LTD Series - 05 - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

thekevlarkid

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Out of a bottle this beer was a copper color that had some amber highlights that could be seen when held up to the light. The off-white head retained itself rather well and it left bands of lacing. The aroma was of caramel malt, bready malt, yeast, hints of nuts and some green/grassy hops. The flavors were similar with the sweet malt coming first followed by notes of bread and biscuits as well as yeast and then at the end the pleasant bitterness of floral hops. As it warmed up I detected some notes of citrus in the hop finish as well but they were still delicate enough to compliment the malt elements. The mouthfeel was good, the body medium and the carbonation good.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 22:56:35 | More by thekevlarkid

mralphabet

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle poured into pint glass

A: Very nice clear, reddish-amber color with good 2 fingers worth of head that settled to a nice layer with good lacing.

S: Sweet malts, with hints of caramel, nuts, and toast.

T: Just like the smell... Sweet malt right up front with a light nuttiness mixed with a little caramel... Mid palette I'm getting some burned toast. Finish is clean with very little aftertaste.

M: Medium-bodied, with a light carbonation. Overall pretty smooth.

O: Not a bad Redm but nothing crazy different about it. Good clean Red with a good ABV. If you like Red's you will like this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 04:09:04 | More by mralphabet

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired via trade from Wasatch so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light coppery brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains lager yeast, caramelized malts, honey, some fruit and a little bit of hops.

T: The taste starts out with bready flavors from a lager yeast and a hearty malt character followed by sweet flavors of caramel and fruit. The hops presence is mild but complementary and creates a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 04:16:43 | More by TheManiacalOne

smcolw

Massachusetts

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

Modest one-finger head. The brew is deep amber/light brown color. Nearly clear. The lace doesn't stick to the glass--it just slides down back into the rim bubbles.

Lots of earthiness to this brew, mostly from the crystal malts. No notable hop.

The taste is of a traditional "red"--lots of crystal malt flavors (without much sweetness). There's enough hop to give some balance, but it is really a malt brew. Compared to most Ambers, I'd say the body is on the thinner side.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 01:54:17 | More by smcolw

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up in Totowa even though I've had a ton of beers of this style as of late. This poured quite dark and at first, it seemed like more of a Brown or a Scotch ale because of the hue and alcohol content. As it warmed up, I still wasn't sure how to take this beer, but it was quite enjoyable and went down pretty easily.

Not much of a head and minimal lacing could be seen. Ditto for the aroma, which was faint and had a roasted tone to it. Lots of malt here with a bit of caramel too. The mouthfeel was a bit like a Scotch Ale without the stickiness and the carbonation was good enough to lead to a crisp aftertaste. This felt full without weighing me down but was just a bit too sticky to completely enjoy.

This isn't the best Amber I've had and because it tasted and felt strong, I wouldn't have more than one in a sitting. It's a good effort on Full Sail's behalf but it's just a bit dark and not hoppy enough to fit the bill. By itself, this is a good beer to kick back with after a long day.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 21:05:16 | More by JerzDevl2000

chinchill

South Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle dated 6/7/11 served in a pint glass.

Pours a clear red-brown (dark amber) color with a large head of light beige foam. Head dies down to a lasting thin coat and leaves a little lacing.

A - Not much aroma except for a not particularly attractive aroma of mixed grains.

T: Killian's

MF: Light/medium body; good medium carbonation

O - Sacrilegious to say this, perhaps, but this is very similar to, and certainly no better than, Killiians Red.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 22:03:25 | More by chinchill

Gatch

Massachusetts

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

The date on the bottle says 8/5/11 so I'm assuming that this beer is technically "past date." Having known that, it tastes fine.

A - Brownish amber in color with a good-sized off-white head that fades quickly. The glass is completely devoid of lace where beer once stood.

S - Malt and some more malt. A bit of alcohol.

T - The malt is definitely there but there is a very nice fruitiness that isn't too sweet. Alcohol is present.

M - Can be a bit cloying. The sweetness lingers. Maybe that is the case with most lagers?

A good lager.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 08:44:12 | More by Gatch

Spikester

Oregon

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear dark amber, almost brown with a three finger foamy off white head. Head lasts about five minutes and leaves good lacing. Smell is grainy malts. Taste is sweet caramel malts and just barely enough hops. Easy drinking, with just enough carbonation for proper mouthfeel. A bit of spicy leathery hops on the back of the tongue. Medium bitter/ sweet finish. Overall a very fine amber. Good job Full Sail.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 06:48:55 | More by Spikester

flagmantho

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich amber hue with a crystal-clear body. Head is a thin finger of frothy ivory foam without much staying power. Not too bad.

Smell: biscuity and slightly nutty caramel aroma. Not bad, if not precisely to my taste.

Taste: smooth caramel malt flavor with some dry biscuitiness at the backend. Hop flavor is earthy, if anything, and bitterness is low but present. Not too bad.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a fizzy consistency. Not too bad for a refreshing mouthfeel.

Overall: not bad at all. It seems like it is better than the sum of its parts; it reminds me of a nice Mexican Vienna lager, but a bit drier. I'd have this again.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 02:41:51 | More by flagmantho

DrewSnyc667

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 Oz bottle poured into a pint glass

A - Copper in color, rather dark. Whtie pillowy head it thin and recedes quickly. Sticky lacing throughout

S - Roasted malts, very bread like. Smoked peat is unique and prevalent. Smells similar to burnt rye bread

T - Dark malts are very upfront. A bit to much smoke for me as it leaves a sticky aftertaste that I am not a fan of. Some of the lighter notes like vanilla and caraway seeds round out the finish

M - Rather smooth, surprising for the smokiness of it

O - Not my beer, the smokey peat is just to much for me. May be something others would like though

I'm a big fan of Full Sail, but this one misses the mark for me

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 20:40:06 | More by DrewSnyc667

merc7186

New York

3.63/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer from a 12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

The beer pours very well with a nice reddish, brown hue to it. The head is full with a nice white creaminess to it and decent lacing. The smell has a nice scent of malt, mild caramel, a hint of coffee and a great mild smokiness to it. The taste is decent with the roasted malt flavors coming through instantly, which is then followed up with the light caramel flavor and a hint of coffee on the back end. The mouthfeel is nice with a lingering sweetness and mild carbonation that lasts on. Overall, this is a great beer from a brewer that I have never experienced before. If they do this well with most of their beers, then I would gladly pick them up in the future. As for this beer, it is part of their limited lager series and worth getting.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 01:03:49 | More by merc7186

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, procured in Helena, MT.

This beer pours a clear, dark copper hue, with two fingers of dense foamy pale beige head, which leaves some swaths of packing popcorn lace around the glass as it recedes. It smells of toasted biscuity cereal malts, some musty fruitiness, and earthy hops. The taste is fruity biscuit malt, a bit of toasted caramel, and musty, dusty, floral hops. The carbonation is on the low side of average, the body medium weight, and mostly smooth. It finishes well off-dry, the malt now less crisp and biscuity, and more caramelized.

I can't say that I really love amber ales, so the entreaty to 'convert to lagerism' kind of falls on deaf ears. However, with the solid biscuit/cracker nature of a good lager, and the colour and bearing of a standard red ale - this is indeed a decent gateway beer - for the rare extant craft drinker who only has had lager up to this point.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 02:24:42 | More by biboergosum

nandemo1

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a deep amber, very clear with a modest head that quickly dissipated with no lacing.

Smell and taste are both of lightly roasted malts with a bit of caramel as well. A bit sweet.

Mouthfeel is light and crisp.

Overall, a decent warm weather/session brew, but still not complex enough to make me "convert to lagerism" as the bottle states.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 19:34:40 | More by nandemo1

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours amber with a finger of cream colored head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Sweet cereal notes & pear juice

T: Follows the nice, some caramel & grainyness up front, plus some metallic & herbal hop notes, plus a touch of canned pears. Dryness, crisp floral hops as this warms along with more pears & a touch of white grape juice mixed with more sweet cereal notes. Finishes fairly crisp & grassy

MF: Light/medium bodied, firm carbonation, pretty decent balance, but body thins out as this warms

An easy drinker, but nothing special here

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 02:00:47 | More by russpowell

jlindros

Massachusetts

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

Pours a fizzy almost 1 finger head that fades semi quickly over crystal clear toasty amber color with lots of bubbles rising from the etch at the bottom.

Nose has some light malts, slight lager fruits, a bit of crisp lager aromas, light sweet malts and hint of toasty, the slightest hint of floral hops.

Taste starts semi sweet, some sweet slight toasty malts, a bit of a caramel and reddish malt flavor, then some light sweet lager fruits, fairly crisp tasting but not big, a bit more caramel later on the taste as it finishes, a slight bitterness with the slightest hint of floral hops in there that disappear long before the finish, with a bit of caramel syrup , and hint of unhappy lager yeast like skunk on the finish.

Mouth is medium bodied, decent carbonation, bit sticky on the mouth.

Overall not bad, nothing special, the lager yeast doesn't play as well with the toasted caramel malts, a little syrupy, and seems like the lager yeast was rushed a bit as it didn't add as many great lager flavors as usual, and hints of an off flavor. Also where are the hops?

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 21:29:51 | More by jlindros

argock

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into a clear weizen glass. Best by 080511 on bottleneck. 6-pack purchased at World Market (Charlottesville, VA) for $8.99.

A: Clear as day amber with hefty 1-2 finger beige head with good retention and several rings of lace down the glass.

S: Superb toasted and biscuity malty notes up front supplement the substantial caramel, and mild herbal, grassy, floral hops come through in the back end. Not too sweet, but a little more noble hops character in the nose would be okay with me.

T: LTD #5 is an excellent amber lager. It drinks with a malt-forward flavor and some residual sweetness, which I think fits this style very well. The toast and biscuit qualities of the nose are present in the flavor, with more of a nod toward the biscuit flavors. Caramel drapes over all the flavor and the hops provide accent with noble notes of grass and herbal sharpness.

M: A very creamy feel for a lager with relatively low carbonation for the style to give it a softer feel and better drinkability/sessionability.

O: I thought this was one of the better LTDs to come through, although I have liked most of them pretty well. This amber lager really slams the malt aroma and flavor and provides it in a highly creamy, drinkable brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 03:52:57 | More by argock

WesWes

New York

4.43/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a light amber color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great! It has a dry, malty scent that boasts of sweet caramel malts and light biscuit malt breadiness. The taste is great as well. It has a very smooth, bready flavor. It goes down easy with a touch of sweetness and a dry lager yeast finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a very good amber lager. It's complex, yet highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 16:24:16 | More by WesWes

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Full Sail LTD Series - 05
12 oz. bottle; code: 070811 13:05 FL

Appearance: Surprisingly dark amber that borders on becoming Russet brown... some where around 23 or 24 SRM. Creamy off-white head. Very good head retention and lacing.

Smell: Toasty and bready caramel malts that are just slightly sweet. Mild grassy and leafy hops.

Taste: Fairly rich bready and caramelish malt with a gently toasted edge and some nice nuttiness. Grassy, leafy, and spicy hops. Firm bitterness. Well-rounded and polished. Smooth across the palate. Nicely balanced to give a dollop of sweetness at the swallow followed by a drying finish as the malt fades and the spicy hops emerge.

Mouthfeel: Creamy smooth with a medium body and a moderate, fine-bubbled carbonation.

Overall: If more brewers would put as much effort into their amber ales and lagers as Full Sail has done, the style wouldn't be waning. Quite pleasant. Certainly worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 20:22:43 | More by NeroFiddled

u2carew

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz longneck twist off.
A) Pours with a two finger head that slowly settles. Clear copper colored body. Active carbonation. Thin, sticky lacing on the drink down.
S) Subtle hints of honey. Bready. Tree fruit.
T) Grainy. Toasty caramel notes. Quite malty throughout with some typical dry and slight sour tones in the finish.
M) Fizzy up front. Medium body. Dry in the finish.
O) A decent brew. Nice flavor profile. I'd definitely drink another.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 00:06:37 | More by u2carew

seand

California

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark bubbly amber, relatively clear, with a small layer of off white head. A thin layer retains on the surface and around the edge of the glass, leaving nice walls of lacing.

S: Malty sweetness with a light grainy note.

T: Mild sweetness, with a touch of a slightly vinous fruity note on the finish. Pleasant, if not too exciting.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation.

Overall it's pretty decent, but not outstanding. I'd probably try it on tap if I saw it somewhere, but I doubt I'll buy a six-pack again.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 04:57:47 | More by seand

lisomiso

California

3.18/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked this one up as part of a mixed six-pack. It's ok. I don't really like it that much, but my other beer isn't cold yet, so it's better than no beer at all. It smells clean, and the lightly bitter finish is refreshing, but there's something in the malt profile I don't like and can't quite put my finger on. I suppose it goes down just fine as long as I'm not thinking about it.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 02:56:00 | More by lisomiso

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Taken from notes on 4.12.11

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A - Pours and amber-orange color with a one finger tan head that is gone quickly. Some lacing.

S - Nutty and malty.

T - Tast is similar, but more spices come through.

D - Pretty mild, slighy malty after taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 08:24:53 | More by HuskyinPDX

stephens101

Oklahoma

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours amber with a finger of resilient off-white head. Sweet malt, a little red hot candy and some apples to the nose. Sweet and a bit grainy to the tongue with a slight hop edge at the end. Light to medium bodied, well balanced and smooth going down. Great summertime brew right here from a series that always satisfies this Full Sail fan.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 00:17:21 | More by stephens101

mdr4669

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

App: Pours a dark and rich amber with about a finger of off-white head. That dissolves quickly leaving virtually no lacing.

Smell: Very muted tones of hops, pine and grass. Some malt and breadiness as well.

Taste: The grassiness maltiness, and bready all come through in the taste. There's the grassiness sticks around a little in the after taste.

MF: Very light, but has good character, a very easy drinker.

OA: Good brew, nothing great, but nothing bad or overpowering as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 18:36:58 | More by mdr4669

silentjay

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours thin and amber/copper with a beautiful cloud-like head that is off-white, retains well, and laces decently.

lots of grainy, bready malts hit the nose first with some nuts and honey, maybe. not much hop aroma, but what is there is herbal and floral.

cereal grains with some nuts and a touch of sweetened chocolate, maybe some toffee. floral and slightly citrus hops on the finish.

crisp, light body with soft carbonation and a slightly oily feel left on the palate that keeps some sweetness lingering.

pretty good. I'd drink again, but not seek out.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 05:18:49 | More by silentjay