Full Sail West Coast Style India Pale Ale

Full Sail West Coast Style India Pale Ale.

7 % ABV, 70 IBU, Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, OR. 

Is the West Coast IPA my favorite style of beer? I still maintain that the Belgian abbey dubbel holds that status, but for casual, easy drinking that's not too rich or too strong or too expensive, I reach for a West Coast IPA any chance I can. Any time I see one, I'll give it a whirl. This time it's a West Coast IPA from Full Sail Brewing of Hood River, OR. This is the third appearance of Full Sail in the Nib, and the first time since 2014. Looking on BeerAdvocate, I have reviewed 18 of their beers on that site, between 2002 and 2010. Since starting this blog, I either haven't seen them that often, or haven't had that much interest in their work. This beer only recently arrived at the store where I currently work, and it was brewed in September of last year. The bottles were dusty when I opened the case. Why are such old bottles arriving in our market?

Other questions: Did I buy this 6-pack because it's a style I lean towards so often, or because I wanted to give Full Sail another try after so many years, or because it was only $8 a 6-pack? Maybe all three...but the third option is the strongest candidate. 

Clear, with a slight chill haze, bright golden, with a prodigious ivory head, looking fantastic. 

In the nose: Bold, vivacious, bristling with pine and citrus. Right on the money. 

In the mouth: Asserive hoppiness climbs on the palate and spreads citrusy goodness all around. Grapefruit, orange, and lemon, with a side of grass & pine. Medium bodied, easy-drinking, for the hopheads among us. If you're not into hop bitterness laying long on the palate and coating the tongue and every other crack and crevice that interfaces the senses, you're best of staying away. Dry finish, nearly brittle, but beautiful and quite delicious. 

Just about as note-perfect of a WC IPA as you're going to find. Once more, I waited until bottle #6 to take the notes. I might just have to pick up another 6-pack. (Although, I'd prefer them fresher.)

Pale malt, oats, and wheat combine to create a golden base allowing Cryo Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Ekuanot hops to shine. Beautiful aromas of tropical fruit, citrus, and melon are well complemented by clean malt notes. This refreshing beer is high on hop aromatics yet well balanced.

 

Full Sail Wassail Ale

Full Sail Wassail Ale, Winter Ale, FS Pub Series. Alc 7.2% by Vol. Full Sail Brewing Company, Hood River, Oregon.

Appearance: dusky brown coloring, slim, cocoa/tan head.

Aroma: earthy, nutty , dark fruits. malty.

Taste: Little blast of hops up front, then it's the Malt Show, all day and night. Sweet and toffee-ish at first, tempered slightly by hop bitterness. Rich malt flavor. A little nutty, a lot sweet. Nice winter ale, but nothing special.

these are my notes on beer #6 of the 6-pack I bought because I knew it wasn't on the Bitter Nib yet, and it was only $8 a 6-pack. I wanted to take fresh notes, because I didn't feel like my old ones were good enough, but maybe they were? Here's what I wrote about this in January of 2003 (almost 12 years ago)"

Fine, sturdy, off-white head, dark brown color. Sweet aroma, but nothing too distinctive coming through. Faint hints of toffee, nuts, spices. Mild hoppiness, medium carbonation. Sweet maltiness. Very mild, very mellow, but to a fault. I like my winter ales with more of a kick, and this slides down too smooth for my tastes. Feels as if they were shooting for something like Anchor's Our Special Ale, but something held them back.  01/12/03.

Looking back, I think I said it well then.

Full Sail Hop Pursuit

Full Sail Hop Pursuit, 22 Fluid Ounces of Extra Pale Ale, Brewmaster Reserve 2011. "A crisp blonde ale with a medium malt body. The malts are chased by a ton of hop flavor and a zing of bitterness. IBU 55." 1 pint, 6 fluid ounces, 6% by Vol. Alc.

Clear, coppery appearance, huge, puffy, cloudy-white head. Looks lovely.

Aroma: Grassy hops, citrusy below. Apples and oranges, at play. I'm getting a mix of American and English-style ingredients. Grassy, floral, fruity. Nice, nice.

Taste: it's an EPA, grassy, earthy hops, adequate malt, supreme consumability. Hop bitterness starts strong, fades quick, drinking is easy. Malt, hops, balance, tasty, mmm. That's all there is to say.