Full Sail Hop Pursuit (Brewmaster Reserve) - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

Overlord

California

2.1/5  rDev -41.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Not a good beer. At all.

Pours a hazy light, bright orange-gold. Big white sudsy foam head.

Smells a bit like floral hops, a bit like medicinal herbal-y hops, and a bit like soap.

Taste is bad. Just, bad. One of the worst examples of this style I can recall, and certainly a beer that doesn't deserve a name like "Hop Pursuit." Soapy herbaliness, some ... mint? Really? Maybe a hint of citrus/grapefruit. Just an unpleasant mixture.

Mouthfeel thin. Unappealing.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 22:14:32 | More by Overlord

DavoleBomb

Ohio

2.25/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Poured into a snifter. Thanks to twiggamortis420 for this.

3.5 A: Lightly hazed light orange color. Two and a half fingers of pillowy off-white head with pretty good retention and a good bit of lacing.

3.0 S: The nose is subtle, but it is pleasant enough. Herbal foremost with a good bit of orange and underneath some pithy grapefruit. Malts and yeast combine for a soft breadiness.

2.0 T: Amazingly boring. I'm shocked that a 6% beer named Hop Pursuit could be so bland. The strongest flavor is yeast (I feel like I'm drinking a yeast starter actually). Miles below that there is a very soft bitterness, unaggressive herbalness, and a "stale beer" taste.

3.0 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Could be creamier.

1.5 D: I'm pissed that this came in a bomber. The second glass is ever worse that the first. It's like drinking a cuvee of wounded soldiers from the night before. I really wish I drainpoured beer because right now that's all I can think about. Don't buy this unless it's for someone you don't like.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 20:59:55 | More by DavoleBomb

Beaver13

Colorado

2.3/5  rDev -35.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

22oz bottle. Pours a slightly hazy golden orange with a smallish frothy white head that goes to a thin film that laces the glass a little.

The aroma is sweet corny grainy malts with some melon and some metallic hops.

The flavor is sweet vegetal malts with some metallic bitterness that lingers in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with slightly sharp carbonation.

Overall, a decent amount of bitterness for a pale ale. It's just not very pleasant with lots of off-notes, and not well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 04:39:05 | More by Beaver13

ebrauser

Utah

2.7/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Hop pursuit-branded as an 'extra pale ale' by the gang at full sail. Drank out of a 22 oz. bottle.

Appearance: Dull orange with a thin head that needed to be coaxed with a vigorous pour

Aroma: Grapefruit, citrus, and a even some grapes came out in the nose

Flavor: Pungent taste, very much like that of a dry white wine, crisp and cidery. Light hops began immediately and lasted throughout the sip, turning from floral to a cidery finish. Floral hops became more prominent as the drink went on.

Overall: One I might have to try again just to see if this review was an accurate one of the beer. It didn't come across as something that Full Sail would put out, or that really fit in any beer category.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 02:54:03 | More by ebrauser

Dougal

New Jersey

2.73/5  rDev -24%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

this was an unbalanced beer... .a sierra nevada pale ale without balance. it was too hoppy on the palate at times and too malty the next

this one has to go back for some re-tooling... not sure what they are going for

if you call the beer " hop pursuit" and it's not an IPA and not a balanced pale ale then it is a confused beer

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 23:40:03 | More by Dougal

scootpolute

Washington

2.75/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

1 Pint, 6 FL OZ. bottles into tulip glass.

A - Pours cloudy amber, with a nice white head...with some good lacing.

S - Strong Hops and almost strong soap smell?!

T - OK...a bit over Carmel flavor, which takes over the hop flavor I was hoping for.

M - Weak carbonation, a bit flat. In parts bits ‘too’ sweet from the over-Carmel flavor.

D - This one was kind of a let down. I'd been to Hood River a few times and have expected more from Full Sail, I guess?! I wish they'd bring back the Equinox Spring IPA from several years ago that had the yellow label...Now, "That" was a beer!!!

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 21:21:15 | More by scootpolute

bensbeers

Maryland

2.75/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2011...vintage?

Served from a 22 oz. bomber into a pint glass

A - nice thick head, 1+ fingers; color is a hazy, rich amber - more hazy/amber as you get toward the bottom of the bottle; minimal lacing; lots of yeast in the bottom

S - strong smell of alcohol, which is ironic for a beer that is only 6% ABV. Nothing else stood out for me in the aroma

T - mild hop flavor, but still refreshing. Started to taste a hint of citrus towards the end of the beer.

M - little carbonation; smooth; leaves a nice 'beery' taste in the mouth that lasts.

O - A good brew. Nothing out of the ordinary, but not bad either. I'm enjoying the bottom of the bottle more than the top...maybe the yeast that settled?

It's 100 degrees in Baltimore today, so I was looking for something that would quench my thirst. While this was not the best beer ever, it certainly got the job done.

Drink on.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 21:24:46 | More by bensbeers

chumba526

Oregon

2.78/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

The beer is translucent golden color. It pours with a one inch head of white foam. Smells strongly of flavorful grassy and citrus smelling hops but there is also a slight cheap lager smell present.
In the taste the first thing present is strong citrus grassy hop bitterness. The beer is very crisp and light due to a lack of malts: this makes the excellent hop flavor really shine. Unfortunately, the aftertaste is a bit nasty: there is a cheap lager like aftertaste. The cheap lager aftertaste sucks because the hop forward beginning is very nice. Because it is light the beer would be easy to drink a lot of. The beer also has a fair amount of carbonation. Overall it's a beer that is ok; it has some good qualities and some bad qualities.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2010 15:20:38 | More by chumba526

ShogoKawada

Rhode Island

2.8/5  rDev -22%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22oz from neorunner via BIF. Awesome! Into Alpine pint glass.

A- Kind of unappealing- minimal head that fizzes out quicker than I can pour it. Spotty, almost nonexistant lacing.

S- Fruity hops, floral lilac notes. Pleasing, if subdued.

T- Good hop bite, moreso than the nose let on. Still fruity and floral, kind of grapefruity to round it out. Kind of falls apart in the finish though, a bit astringent.

M- Could use more carbonation, favors are not in total unison.

D- Despite its flaws, fairly high. Enjoyable, and a nice hoppy pale. With some tweaking it could be a stellar beer. Despite the low score, I enjoyed it and would drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2010 23:00:17 | More by ShogoKawada

deepchills

Texas

2.85/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I paid $4 for a bomber of Full Sail Hop Pursuit at Halls in Grapevine.

The ale pours a lovely gold color with a slight cloudiness. Lots of floaties in this beer, which comes from 2 weeks of dry hopping, some of the floaties are very dark, a little disconcerting. There was about a half finger of head in my tulip glass.

The nose is grassy/herbal/floral.

A full grass/hop start with the slightest hints acidic citrus in the middle. The finish brings out some sweet malt.

The flavors in this extra pale ale are slight, a beer made for Spring, not Winter. I’m tasting this for the first time on a cool, rainy December day. (oops)

(10 minutes later…)

I must admit I’m a bit hesitant to finish my 2nd glass. There were considerably more dark floaties in the 2nd pour. One of my favorite beers, the Green Flash West Coast IPA, is heavy on floaties too, however they don’t interfere with me drinking the beer.
This looks like someone may have dropped they’re Skoal dip into the glass.
In any event, I eased through the rest of this beer. The dark floaties added a little more grass to the taste. For the most part I didn’t notice them in my mouth/throat.

I like this brewery, however this offering is a little light for my taste. That, combined with the floaties, will keep me from buying it one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 23:20:56 | More by deepchills

Inflames

California

2.9/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Found this at Safeway in Klamath Falls, OR. "Hop Pursuit that sounds like a beer for me." Maybe this is better on tap but out of the bottle I was disappointed. A fairly average pale ale is about the sum of it's character. Poured a faint orange/yellow, descent head, left an ok lace on glass. Aroma was the biggest disappointment for me, when you pick a name like this it leads me to believe I'm going to enter the garden of humulus heaven. Wrong. It is balanced so the taste is good and the ability to drink this is fair, but the lack of depth is what makes this an easy pass for me in the future. The hop pursuit continues. Sorry FS

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 03:52:30 | More by Inflames

BretSikkink

Mexico

3/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Tall, creamy, tightly-packed head that sticks for days and leaves nice sheets of lace after the first glassful. Clear orange color with hints of copper and also gold.

Nose is...well, clean might be a nice way to put it. As in, soapy water. Somewhat fruity, but dominated by this soapy note. A similar disappointment in the flavor, as there is very little body on which the hops can stand. Mostly hop flavors, but there's not a lot going on even here. Mild citrics with little rind or resin; just no bite. Pale malts provide some sweetness, but not enough size.

Finishes with a slight bitterness and with a floral aftertaste. High carbonation pulls the hops right off the palate, almost before they settle in. However, it's really the lack of a malt profile that dooms this beer - there's just nothing to chew on. Full Sail can - and does - do much better brewing elsewhere in their lineup.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2010 04:19:34 | More by BretSikkink

hrmhrm

California

3.1/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Not bad.

Looks nice, golden.

Front is wonderful. More carbonation than average but works in a good way. Tasty hops, not superstrong.

Problem is the finish. It's not that the taste is bad. The problem is the flavor just vanishes. Gone, like a vapor.

No brewer should put 'hop' in the name of a beer that lacks a rich ending.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 04:08:12 | More by hrmhrm

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.1/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Beautiful head that is quite large and creamy, with a slightly hazy golden body underneath it. This ale has a nose of fresh lighter fruits and a whiff of soapy/clean (no, not my glass). It is much lighter on the palate that I had expected, almost watery, and the flavors are light as well. Modest citrus fruit flavors and a light malt, but altogether not amounting to much.

It's almost like they made an "IPA Lite".

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2010 22:09:21 | More by yemenmocha

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle that might be several months old....it was orange-yellow and smelled of lemons and a bit of grains. It tasted like a hopped up full sail pale ale, I was unimpressed. I almost think full sail beers are just showing up too late in Colorado....

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 04:44:02 | More by ArrogantB

whoneeds8

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a duvel tulip glass burnt orange with a two finger white head. Good lacing down the glass. The nose has pinney hops and citrus. The taste is bitter with pine hop flavors with grapefruit citrus flavors. But nothing extrodinary about this at all. The body is medium to maybe just below medium. Carbonation is good.

Full Sail: this is one of the first Brewmaster Reserves you've sent to Texas . . . please send something worthy of the title.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 01:53:28 | More by whoneeds8

BDJake

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A- golden, dirty blonde with a small off white head that fades quickly

S- a bit bready and biscuity, with some citrusy floral notes

T- biscuity malt up front, followed with a bit of zesty bitterness

M- rather flat, which took away from the overall enjoyment of this beer

D- could've been better, seemed like a good beer that had been sitting out for awhile

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2010 06:51:33 | More by BDJake

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a pint

Pours a rather clear orange/copper with a foamy beige cap that rose a full two fingers. Subsided in due time, and left large chunks of clingy lace in its wake.

The aroma is subtle. Caramel, fresh cut grass, flowers, lemons, a touch of pine and some sweet toasted grains. A lot going on here.

The flavor profile follows the nose. Citrus, grass and pine up front before sweet grains and caramel take over. The finish is mildly bitter with a bit of a metallic taste that put me off a bit. They had me up until there.

Light to medium body with a dry, crisp feel. Mildly bitter with that metallic flavor dominating more and more as I move through the bottle.

Excluding the metallic flavor, which may have just been my tastebuds perceiving something incorrectly, this was definitely above average take on the style. I'd like to try it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 17:57:38 | More by ColForbinBC

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a clear rosey copper, with 2 big foamy fingers of off-white head. This retains with a smooth 1/2 finger, which stays VERY rich and foamy when swirled, leaving a thick cascade of spotty lacing back. Very nice look here. The aroma is floral and herbal smelling, with some extra damp dankness to it. Some lighter fruity sweetness is coming out, as does some underlying malt activity that posssesses an light smokey texture to it, leaving sone tang in the back of the nose.

The bulk of the hop activity in the taste is bitter grapefruit, citrus rind, and some tropical fruit character that brings most of the balancing sweetness here, as those pale malts sit kind of flat and grainy across the back of the palate. Big grapefruit finish on this, with lots of green bitter citrus, earthy rind, and a touch of lingering spice all hanging around. The mouthfeel is medimm bodied, with a creamy sharpness to the carbonation and some slickness that runs through the middle of the body, helping keep this flowing in the mouth relatively well. No alcohol detected here at all.

While this is certainly a servicable hoppy fix, there just wasn't a whole lot to get overly excited about here, with the malt profile in particular coming off as fairly boring. This is maybe a decent one to pair up with your lunch or dinner but otherwise, I'd look elsewhere if your looking to get wowed by flavor.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 12:42:31 | More by Kegatron

depechemode1983

Texas

3.33/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - The beer is a dark amber color with a 2 finger off white head. Head is somewhat foamy with good retention. Carbonation is evident on the sides of the glass and there looks to be a small amount of lacing.

S - Strong citric hops, soft floral hops. Seems a bit pungent. There are also fruits to go along with everything. Grapefruits and oranges along with sour peach. This beer has a very strong nose.

T - Bitter and a tad medicinal upfront. Fruit flavors are pretty weak in the taste but still present. Finish is just a tad bitter and cleaner than expected.

M - Mouth feel is a bit watery and could stand for a little more body. Carbonation is surprisingly low considering is was very apparent before. Not bad just not where it should be.

O - Clearly the better aspect of this beer is the nose. Flavors just didn't match up and the body seemed a bit off. Not a horrible beer but the look and smell of it are misleading. At 5 dollars a bomber I would probably go for something else. Worth a try for sure if you haven't had it. Still a decent brew to be had.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 22:02:57 | More by depechemode1983

Buebie

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Head starts out 3 inches tall and settles to a modest cap of white foam, leaving spotted clingy lace clumps.
pale copper appearance, very much unfiltered, super hazey.
juicy hop aroma with sweet caramel and pine hops, as well as some biscuity aroma.
Flavor is very dry as compared to aroma. Hops bite with pine and earthy bitters and just a touch of aspirin.
Mouthfeel is thin and crisp.

Overall a solid apa, bordering ipa. Mouthfeel seems to drop off a bit, but a solid entry for the style. I cant see myself seeking this out again, but glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 19:07:52 | More by Buebie

burnerfinger

Texas

3.33/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

poured from the 22 oz bomber into my new belgium goblet:

A: dark honey hue, no clarity at all - barely decent head settles with almost no lacing.

S a bit of hops to the nose but this one is really deficient in the aroma dept...

T - makes up for the lack of nose in the taste. this is all hops - maybe a bit too much. my beloved wife says - EEwww!

M - solid body

D - a bit tuff to drink this one, truly a bit too much BITE to the hopiness.
this was a cheap bottla and I see why.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 03:06:12 | More by burnerfinger

beergoot

Colorado

3.33/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

2011 version.

A solid golden amber hue with little head. There is some lacing down the glass, though.

Some malt notes and a hint of earthy hoppiness in the nose.

The taste finally lets you know you have an EPA/APA! Good malt flavors with a fruity/foral hop character. The finish provides a nice hop bitterness and settles out clean and dry.

A somewhat underwhelming EPA/APA. The appearance and aroma are especially low-key, but the flavor offers redemption at the end.

Late note: after pouring the rest of the bottle, the head was more noticeable and lasted longer. The clarity gave way to extreme cloudiness with a lot of floating debris. I can't tell whether it's yeast sediment or what. Not very appealing. Had to knock down the appearance score from a 3 to a 1.5. The taste, though, remains the same. Based on the 'new' appearance, I also downgrade the overall to from a 3.5 to 2.5.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 01:14:52 | More by beergoot

portia99

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a Dogfish Head signature glass.

A - Pours a well hazed pale orange amber color. Barely any attempt at forming a head is made with only a quickly fading 1/4 finger of fizziness.

S - Hmm, far more malty than I had expected, given the name. Sweet, bready, yeasty/doughy scented aromas. Grassy and floral hops barely creep past the malt to leave s mild impression.

T - Definitely malty - biscuity, toasted malts, marginally sweet up front but ending rather dry. A mid-level hop bitterness makes a far larger impression in the flavor than the aroma and is actually rather nice. Some grassy and citrusy flavors round out the hop profile.

M - Mouthfeel is fairly light and crisp. Carbonation is lowish medium and creamy in feel. This does go down very easily - good sessionable pale ale.

O - A good, but not great APA. Tasty and smooth drinking enough to have a few in a session, but at the same time, might not be interesting enough to hold back the temptation to move to something else. Not sure what I paid for this, but this is one of those that the cost/value will determine if I buy again - $5-6 bomber - yes, $9-10 bomber - no.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 23:38:06 | More by portia99

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.4/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a light amber color with good carbonation and a small white head

S: Smells of faint hops, grain and some malt

T: Had some grass, floral notes, barely citrus and dash of hops

M: A little more than light bodied, crsip but boring

D: Not one to seek out.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 02:50:33 | More by barleywinefiend