Full Sail Pale Ale - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

hreb

Washington

3.35/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz screw top bottle, no visible date, served in pint glass. Beer pours a crystal clear amber with a thick off-white head. Pleasant fresh hop aroma.

I immediately notice that the beer has a surprisingly creamy texture. Carbonation is mild enough to support a session beer. Flavor is seriously balanced between English style hop bitterness and a biscuit malt body. Unfortunately this beer just doesn't move me. A solid offering nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 22:51:21 | More by hreb

kojevergas

California

3.13/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with twist-off cap served into a Uinta pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, California. 5.5%. Reviewed live.

Served after a period of rest from being in the refrigerator. Poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a four finger beige colour head of pretty decent cream, nice thickness, and good retention. Colour is a transparent pale copper. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Appears well carbonated.

Sm: Pale malts, bright malts, background floral hops, nectary character, fresh hops, full-bodied barley, and some straw. A clean, enjoyable and appealing aroma. No yeast or alcohol comes through.

T: Nectary, with floral hops, honey, pale bright malts, full barley, and even some buttery quality. Simple but clean and enjoyable. Well balanced. It lacks layering or subtlety, but it's pleasant to drink. I do like it. No yeast or alcohol comes through. Sweet nectary honey finish is a highlight.

Mf: Smooth, wet, and thin. Light on the palate. Carbonation is apt. Nothing unique or special here, though it's nicely buttery.

Dr: A drinkable pale ale. Tasty and enjoyable. One of the better Full Sail offerings I've had. I might get it again at Trader Joe's; it's well priced anyway.

C+

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 04:44:56 | More by kojevergas

Jsteez

New Mexico

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a dimpled beer mug.

A-Deep gold and borderline pale amber in color with a small and soapy head that faded into a sticky, white bubbly surface. Left some lacing on the glass.

S-Caramel malt with some hoppy, fruity undertones. I would have liked to have more of a smell just to get an idea of what I was about to taste.

T-Great balance of flavors: hoppy and fruity up front, with a smooth toasted bread and butter aftertaste. The aftertaste of toasted malt, bread, and butter lingered on for some time. This beer would really go well with a sweet bbq beef brisket sandwich.

M-Smooth and medium bodied. Nice and crisp finish for a pale ale. Perfect carbonation to quench your thirst.

Overall, this brew has a lot going on, balance, fruity, malty, hoppy, buttery, bready, toasty....shall I name more? I think I could drink this again and have another thoughtful experience. This beer could complement pretty much any type of food, or no food. It just tastes good!

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 23:18:50 | More by Jsteez

harrymel

Washington

1.68/5  rDev -54.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Best by 27JUL12

Pours golden amber with little toasted cream foam atop the ale. Smells oxidized to be honest - cardboard and raw wood with some hints of tea and herbal hops. Very disappointed in the nose here. Flavor is also oxidized with a bit more of an old book smell flavor and some oils, reminds me of the flavor of the skin on a palm; carrying a slight salinity. Medium on thin with a moderate carb and semi dry finish. I bought this beer as a sixer on a gamble, really gonna have to be faded to drink the other five.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 06:54:54 | More by harrymel

viverlee

Ohio

2.85/5  rDev -23%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A BA rating of 84 is in the ballpark, thanks to the collective wisdom of 355 reviews. I wouldn’t normally lead with this, except that the Alström brothers seem to have gone overboard with a 94. Maybe it’s unfair for me to impose style limits, but is it not also unfair, or at the very least peculiar, to say this ok-for-a-few-pints brew is near the pinnacle of what beer can be?

STYLE: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5.4%

LOOK: Yellowish gold, lagerish, nicely carbonated. You can see the crispness, and that much doesn’t disappoint.

NOSE: A wee bit flat. I’m a few days past the best-by date, not that I think that’s affecting the nose. There just doesn’t seem to be any, ahem, wind in the sails. Grainy, yeah, and maybe some grapefruit too.

MOUTH: There’s no questioning the drinkability. It’s clean, even crisp. Cereal, mild hops, and a surprising balance that’s clearly hiding the malty goodness and floral essence I was expecting.

BA Rating: 84

Hayward Abbey Rating: 81

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 02:46:47 | More by viverlee

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: Lots of pils malt, that can't be right. Also a moderate dose of pale and caramel malts. Mild sulfury and moderate grapefruit citrus. Not bold, but complex enough. Some fruity esters, nectarines mostly.

Appearance: Gold, crystal clear. Small bubbles rising steadily. White head pours small and has low retention. Little lacing.

Flavor: I taste pils malt first, perhaps it's the sulfur blending with the pale malt. I feel like I should let it warm up and try again, this is odd for a pale ale. Mild to moderate orange citrus, little grapefruit at the aftertaste. Bubblegum sweetness. No dark toasty notes, not even much caramel.

Mouthfeel: Mild carbonation although what is there stings quite a bit. Mostly slick and oily. Finishes about neutral, nice. Light to medium body.

Overall: Refreshing. Savory enough, but certainly not bold. Low hop flavor for the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 21:57:08 | More by soulfly1492

metter98

New York

3.65/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear yellow in color with some notes of amber and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin off white head.
S: There are aromas of pale and toasted malts in the nose along with some hints of citrus and floral hops.
T: The taste is similar to the smell but isn’t quite as malty because it is accompanied by a light amount of bitterness and some ever so slight hints of citrus.
M: It feels medium-bodied and relatively clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: There’s nothing overly special about the taste of this beer but it is quite easy to drink and I would have no problem putting back a few of these in one night.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 22:29:29 | More by metter98

jtierney89

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pale gold color brilliant clarity bright white head which recess to a thin lace. Smells good right off the bat with an aggressive nose. Sweet citric notes with some malty sweetness on the nose, kind of like a orange marmalade covered biscuit. Bit of detectable dry grain.

Extremely crisp and clean. Sweet biscuit on the front of the tongue, semi-sweet caramel underlying on the side of the tongue. Perfumes and citric hop combine around mid palate making for a drying finish. High carbonation but the beers flavors hold up to it extremely well.

Incredible balance and great complimentary flavors. A really good american pale ale with good flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 00:33:35 | More by jtierney89

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.38/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Full Sail Pale Ale has a thick, frothy, slightly off-white head and a clear, yellow-orange appearance, with a decent amount of lacing left on the glass. Aroma is of citrus (orange) and bready barley malt, but, overall, the smell is faint. Taste is of citrus, bread, some pine notes, and a good amount of pleasant hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium and soft, and Full Sail Pale Ale finishes easy-drinking and sort of wet. Drinkability is very high with this one. Overall, it’s a great beer.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 23:47:58 | More by RonaldTheriot

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into a tulip glass.

A- Fairly clear dark orange with a one finger of quickly dissapating head.
S- A light but fresh hop aroma of the citrus variety. Lots of pineapple and grapefruit. A strange malt backbone that reminds me of an ESB. Pretty strange stuff.
T- This is a weird one. It doesnt hit me with much of a notable hop profile or any memorable malts to speak of. It really turns into a rather bland and tasteless beer when it comes down to it. An average amount of bitterness. Really not much to this.
M- This beer has a decently full body. Lots of carbonation and a bitter aftertase.
O- Bland is the one word I would use to describe this pale ale. Its fairly drinkable but extremely forgettable.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 10:11:04 | More by TwelveOunces

ujsplace

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a becker.

Pours a deep golden colored brew with a finger thick foamy head that leaves some good looking lace behind.

Smells of floral hops and a hint of biscuit like malt.

Tastes of flowery, citrus hops with a tasty malt finish that is subtle, but satisfying.

Light/medium mouthfeel, well carbonated and crisp.

This is one of those brews that would really go down early, easy and often around the grill in the summer, at the beach, or pretty much anywhere where the weather is nice. A very satisfyingly refreshing brew that is something I'd look for in a case.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 23:28:56 | More by ujsplace

KyleVick4

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass

A: Pours light amber color with one finger of head. Lacing already as the head dissipates. Head bubbles look nice and small, but no CO2 bubbles in beer.

S: Strong hops dominate the nose. Grapefruit and spice in the front with a subtle malt sweetness in the background. There is a very slight undesirable smell in the nose that i cant quite place.

T: Balanced beer, but nothing extraordinary. Great hop character but poor malt finish.

M: Surprisingly carbonated but fits the style.

O: Very drinkable beer, it's good, but nothing special. I'd recommend it but not actively seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 02:09:53 | More by KyleVick4

hosehead83

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass.
Clear gold in color, with a decent head of white foam.
Aroma-Faint, flowery hops
Taste-Flowery herbal hops, faint citrus, soapy finish. Overall, pretty middle-of-the-road. Nothing to get excited about here.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 17:57:42 | More by hosehead83

Labeerfinder

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle. Color is light amber with a slowly diminishing thick, creamy and foamy white head. Lightly hop aroma with background of sweetness. Flavor is pale malt, caramel, light citrus hops. Palate is medium bodied. Overall a well balanced pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 02:12:59 | More by Labeerfinder

angusdegraosta

New York

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Excellent northwestern-style pale ale. Pours an amber gold with good carbonation but a head that dissipates fairly quickly. The herbal aroma of the hops is strong and pleasant. A pine and citrus character to the hops - there's a dry sting, but the the malt balances it out really well. It does have a slight sweetness as well, which enhances the mouthfeel. I'd recommend this is you're open to a well-balanced dose of aromatic NW hop flavor. It's very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 01:09:45 | More by angusdegraosta

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light amber color and is crystal clear.Pours with a small head that is off white and dense. It seems to linger a while but has no lacing. The aroma is pretty bland with malts and grain hulls. Hops are very light. Taste is like the nose, some malts, grain hulls maybe a little toasted too in there. Hops have some flavor but I can't quite put my finger on the taste.
A medium weight on the palette and not all that smooth. Finishes clean.
Although there is nothing really bad with this beer, there really isn't anything good with it either.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 11:30:50 | More by micromaniac129

Paincane

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Clear amber pour with orange tinge in pint glass. Thin white head leaves moderate lacing.
S: Aromas include sweet malt, caramel and even a bit of citrus.
T: Flavors start off with a sweet malt presence, hops are there but not overpowering. Minimal hop bitterness.
M: Medium body with active carbonation.
O: Very drinkable and enjoyable. 

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 21:25:23 | More by Paincane

jkanavel

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Pretty amber, pure white head.

S: Very tight. A little toasty. Some pine notes.

T: Raw grain hulls, carmely malt notes, a little hop bitterness, a bit citrusy. Very smooth flavor.

M: Rich medium bodied, full carbonation.

O: Like most of Full Sail's line, this is a sessionable beer. Nothing about this beer is spontaneous or interesting, and maybe thats its charm. Like Boston Lager its tasty, satisfying, steadying, and consistent.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 02:59:02 | More by jkanavel

KajII

North Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

[Best served in a Shaker glass]

The pour was a crystal clear sparkling light to medium amber with a slight yellow hue and a head that was average sized (1-2 finger), fizzy and white and had fair lacing.

The aroma was kind of mild of a grain malt, a citrus hop and a musty scented yeast with a hint of caramel and grapefruit.

The taste was just a tad sweet and acidic with a mild caramel note at first and then became a little bitterer and a touch hoppy with a definite note of citrus (grapefruit) at the end. The flavor hung around for a little while after the swallow leaving a bit of bitterness to linger on.

Mouthfeel was a shade or two above light in body and dry but also watery in texture with a nice lively carbonation.

Overall a decent Pale Ale, one that goes down easy and finishes nice...

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 19:53:28 | More by KajII

zeff80

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, golden copper color with a one-finger, off white head of bubbly foam. It left sticky, thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled toasty with piney hops and some citrus notes.

T - It tasted of toasted malt with some caramel notes. Nice pine and citrus hop presence to add some bitterness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a pretty tasty pale ale. Another nice one from Full Sail.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 02:38:40 | More by zeff80

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Light and tasty, Full Sail's Pale Ale proves to be crisp, clean, and less full than many comparables.

The Pale Ale pours with the classic copper-amber color and with a bright sheen that's void of haze. A light but creamy egg shell white foam stance forms on the beer and retains well with minimal lace.

Medium malt and medium hops both contribute to the clean balance of light caramel, barley malt, and citrusy hops. Low on esters and no phenolic spice- only a mild ethynol alcohol scent accompanies the simple aroma spread of hops and malt.

Crisp and clean flavors of caramel, cashew, and barley malt provide a medium intensity of flavor but only light on the sweetness that's norally associated with malt. Grapefruit, fresh cut grasses, orange zest, and soft pine emit from the hop additions and balance the beer to near perfection. Only light and non-descript fruity esters carry an almost tropical fruit flavor and appricot taste, but with no yeasty spices or off flavors. Very fresh, albeit lightly grainy.

Mediu bodied throughout, the beer has an early malty richness that fades to light and fleeting sugary texture. Malty dryness, light grain, and hop bitterness/dryness all work toward a dry and crisp finish, but leave enough sweetness on the palate to allow for a linger of malt that pushes the aftertaste a bit too far.

A tasty Pale Ale that's shy of the classy crisp taste of Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. A bit more dryness, spicy hop character, and depth of malt character could easily bring the beer in line with the best.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 04:11:01 | More by BEERchitect

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours a straw colored golden with an average white fizzy head. smells almost like a fresh hop beer, more hoppy than most american pale ales, piney but not heavy. taste is balanced with robust malts and a really nice carbonation that encourages quick drinking. this is somehow distinct on my palate in the crowded world of APAs. just a real high quality brew that is versatile culinarily and enjoyable any time of year. starting to see more and more of their beers make their way east. good for them, this is a great six pack session.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 18:09:02 | More by StonedTrippin

brown2cu

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a pale gold and is topped my a miniscule head that vanishes, and leaves only a ring around the glass to ever indicate it was there; no lacing to speak of. The appearance is lackluster, however, it has its redeeming aspects.

S: Sweet caramel backed by piney and floral hops. Nothing much here but solid nonetheless.

T: Definite biscuit in the nose followed by caramel. There also seems to be an adjuncty aspect in the taste. The hops are there but they are restrained to create balance, and are largely floral in nature. Not as bitter as I would like, again though, it is solid drinking.

M: creamy and medium bodied.

O: Not a bad beer, but nothing I would intentionally seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 03:36:34 | More by brown2cu

wedge

North Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Crystal clear golden orange with a soapy, bubbly sheet of a head. Nice webby lacing. Aromas of caramel, grain and herbal/flowery hops. Spicy, somewhat juicy citrus and leafy hop sweetness with a slightly grainy finish. Slight veggie-ness. Not the most easy-drinking pale ale in the world. Medium bodied. I'm not crazy about the hop choices in this one. Not bad, but probably not something I'll want to purchase again any time soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 23:48:08 | More by wedge

MaltsOfGlory

Oregon

3.28/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A somewhat unagressive pour give me a half finger head into my standard pint glass. The head is pretty much completely white, and is pretty standard looking for the most part, except for the medium sized bubbles, there are a fair amount of those. About half of the head is medium sized bubbles. The head is pretty much already gone, not very good head retention. Lacing looks like it will be decent, but I wont know for sure until I get to the the bottom of the glass. The body pretty much looks like a lager to me, pretty much completely yellow. The only different in color from this and a standard lager is that this has some orange in it, it's a hair darker than your standard lager. The carbonation started out very high, now it's gone down a little bit, but it's still medium-high, and on the higher end of that scale. Visibility through the beer is almost 100%, I mean it can't get much clearer than this, I'll say it's 99% see through. Overall not the best looking beer, to the credit of the head, it did leave some bubbles on top of the body after the head disappeared, but they aren't good bubbles, they are bit and unattractive. We'll see how the lacing goes, but overall the look isn't all that great. The smell is pretty interesting. First off, I kinda get that distinct Full Sail smell, it's hard to say exactly what it smells like, it's just the hops the generally use, or the way they brew it, or the barely, something about it, it has a distinct smell. You also get a kinda cheap beer smell, it's kinda part of the distinct Full Sail smell, but not always because some Full Sail beers don't smell cheap at all. This one smells a tiny bit cheap, light, and not all that big. Very light malts on the nose. Some hops are here too, Not very big either, but for sure the "dominating" smell. I mean it's good that the hops are the biggest smell in a pale ale, but it's not by much. And on top of that the whole aroma is pretty small, so it's not that hard for the hops to be dominating the aroma. The hops do have a very distinct smell, which is nice and interesting. Somewhat sour smelling, probably part of that cheap beer smell. Overall the smell just isn't very big. It's hard to detect the smells because there isn't a very big aroma, and because there aren't a lot of different smells here, it's not very complex. Still, it's not a bad smelling beer, and it smells pretty unique. I'll give it a 3.5, but that's a little generous. Actually that's very generous. The taste isn't bad, but it's not much above average. Really the first taste I get is that sour taste, which you usually get in cheap, adjunct beers. It really actually stays with you the whole way through the taste. It's not a taste I generally hate, but it's not that great either, and it's a sign that it's not made that well. It also is possible that it's from the hops, but it doesn't really taste like a hop sour, it tastes like a corn sour, or something. I do get some hops, and it's interesting, because in the beer, it feels like a decent amount of hops, but that's just because the flavor isn't that big. On any other beer this amount of hops would seem small, and it is, it's a small hop amount. I also get some light malts in this beer, not very present, they kinda just guide the flavor along. Then finally it's finished off with water. This beer isn't as watery as I remember it, but it's still got a significant watery taste to it, especially at the end. It's a very unique beer, maybe because of the "classified" hops they use, I don't know. Still, just cause it's unique doesn't mean it's that good, and it's not. It has some nice qualities to it, but the fact of the matter is that it's just not above a 3. It's an interesting beer, but it's not what a pale ale should be, there aren't nearly enough hops for a pale ale, and there really isn't enough flavor all around for it to be more than a 3, regardless the style. With all that being said, it's not a terrible flavor, but it's not more than a 3. On some sips I feel like giving it a 3.5, but I just can't bring myself to do that, it's not quite there. The mouthfeel actually isn't all that bad. The carbonation is smaller than I thought it would be, it's medium. Frankly the carbonation and the small hop bite actually create a nice feel in my mouth when combined. The body is a little thin, but it's not a huge deal, I like a pale ale to be thicker than this, but it's not required. Not a bad mouthfeel, I'm considering giving it a 4, but I think it's more around a 3.5. The drinkability is obviously super high, it's pretty dang light, it's watery, it's low ABV, and it doesn't taste all that bad, so it's not hard to drink at all. Overall it's a beer that really ended up right in between a 3 and a 3.5 on a lot of the main areas, so I'll give it a 3.5 overall.

Like I said, the appearance turned out to be better than I thought it would be, 3.5.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 09:57:16 | More by MaltsOfGlory