Wreck The Halls - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

elNopalero

Texas

3.13/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is a blend between an IPA and a winter warmer. Bottle had a best by date of 2/20/2012, opened on 3/8/2012. I’m guessing that it’s not meant to age, after the fact mind you, and my rating bears this in mind. (I guess I was thinking more along the lines of an Anchor “Our Special Ale” than a Sierra Nevada “Celebration”… but if this is a blend of both then what does that mean for freshness and drinkability?)

This pours an amber orange color, slightly musty looking. Perhaps hazy is more accurate. Like a darker orange juice, without pulp.

I guess I’m thinking oranges because that’s the predominant aroma characteristic: a light orange hop smell, more like orange juice than orange zest or a floralness. Actually, it reminds me of the smell of orange concentrate. I have a feeling the hops have, by this point, faded a bit and what remains is more of the residual sweetness and whatever flavors the winter warmer brings to the brew. The beer has a peppery spice to it, and noticeable bitterness without any real hop flavor. It’s not terrible but there’s nothing exciting here, either.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 22:15:40 | More by elNopalero

Zimm

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-15-2013 17:34:26 | More by Zimm

Brewski

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-09-2013 02:43:39 | More by Brewski

Kenai4

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +5.5%

04-22-2013 12:09:12 | More by Kenai4

surfrogue1

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

03-25-2013 03:00:43 | More by surfrogue1

JohnQVD

New York

4/5  rDev +5.5%

03-17-2013 19:41:45 | More by JohnQVD

boozeplease

Maryland

4/5  rDev +5.5%

03-05-2013 17:25:02 | More by boozeplease

nzerbe

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

03-05-2013 11:40:40 | More by nzerbe

Fahz

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

02-15-2013 19:01:34 | More by Fahz

fivetime

Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

02-10-2013 23:16:08 | More by fivetime

dcbeers

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

02-02-2013 01:14:32 | More by dcbeers

powdersoldier

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

01-27-2013 19:56:51 | More by powdersoldier

axeman9182

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -20.8%

01-23-2013 03:21:52 | More by axeman9182

Markito

4/5  rDev +5.5%

01-21-2013 03:07:52 | More by Markito

olfolxholme

California

2.96/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

33

22 oz bottle of 2012 release, into Deschutes tulip snifter

A - Small head. Little retention. Would like more foam, but the color of the beer is a deep pleasant amber. Nice clarity.

S - Faint bready malts. Very faint hops. Nothing unpleasant, but not much to work with.

T - Can definitely detect those "winter warmer" malts. They play nicely with the hop notes, but it's all pretty faint. I want more from this beer. Gets better as it warms.

M - Kind of thin. Almost but not quite watery. Not bad, but not good.

O - So basically I wish this beer would go farther with the concept. In fact, I think the concept is great, and I really enjoyed the taster of this I had a few years back at a Winter Beer Festival. Unfortunately, this beer fails to meet any of my expectations. It's not bad or offensive, but it isn't doing much. Actually, if you are newer to craft beer, etc - you might really like this. I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more at the beginning of my craft beer journey. I'll certainly never turn one down, and I may even check in with this beer next year.

It has a LOT of potential, but Full Sail needs to kick it up a notch. WRECK the halls, please! But really do it next time!

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 07:46:32 | More by olfolxholme

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

01-18-2013 06:01:22 | More by Kelp

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.99/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a clean yet deep amber in color with a finger of head. smells of piney hops, grapefruit, caramel. really grassy aroma, really hoppy.
an earthy bitter taste followed by a very sweet malty backbone and grapefruit flavors combined. nicely balanced. medium body, moderately carbonated, sticky on the mustache.
a really nice ipa for the winter time. nicely balanced and very flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 05:53:16 | More by facundoCNB

scootsmal

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

01-17-2013 18:01:09 | More by scootsmal

TheSixthRing

California

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance - Pours a hazy, ruby amber color with a white, half finger head and sub-par retention, leaving a modest float of bubbles on the top. Lacing is thin, but consistent with fair stick.

Smell - Aroma is hoppy, but also quite earthy. Hits on notes of citrus, pine, caramel, grass and a touch of wood.

Taste - More hop character than the nose would have one believe. Hits on a range of citrus, from orange rind to mild lemon, while touching briefly on notes of grapefruit and pine. Malt is there, but subtle, providing more structure than flavor, though caramel comes through a bit more as the beer warms. Somewhat earthy, woody flavors hit near the finish. Aftertaste is a mild citrus bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body, with lively carbonation. Smooth, with just a hair of creaminess. Goes down with great ease.

Overall - Very good winter warmer/IPA hybrid. Leans more toward the IPA side. Fairly well balanced. One I'll certainly consider purchasing next season.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 06:47:20 | More by TheSixthRing

rbrefbeerman

California

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

01-16-2013 02:10:13 | More by rbrefbeerman

constantine_272

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: ugly mud light grown. Kind of looks like somebody mixed a nitro stout with a he'd. Foam disappeared quickly and left sticky off white rings.

S: smells delicious. Just like an IPA. Doesn't smell toasty at all.

T: Nice full hoppy flavor. A tad lighter on the hops would have balanced out the mild roast flavor a bit better. Think of it more as an ipa with a few roasted grains to make it interesting.

M: nice and light. Not quite as filly or chewy as your standard winter seasonal.

O: I like it. The hops are a little to straightforward and they throw off the balance. Though, I expected a typical dark winter seasonal and this wasn't it. This is hoppier with only a dash of chocolate roasts to round it out a tad. If the hops were toned down slightly, this would be a world class beer. As it stands, it's still a great brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2013 02:06:53 | More by constantine_272

Pjev11

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

01-14-2013 18:36:00 | More by Pjev11

throwerbri

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

01-14-2013 17:26:41 | More by throwerbri

Zkman87

New York

3/5  rDev -20.8%

01-11-2013 15:50:51 | More by Zkman87

westcoastbeerlvr

California

2.75/5  rDev -27.4%

01-10-2013 23:26:25 | More by westcoastbeerlvr