LTD Series - 03 - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

lsummers

California

2.9/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Pours a hazy straw golden yellow. Thin crisp head that diminishes quickly.

Smells of a pear with nutty malts and cereal.

Taste is a little sub par for the style. Starts with some sweet bread pudding and leads into a more cereal, fruity note. The hops are prominent towards the middle with some pear/pineapple notes. Ends on a nutty creamier note

Mouthfeel is somewhat sharp and smooth. Fairly carbonated.

Overall, this is a decent offering, but nothing to necessarily seek out. It's worth a try if your a fan of Full Sail Brewery, but otherwise it's an average pilsner. There are far more superior selections of the style out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 04:20:46 | More by lsummers

barczar

Kentucky

3.48/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a brilliant golden straw color with a one inch white head that leaves light lacing.

Aroma is slightly sweet and grainy, with floral hops and cracker-like pilsner malt rounding out the profile.

Flavor is a touch fruity and slightly sweet, with light citrus notes of lemon pith accompanying an eventually dry, cracker-like malt character into the lightly bitter, peppery finish. Floral and earthy hops are also present.

Body is moderate, with slightly high carbonation. It's a little grainy.

A little sweet and fruity for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 09:52:19 | More by barczar

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains lager yeast, light caramelized malts and a good amount of hops.

T: The taste starts out with some breadiness from lager yeast and a thin malt character. Then a hops presence that is strong for the style but not over-powering comes in. There’s some mild malt sweetness in the background and a good balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and very crisp, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

O: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, this is a very nice lighter beer to pound down for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 00:05:40 | More by TheManiacalOne

rangerred

Tennessee

3.03/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a slightly hazy straw yellow with a half finger white head. Good carbonation leads to a long lasting head with a minimal bit of lacing.

Aroma is a mix of flowers and steamed vegetables. There is also a solid bready malt base that is very appealing and pilsener-like.

Everything goes wrong on the flavor. It's like eating a huge pile of cooked vegetables. The DMS is off the charts! It overpowers the floral hops and the malt is barely able to sneak through. It becomes about the only thing noticeable about the beer and that is not good. Mouthfeel is very watery with an odd sharp, almost metallic, bitterness.

Overall, not a good effort from Full Sail. I can tell there is possibly a good beer lurking underneath the off flavors but there is too much for it to overcome. One to avoid.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 01:26:48 | More by rangerred

UCLABrewN84

California

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Best by 10/12/12.

Pours a clear light gold with a foamy off-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, and a mild herbal hop aroma. Taste is much the same with a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is very drinkable but somewhat unexciting.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 06:19:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

kojevergas

California

2.6/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with twist-off pressure cap served into a Uinta brewing glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, California. Acquired at a Trader Joe's for somewhere between 1 and 2 dollars. Reviewed live. Expectations are average given the brewery.

Served straight from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a four finger beige head of decent cream, decent thickness, and good retention. Colour is a light pale yellow. Transparent and translucent. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Not extraordinarily vibrant. Pretty standard for the style.

Sm: Dry malts and generic floral hopping - I'd guess saaz or spalt. Straw. Generic barley. An average strength aroma. This is shaping up to be pretty meh.

T: Straw and barley form the foundation, with minimal specialty malts coming through. Background floral hopping is hardly noticeable. Obscenely simple. Boring and bland. Not at all subtle. Very meh.

Mf: Smooth and wet, with some increased coarseness and dryness in the third act. Light. Too thick for the lack of flavour.

Dr: Drinkable but boring and bland. I wouldn't bother with this again. Another mediocre offering from Full Sail. Why brew this? If I wanted affordable pasasable garbage, I'd buy Simpler Times pilsner.

C-

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 06:46:12 | More by kojevergas

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light fizzy head, reinforced by many bubbles rising from the etch at teh bottom, bit of lacing, over brilliantly clear pilsner tan colored beer.

Nose is typical pils, light toasty pilsner malt, little hay, hint of straw, touch of soft lager, just a bit of grassy hops.

Taste has a bit more than the nose, more in the toasty pilsner malt, some straw and light hay, light soft layered lager malt flavors and a crisp lager flavor, touch of sweetness. Light bitterness with some grassy and slightly earthy hops. Finish is dry and crisp, more light grassy and slight herbal hops, bit more lager flavors with light hay.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied, decent carb.

overall not bad, decent pilsner flavors, lighter on the hops but tasty and drinkable, although overall a bit lighter than I expected.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 23:15:53 | More by jlindros

beergoot

Colorado

3.43/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bright, crystal-clear golden body with a rich, thick white head. Aroma is mild, grass-like, perhaps slightly musty with a nearly hidden sense of mild malt grain in the background. Taste brings out a decent cereal-like flavor with a nicely balanced soft bitterness. Mouthfeel is light, soft, clean and crisp.

A good, slightly above average pilsner. Nothing extraordinary, but a satisfying thirst quencher.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 19:14:49 | More by beergoot

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is an okay pils. That is the first thing that hit my mind when I tried it. A bit too bright and somewhat tangy. Seems like the edges need rounded out. It's a decent beer, but it doesn't really do much for me. I tried it, ticked it, and now I'm moving on.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 04:52:04 | More by RblWthACoz

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This just showed up in Casper and yet, the bottling date I found, after I bought it, is stamped 09 09 11. Hmmm.

Big head of foam on this straw gold coloured brew.

It has a good hoppy aroma, very Pils like, with some graininess. Basic.

Pretty nice crisp hoppy flavour here, light malt sweetness, and a touch of grain. Easy drinking and surprisingly good after the big disappointment with how old this is. A fresh bottle would have been pretty impressive, me thinks.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 12:35:24 | More by Bitterbill

metter98

New York

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear straw yellow in color and has a high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high bright white head that has excellent retention properties and consistently left a thin head covering the surface and a thick coating of bubbles running down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of floral hops and bready malts in the nose.
T: The overall taste is rather malty with lots of flavors of bready malts and some hints of sweetness. There is a light amount of bitterness and some hints of spicy hops in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied, smooth and rather clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is well balanced between the malt and hops and is also quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 01:17:48 | More by metter98

thekevlarkid

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Out of a bottle this German styled Pilsner beer was a crystal clear golden color with one finger of eggshell white head. The retention of the cap was good and it left streaks of lacing as I drank it. The aroma was of nice balance of bready malt and fresh, crisp hops as well as a little citrus. The flavors were at first all classic pilsner malt but I then tasted a little toasted malt and some bread in the middle. Slightly earthy and pleasantly rich. Still, the finish wasn’t quite what I would want it t o be. Perhaps it was the addition of Sterling hops instead of Saaz? The mouthfeel was good, the body medium and the carbonation appropriate. Nothing amazing but definitely enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 02:57:07 | More by thekevlarkid

vfgccp

New York

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a light golden color, pure white head that fades pretty quickly. Lacing is light to moederate. Perfectly clear.

S - very reminicent of a saison in aroma. Touches of black pepper, and a touch of a bready/yeasty bitterness on back end.

T - light in taste, slight pale bitterness. Hints of a salt water minerallyness.

M - very light. Not watery though, overall a nice light drinkable lager.

O - It's your average lager, light in flavor and very drinkable. It's quite smooth though, so overrall it's one of the better lagers which to me are a very simple basic style. The addition of the slight bitterness is also pleasant.

---Rated via Beer's Advocate for iPhone

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 00:18:04 | More by vfgccp

Onenote81

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have wanted to try this one for awhile, and now that Full Sail distributes to NC, I got that chance. Picked up a 6-pack at my local grocery. Poured the final one into a pint glass for review.

Pours a pale gold with a thin white head on top. Faint lacy rings cling to the glass. The nose is fresh and peppy, with floral hops and a big citrus aroma. Great crisp feel with a moderately high carbonation zip. Light buttery flavors meld with lemon zest and a flavorful hoppy finish. Faint peppery bite lings just a bit at each sip. This beer delivered. I dig it, and I'm glad I can get it locally now.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 13:34:52 | More by Onenote81

smakawhat

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a Pilsner style glass.

A real nice solid white head foamy and uniform in character, sits on a classic golden slow rising cola like carbonation bubbles of lager goodness. Real crystal clear.

Slight bready malts, but also a hint of butter. Overall not too bad for the nose.

Spicy and light. Spiced hop profile of sharp dull lemon, with a little fussel and chemical tasting. Sweet bread on the finish slightly giving to a slight sugar. Crispness not so obvious, sort of a little doughy.

Overall not too bad, not crazy about it, but it's working for me and fairly refreshing and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 23:33:02 | More by smakawhat

Jadjunk

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

#120. Found this intriguing bottle in a mix-your-own-six bargain at the more beer-saavy Kroger in town. Date of 102111 at the base of the neck on the bottle. Part of my clearing out summer beers to make room for fall. It's been a while since I had a Full Sail beer and I am anxious for this one.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a shaker pint glass at room temperature.

Served at the recommended 42 degrees Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) A rather vicious pour yields a frothy 2-finger depth head that subsides at a labored pace, probably a good sign of nice head retention. Color is a very slightly golden yellow, crystal clear with medium carbonation. Plenty of droopy lacing on the glass. This is a very appealing appearance for this beer, very few weak points. 4

(Smell) Certainly smells like a Pilsner. Some slight caramel and pale malts give the grain bill the dominant character, a slightly sweet but not sickly aroma. Possibly some sweet floral or fruity hop aroma lies in the background and thee are hints of honey in the mix. Quite nicely balanced. Potency isn't bad either. I'm rather impressed with the aroma of this beer. 4

(Taste) Gorgeously balanced light malt flavor and grassy hop gives this beer full flavor and a crisp energetic spirit. A tiny nip of fruit rounds out the finish, and some cider tones peek in from time to time and work real well at diversifying the flavor. This beer encompasses the summer and is a very nice lager. Mildly sweet yet fully enjoyable. 4.5

(Mouthfeel) Subtly crisp with some tingly spots on the tongue work fine for this beer. Body is a light side of medium and the alcohol is tucked away well. Good compliment to the taste. It all works well. 4

(Overall) Just a really good lager, mild as it should be and slightly sweet but flavorful and balanced. It's a great beer, especially for the summer months. It's definitely worth a shot next year. 4

Full Sail Brewery's
LTD Series 03
A-(4.22)

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 02:52:07 | More by Jadjunk

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

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

In BC every brewer has a beer like this , a decent lager that treads the waters between pils and domestic lage. In Washington it seems that very few lagers are available year round and so we have a LTD beer from Full Sail. Nice and crisp with decent hops but nothing to rock your world. Put in a can and make it year round rather than issue it as a special edition beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 01:31:57 | More by canucklehead

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap @ the Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub (Hood River, OR) on 8/28/11. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a clear golden copper, topped with roughly a ½ finger of bright-white head. This retains with a thin foaminess, that stays robust enough I guess, and leaves back a cascade that quickly slides down the sides of the glass and settles into just a light smattering of lacing. The aroma is floral and lightly spicy but the main focus in on the soft fruitiness of the nose. The malts don’t seem to have much of a presence, as most of the sweetness here is coming from that fruit character.

This time in the taste, that gentle fruitiness mixes it up with more of the sweet graininess from the malts, while a firm and more bitter citric presence adds a degree of prickly assertiveness to the profile. This finishes fairly dry feeling, with lingering notes of spice and light rind. The mouthfeel is medium bodied in the mouth overall, with a pretty darn sharp and lively feel to the carbonation that is coming on a little too strong at times. This does start to smooth out a bit though as it sits.

Eh, this was decent enough. I guess the main gripe for me was the heavy emphasis on the fruit flavors, which combined with the malt to give this more of a sweet twang to the taste instead of the crisp snap that I would normally associated with a thirst quenching Pilsener. I finished this glass… but barely.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2011 17:05:08 | More by Kegatron

DavidST

Texas

3.4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clearish light yellow color with a white head. The smells are pretty light, I get some grassy hop smells with some grainy aromas. The body is light. With the taste is get more grainy malts with a slight hop bite, this is clean and probably good for a summer beer, light and crisp, not over done (although this is normal to me for most full sail products which seem to be less aggressive than some of the others).

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 19:22:16 | More by DavidST

Chyren

Washington

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a sparkling transparent beautiful golden color with 1-2 finger sea-foam white head.

S: Some noble spice and herb, fresh grain and grass, some apple tang

T: Immediately tangy and lip smacking, the apples say hello, more grain and fresh grass, hay, light bread, a bit of herbal hops with some spice, very clean overall, and refreshing.

M: A little more full-bodied / thick than a usual pilsner. Slightly more chewy than crisp, but still refreshing. Very drinkable.

O: I like it. It is an interesting and American take on the classic style. It has more fruit to it, more punch, which isn't bad at all. Only thing I would like is more of that czech saaz spice.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 20:58:33 | More by Chyren

dgilks

Australia

3.3/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Clear pale golden colour with a tiny white head. Poor head retention.

Very light grainy aroma. Pretty damn dull.

Grainy malt with a slightly herbal and floral hop character. Well balanced.

Medium light body with moderate carbonation.

A fair attempt at a pilsner with a decent hop to malt balance but the whole thing isn't singing for me. I don't love the malt character here.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2011 10:02:33 | More by dgilks

Sky2625

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a standard pint glass (notes from 8/20/11):

A - Poured a clear golden yellow, with 1-finger foam/small bubble head. A dozen carbonation streams provide moderate retention, and spots of lace are left clinging to the glass.

S - Apple and light maltiness up front, with a back end of sunny grains.

T - Light malt sweetness with hints of apple, and sweet corn/grain earthiness. Finishes with graininess, mild bitterness, and a hint of cider.

M - Light medium body, fizzly carbonation at the front of the tongue. Crisp and brisk, finishing dry, with some warmth in the throat.

D - Very drinkable, nice and easy session beer. Decent flavor, though moderate sweetness doesn't quite find it's match in the mild bitterness. Great for a summer day activity.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 18:54:18 | More by Sky2625

zander4dawin

Texas

2.7/5  rDev -26%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

** Performed Blind Tasting **

Appearance - Deep golden color with a pillowy head.
Smell - Floral and citrus
Taste - Orange, grapefruit but not bitter, simple, taste a little watery
Mouthfeel - crisp and sharp

Overall - A nice lager with a simple taste but could use more snappiness and dryness to be a good pils.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 15:20:02 | More by zander4dawin

oberon

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pilsner glass a clear light golden with a thinner but well retained white head,alot of tiny bubbles.Bready malt really stands out in the nose,a light shot of herbal hops,and iron as well.A realy bready malt profile on the palate wich is really nice,light lemony and herbal hops round out the flavor profile nicely.Another well made American pilsner,I have had a few over the summer,this is nice for the warm weather.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 00:41:31 | More by oberon

CaptainIPA

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Single purchased @ Trader Joe's in San Clemente, California and presented in a brown 12 oz. bottle. #3 in a series of LTD brews.

Pours a light-golden straw color with a dense white head with decent retention and lacing. Well-hopped nose with spicy herbal and floral aromas.

Light to medium bodied, crisp and refreshing. Taste mirrors the nose with suggestions of Noble hops and floral notes, followed by a flash of lemon citrus. Finishes coarse on the palate with a moderately lingering bitterness. Worthy marks of a classic German Pilsener.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 21:00:32 | More by CaptainIPA