too bad.

Darker amber, moderate head, good lacing and retention. Aroma is very light floral and grassy hops. Caramel as well of course. Medium bodied, not a lot of bitterness.

My bottle (22oz) shared with HogTownHarry & tupalev -- courtesy of 1st Annual Canadian Festivus -- thanks whoever you are! 2005 vintage. Pours a hazy orange-amber with an average size off-white head. Aroma of hops, lots and lots of hops. Citrusy, resiny and more, along with a good amount of malt backing it up. Flavour’s not quite as hoppy as the aroma but still packs a hop punch. Citrusy, spicy & resiny hops, caramel malt and a bit of alcohol -- nice & tasty. Medium bodied. For a 2 year old IPA this has held up quite nice.

Pours a slightly hazy copper color with a white head. Aroma is caramel, spicy, and some earthiness. Flavor is caramel, spices, and a bitter hop finish.