LTD Series - 04 - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.31/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Thanks to BA slatetank for gifting me with a bottle of this. The brew pours as advertised, a pale golden color with a rich finger of silky head that fades to a thin film across the top and paints an entire webbing of lacing effect on the glass. Rising bubbles of carbonation maintain a thin film across the top and a swirl revives a finger of yellowish stained froth fairly effortlessly.

The aroma smells like any old adjunct lager. A hint of almost corn-like sweetness blends into a bit of fresh cereal grain to wheaty character which was a bit unexpected for a bock I might say. A mild kiss of alcohol and buttery diacetyl bring this back into the lager spectrum with a pleasant contrast. When the glass is swirled, some sulfur notes evolve along with an unexpected amount of herbal hops. Overall, not a bad smelling brew.

The taste of this brew is a bit more focused with some fruity alcohol esters coming forward overtop a pale malt base that provides some mild sweet grainy appeal. However, I get a mild touch of adjunct almost like corn also in the flavor but that might be an exaggeration based off of the notes of diacetyl and mild sulfur that also emit from this brew. The hops present themselves with an herbal flavor and modest bitterness a bit atypical of a bock.

This is a medium to lighter bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. Overall I think it wasnt bad but there were a lot of strange things going on in this that hinted towards bock but with a strange twist. A bit over-hopped, a bit more alcohol driven and lacking in the overall body one might expect. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to try this one Matt, thanks again.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 03:44:47 | More by stakem

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I picked this case up at Breski, enjoyed several bottles so figured why not jot some notes and give a review, enjoyed chilled from a willybecker.
The color is tarnished golden with good clarity and visible carbonation rising to an off white head with avg bead. The smell is lightly mineral with slight spiciness and gentle malt essence with slight alcohol ester. The feel is good with full body almost filling with slightly high bitterness and noticeable alcohol in the texture with semi-dry finish and moderate carbonation.

The flavor is pretty layered considering this is a commercial equivalent of a SMaSH -single malt and single hop maibock -pale malt and willamette hops. The hops are a bit forward in the flavor and the yeast adds some flavor with spiciness accentuated by the moderately high alcohol in the taste. The malt is toasty and slightly thick with low sweetness and generally grainy when combined with the yeast drying alcohol and hops. Overal this is decent but there are better examples of this style from East Coast brewers or Midwest breweries, but for the price it is a better than average pale bock.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 14:10:42 | More by Slatetank

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.8/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured a half finger of head on a clear, golden colored body with only a few bubbles coming up.
The aroma is rich caramel and lemon.
The taste is smooth caramel and honey sweet with a mild bitterness. Great balance.
Soft texture with low carbonation.
It has the lighter and better parts of a bock; great if you aren't keen on the heavy sweetness of a traditional bock.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 00:20:42 | More by Fatehunter

TheMarkE

California

3.95/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Clear amber with nice foamy head and good lacing.

Smell: Biscuity malts and lemon grass hops.

Taste: More of the buscuits and grass, with hints of chocolate. Tastes fresh, good balance.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium bodied, and refreshing. Very slight bitter aftertaste, in a good way.

The Verdict: Good stuff. A tasty, well-balanced pale bock that I managed to snag the last couple of bottles of. The LTD series is hit or miss like many seasonals, though it’s usually a hit. This one is definitely a hit.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 01:54:35 | More by TheMarkE

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.23/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

Bottle opened on 3.21.13

A - Pours a clear, light orange with a small off-white head with decent retention.

S - Malty, corn, sweet wheat.

T - Malt, sweet wheat, canned corn, pretty mild.

D - Light body and good carbonation.

O - Light and sweet, not very good compared to others in the series.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 05:53:48 | More by HuskyinPDX

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I am fully sailing tonight as I watch collegiate hockey championship games. I am unable to fully convey how happy I am to not only have Hood River, OR's finest beer in my state but in my hometown. Life is good.

From the bottle: "What do you get when you brew an elegant Pale Bock with one select barley? The single malt of suds."

What do you get when you nearly invert the bottle when decanting into a shaker glass? A massive three fingers of dense, eggnog-colored head with great retention. Color was a deep gold with NE-quality clarity and suddenly King Midas and Croesus appeared in my kitchen, both licking their chops. The lacing that formed as the head dropped made my jaw drop. My my my. Nose had an unexpected earthiness accompanied by a caramel maltiness. Curiouser and curiouser. "Drink Me!" it cried to me. What sort of host would I be not to comply with the wishes of an invited guest? Mouthfeel was medium, approaching fullness, and I got a bit of heat from it as I swirled it on my tongue. The taste was very earthy with a flavor that I imagine standing in a field of barley in central Canada in the summer would be like. I have been getting smarter about distillation and I would bet that this recipe in a still would create a great single malt whiskey. The inherent heat on the finish made me gasp for breath but overall, it was semi-dry.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 23:46:08 | More by woodychandler

katan

Colorado

3.56/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12oz into a pint

A - Pours a hazy golden color. Apparently some yeast suspended. White head formation.

S - An unremarkable nose. Some light malts.

T - Starts off lightly malty, not much of anything going on. Starts to show some pilsner style malts, and then some citrus hops. A bit fruity in the finish.

M - Very much lager in the carbonation feel on the tongue. The alcohol doesn't quite sneak through. Some carbonation bite on the finish.

O/D - A beer that doesn't have that much identity between a lager and a ale. Seems to have the malts and hops of an ale and the yeast / carbonation finish of a lager.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 20:27:54 | More by katan

kshizzle101

Washington

4.04/5  rDev +11%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz bottle into pint glass

A - Clear golden in color, not a lot of head which dissapates quickly

S - grassy/straw/earthy scents come through along with light hops. A little sweet scent as well

T - Sweet hops, with straw/grassy flavor coming through.

M - great feel, a little sticky, with good carb, goes down smooth

O - very good beer, easy drinking, not too strong. GREAT session beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 21:40:04 | More by kshizzle101

MighHighBrewer

Colorado

2.88/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 2.5

I think the description of of this beer is wrong. It's not an American Pale Lager. Full Sail describes it as a Pale Bock. Definitely tastes like a Helles to me. In any case...

Drank a 12-ounce bottle poured into a tulip on 3/10/2013. Best buy date on the bottle is June 9th, 2013.

A: Extremely clear - what you would expect from a lager. Straw colored with a hint of amber. It's definitely a shade darker than a Pilsener. Head pours large, but dissipates rather quickly. Little to no head appears after 5 minutes.

S: Relatively mild aroma overall. Mild notes of grapefruit and lemon. I dont detect any grassiness as other reviewers noted, but I do detect some floral notes. Also detect the faintest hint of butter/diacetyl.

T: Wow - tastes bigger than it looks. Pronounced hoppiness with grassy and floral notes. Solid biscuit/malt base to support the IBUs. Also detect some unexpected honey notes. Unfortunately, I also get pronounced diacetyl flavors....butter mostly. The diacetyl lingers on the tongue.

M: Surprisingly big body. Low carbonation. Just based on mouthfeel, it's an easy-drinker.

O: Unfortunately, I dont think I'll be purchasing this beer again. It has a great appearance and an easy-drinking mouthfeel, but its taste leaves something to be desired. For one, it's too hoppy for a Pale Bock. Full Sail lists this beer as having 45 IBUs, which is just too high for the Bock style (which should be around 20-30 IBUs). If youre a hop-head, you'll like this rendition of the Bock style, but it's just too hoppy for me. Secondly, I get pronounced hits of butter/diacetyl flavors that just dont belong in this beer. The butter notes mixed with the hops isn't pleasing after the first few sips.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 01:42:03 | More by MighHighBrewer

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.63/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

How is this a pale lager? Never mind. The ingredients say it's a pale malt/willamette SMaSH with lager yeast, but the taste says it's a helles bock (although it tastes somewhat similar to my petite saison SMaSH with 3711, lol).

Pours yellow/tan and clear with a white head and decent lacing.

Aroma is yeasty, grainy, grassy, lightly hoppy.

Flavor is again yeasty, grainy, some biscuit, some citrus (lemons), and a balancing hoppiness.

Body is actually fairly full despite the lager yeast. Carbonation is plentiful.

It's a tasty brew. I would say if you're a helles bock lover, try this one. It's a bit of a shock if you're expecting a pale lager (BMC drinkers probably will be intimidated by the abundant flavor).

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 16:27:31 | More by AlCaponeJunior

garymuchow

Minnesota

3.89/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Grainy aroma and some soft yeast character.
Brilliantly clear and smallish white head.
Full malty character and enough body to give it close to a chewy feel. Flavorful and balanced bittering holding onto a long finish.
Seems like it might have some diacetyl, but it's not detracting from my enjoyment.
Definite warming. Full lager carbonation.
My glass is closer to cellar temp and I will put the rest in the fridge as it may do better there. I have a fondness for bigger lagers and this one fits nicely into that category.
Not quite a bock I suppose, but not fully an Am. lager either.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 18:28:31 | More by garymuchow

vkv822

Oregon

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz : tulip

Clear, medium yellow with a thick, foamy white head and nice lacing.

Pale, biscuity malt with a floral, lemony, grassy hop profile in both the nose and palate.

Medium+ body with mild foamy carbonation.

A well done pale lager. Easy drinking with an enjoyable malt and hop character. Proves that this style can be flavorful and something worth drinking.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 09:38:05 | More by vkv822

busternuggz

Arizona

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pilsner glass. "Drink by" date of 6-30-13.

Beautiful, clear pale straw/gold color with a puffy white 1" head. Recedes to a thin film. Leaves persistent rings of lacing.

Fresh, green grassy scent with a touch of lemon zest. Nice and clean.

Fresh grassiness on the taste with some bright lemon/grapefruit zest, a little soft graininess with a touch of not unpleasant DMS corn flavor. Nice dry, leafy/herbal finish. Pleasant bitterness but well balanced. Doesn't taste like 7%.

Light, crisp texture, just slightly viscous. Ends clean. Avoids that stickiness I get from high alcohol lagers sometimes.

A tasty, well done lager. Clean, bright, crisp, and balanced. Great spring beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 05:09:19 | More by busternuggz

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.63/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a medium golden amber with a fine one finger white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of biscuit and bready malt, light grassy hops; slightly sour. Flavor is bready malt, grassy hops and hints of light fruit juice and nuts. An odd flavor combination, but kind of grew on me as I drank this. Medium bodied. An interesting malty ale. I have to say the BA style of American pale lager is much more apt than the bottle's label of "pale bock". This is not very close to a bock, but enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 03:17:35 | More by LiquidAmber

jmbranum

Oklahoma

4.58/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A stellar beer. Phenomenally good.

Pours a bright clear gold liquid with a white head. Gorgeous.

Decent but uninteresting malt aroma.

Flavor is nice and crisp. Lots of biscuit-like flavors. Very clean tasting with a nice amount of hops. Just a little bit of toastyness. Lots of fresh grain. A fair amount of noticeable alcohol.

Medium mouthfeel with appropriate levels of carbonation.

Overall, I really like this beer for its near perfect simplicity and balance.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 03:40:00 | More by jmbranum

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.75/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

P:  Clear golden effervescent body with a thick bone colored sudsy dish water head. 

S:  Barley right away with a antibacterial body soap aroma, organic celery, rustic and earthy malts and toasted honey but Cheerios. 

T/M:  Amber malts, fresh sun dried grains, barley, alfalfa, and cereal grains. Toasted malts flood the palate and earthy, honey, spices, rose petels and orange liqueur.  Full rustic malt and just a touch of citrus bitterness and timid herbal hops.  Refreshing feel with a semi dry finish of dried grains. 

O:  Crisp, complex malts, earthy and clean with a gentle punch of alcohol to keep things interesting. Not your typical low ABV lager this has depth but at the same time is not over done. Full Sail seems to do lagers well. 

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 22:13:51 | More by Hopswagger

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.43/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from slightly above the glass gives this beer a big white lasting head above a clear straw yellow golden colored beer.

Light sour grains, yeast strains, and more sourness in the aroma.

Light sour grains, light bitter hops, and a very light yeast taste.

A sour to almost light bitter aftertaste on this light bodied beer.

A decent enough beer, semi close to a pilsner taste which really isn't in my wheelhouse, but worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 20:39:42 | More by LXIXME

BryanCarey

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Golden and spunky, this beer is completely clear and a good pour produces a nice head of foam that leaves lace as you consume. The nose is one of yeast, pilsner, and some floral notes.

Full Sail LTD number 4 offers a flavor that is certainly above that of the typical American lager. The taste of this beer features pale malts, yeast, and some good hop contributions that add floral, spice, and grassiness. I can also detect a touch of wood and some alcohol in the finish. The body is medium and the taste more memorable than the average brew.

Full Sail can always be counted on for some very good sessionable beers but this one is a little different. Most will indeed like it, but the spicy hop character makes the beer a little less refreshing than usual and less agreeable. I can see drinking this with a slice of spicy pizza, but it doesn’t quite have that stand- alone, drink- it- anytime character so common with Full Sail products.

Still, considering all factors, this is an above average beer product. I like the snappy hop character and it easily outperforms most all American- style lagers. It is worth a try if you happen to find a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 01:53:05 | More by BryanCarey

phishsihq

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Full Sail LTD 04 pours a pale gold, capped by a thin off-white head that leaves sparse lacing. Floral and grassy hop aromas burst from the glass, with some bready malt hints as well. The bready malt aromas carry over to the pallet, with some toastiness noticeable as well, with other flavors and hints include citrus, hay, and spice. Smooth and medium-full in body, LTD 04 brings a higher level of carbonation then expected. We enjoyed "Living The Dream"!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 02:04:00 | More by phishsihq

ElCommodoro

Texas

3.35/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a very deep gold colour with a tiny head. The smell is a very fragrant sweet, fruity, grain smell. Smells like it's gonna be real good.
Ugh. I was wrong. I hate it when beer scents trick me like that. The beer's not bad, it's just not what it smells like and it's not at all astounding. The bite is quite nice. I like the alcohol level. And I like the grain, but as I often do with American crafts, I think it's too covered by hops. Tastes dry-hopped. The apricot flavour imparted by the hops sounds nice. And I'm glad it's not overly resinous, but I do think it would be better with less of it. As it stands, it's an OK beer. I'm not at all impressed with it.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 00:25:33 | More by ElCommodoro

cyclonece09

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a light amber with a little head, but has lacing down the glass. Smells heavily of a roasted malt, very nice full aroma. Tastes of lightly roasted grain with a slight fruity taste, a nice surprise. This light bodied beer goes down real smooth and has perfect carbonation. Overall a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 23:51:29 | More by cyclonece09

UCLABrewN84

California

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Best by 5/11/12.

Pours a clear orange with a 1/2 inch foamy orange-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt and some floral hop aromas. Taste is of malt up front with some floral and perfume-like hop flavors on the finish. There is a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is easy to drink but not something I would get again.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 01:35:26 | More by UCLABrewN84

DavidST

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, I've had this one in the fridge for a little while so I'm not sure how fresh it is. Anyways this pours a light golden color with a small semi short lived white head. The smells are of crisp grassy hops, a little sweetness and malts. The feel is medium. The taste is more bitter than expected, followed by some strong malts, along with a strong alcohol presence.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 06:09:07 | More by DavidST

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

2.9/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured into a Pint Glass

Appearance - Golden/Yellow straw color with a rather haze. Head pours around 1 finger in width and is very fizzy. Not much to speak of in terms of lacing

Smell - I'm getting sweet yeasts, barley and grassy notes. Also I'm getting some light Pilsner-like scents in here as well.

Taste - Light floral hops, sweet yeasts, barley and malts. It does taste a bit boozy upfront but it still tastes okay

Mouthfeel - Pretty light bodied with some rather intense carbonation. It sadly isn't the kind of beer that is crisp or refreshing to drink either.

Overall - It's an average tasting lager that's held back by an unbalanced flavor and an even more unbalanced palate feel. I wouldn't recommend buying this

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 04:28:25 | More by NuclearDolphin

Brenden

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This lager is a mostly clear but just slightly hazed brilliant gold-orange that develops a nice, thick and chunky off-white, almost yellowish head that settles to one finger and leaves lacing that, while spotty, is plentiful.
This is a distinctive one, balanced between dry and sweet, a bit of wood on the dry side with something unusual in the sweetness that works for this beer, almost but not quite fruity with something like bubble gum but not quite. Again, unusual. A bit of pepper finishes it out in a sweet finish with just a tinge of alcohol. I was concerned with the screw cap at first, but this is a good lager, packed with flavor for what it is.
The body is crisp and light but doesn't give up smoothness, which comes out filling without being too much. Alcohol tingles and dries up the finish a touch.
The lager-hating community should give this one a shot. I was pleasantly surprised.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 18:50:22 | More by Brenden