Full Sail IPA - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

harrymel

Washington

1.95/5  rDev -45.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Best by 23JAN13

Pours a nice golden ale with a near solid sheet of fine white foam. Brilliant clarity. Smells like grain, simple grain and some hints of herbal hops - not anything like the current trend in IPA, more english and more oxidized. Flavor doesn't diverge much from the nose: oxidized malts and bitterness with little depth and complexity. Not impressive. Medium bodied with sharp carb and an off dry finish. This beer is too one dimensional and a little oxidized for my preferences.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 03:47:08 | More by harrymel

jhchan

Ontario (Canada)

2.08/5  rDev -41.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Served in a pint on tap @ Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse

A- Pours a bright gold color.

S- Very faint hop aroma.

T- Contrary to other reviews I've read, it was NOT very hoppy, but was dry and not overly bitter. No lingering tastes. Frankly quite boring.

M- Low carbonation (maybe an old keg?)

O- Not a very satisfying beer. Not an IPA with much bite, hops, or flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2011 03:19:26 | More by jhchan

budgood1

Minnesota

2.15/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

pours out a sun drenched light copper colour with a off white thin head. the thin head retains itself quite well...lending to some clinging lace. muted vegetal and metallic nose...some herbal hop notes and sugary malts. upon tasting, the first thing that comes to mind is that there is no way that this is an IPA. i've had pale ales with more hop character than this offering. the malt bill is suspiciously and seemingly adjunct ridden with no real hop flavour except for some raw bitterness in the back end. it really doesn't even taste that good. full bodied but in a bad way...it has a slick and syrupy mouthfeel with a less than optimal sweet finish. drinkability suffers because after two bottles, this is really disappointing.

not sure what's going on here. freshness dating has a best by date of 03/09/2011. maybe it was mishandled in some manner? this is not a high quality ale, let alone an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 20:59:19 | More by budgood1

jcalabre

California

2.17/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I originally sampled this beer on 28 June 2002. I am writing this review from my notes.
Appearance: This is a copper colored IPA.
Flavor: Up front, it is quite hoppy. It finishes with a bitter flavor.It's not well balanced. There are so many fine IPA's out there that far exceed this one in quality. Try one of those.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2003 03:14:47 | More by jcalabre

GPHarris

Alabama

2.17/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

a - poured a one finger thick off-white head into a tulip glass that left a thin ring and sheet. the body was a hazy dark amber color.
s - acquired this in a trade about a month ago. the freshness date on the bottle says 090509 so i'm assuming this is a 2009. hence the hop aroma is almost gone. there is a sweet caramel breadiness that dominates the aroma.
t - same caramel and bread taste. just the faintest of hop flavor.
m - medium.
d - i probably shouldn't rate this beer here but i'm leaving this disclaimer that this would probably be a much better beer if it wasn't almost 2 years old.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 23:54:18 | More by GPHarris

mickeymac

California

2.42/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle, it got off to a decent start with a nice golden-orange color and a rather thick head. It has a fairly pronounced hop aroma, but lurking beneath the hops is a somehow bland malt smell. The taste is decent at first, but it quickly becomes a bit off-putting. A musky almost garbage-like taste makes this one hard to finish. To make matters worse, it's on the watery side. After trying a couple from the six pack to ensure they weren't bottles the remainder have sat in the fridge awaiting the visit of a friend or relative who will see it as a nice alternative to the usual Budweiser.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2006 02:32:34 | More by mickeymac

jasonjlewis

Texas

2.45/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Best by 11-30-07

Pours a 2 finger head that quickly dissipates. Clear amber color.

Almost nothing on the nose. The faintest hops and caramel malts. I get next to nothing on the nose.As the beer warms some cooked vegetable notes come out, smells like cooked corn

The taste is of weak caramel malts with weak hops. This is an IPA? Tastes more like a regular pale ale that is moderately hopped. There is a hop bitterness with a slight caramel malting sweetness, but it's very bleh. Nothing exciting. Very boring beer. Not bad. The malts and hops are there, but they are faint and boring. As the beer warms I get a cooked corn taste in the backround.
More of an english ipa than american.

Decent carbonation on the palate, clings fairly well. I would like it a little less carbonated.

If you want to try a new beer, pick this up, but there are much better IPAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2007 09:31:45 | More by jasonjlewis

djwilson

Ohio

2.45/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: hazy copper, light orange hue with hite head that lingers for several minutes disipating to thin coating that leaves a nice lace along sides of pint glass.

Smell: light citrus, caramel, slight grapefruit.

Taste: caramel, slightly bitter finish with flavor that lingers for severl minutes, almost soapy.

Mouthfeel: pretty light for a west coast IPA, overall OK nothing great.

Drinkability: This beer is not a great example of a west coast IPA, maybe the bottle is not fresh or was not stored properly at the store before being pu in the cooler.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2008 01:38:13 | More by djwilson

bennetj17

Arizona

2.48/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Fine appearance, with pillowy foam atop a rich copper brew. The aroma is weak, with a light, rain-like hoppiness. Not particularly inviting. The taste is lightly nutty, with some weak hops. The flavor is basically tangy, and instead of a bitter finish it is more of a light sourness that isn't too appealing. The carbonation is decent, but the mouthfeel is quite thin/watery. I probably could finish this glass, but for an IPA it's very boring and more like mass-produced macro garbage...

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2006 03:07:34 | More by bennetj17

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

2.48/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear copper, with a little over a finger of frothy off-white head. This retains with a soapy looking ½ finger that has a nice flare-up to it, leaving back some foamy swathes of sticky lacing. The aroma is herbal and floral, with some bright citrus notes that leaning very heavily towards the lemony side of things. Flat smelling sweet grains add some tang underneath.

The taste is pretty much the same as the nose, with bitter citrus rind and a smack of lemon zest being balanced by a mix of sugars and tight toasted malts. At least there is some more sweetness here than there was in the aroma. This finishes with a raw veggie quality that lingers on the tongue. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a crisp creamy feel that is cut by some underlying slickness. To its credit, there is no alcohol present and this is mostly easy feeling for its size.

I just wasn't a fan of the Full Sail offering. Both the malt and hop profile just had an all around flat feel to them with no robustness of any kind going on. Freshness wasn't an issue with this bottle either. It just didn't give up enough flavors for a Pale Ale, much less an IPA. Points go to this for the easy feeling body on it but I would not revisit this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 18:11:05 | More by Kegatron

scott

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

V.07

Bright, with a copper to pale yellow fade. Well carbonated and clear, this is begging me for a pull. Boring. This doesn't even do a Pale justice. Thin, watery and down-right uninspired. This is a lifeless beer, and is probably a Corona guy's wetdream as he's thinking he found the next New Belgium replacement. This would be good when you want to drink a beer but aren't particularly in the mood to taste it. Crisp & easy drinking, much like a soda or tonic water.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2007 03:11:30 | More by scott

jtierney89

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear golden color with lots of visible carbonation with about a 1 finger head which recedes to a white crytal-like lace.

Lots of tobacco on the nose along with some biscuit like graininess. Unimpressive unfortunately.

Alot of tobacco in the flavors as well. And this bottles only about two weeks old. Crisp and medium in body. Body is solid though, no weak points and it's held together well. Decent hop finish with a very dry cracker like feeling on the back of the tongue. The hops are very earthy rather than your normal flavors and such.

Different but not in a good way, i understand this breweries been around forever but this IPA just isnt that good. Some barnyard and horse blanket flavors are present too.

Crisp and refreshing at least.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 04:50:33 | More by jtierney89

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: pretty clear. golden with a bit of orange. big fluffy head. good lacing, but not great retention.

S: almost english smelling. a very mild bitterness. a sort of waffle-like aroma.

T: earthy. slightly chalky bitterness. a sweet honey hits and then slightly minty. a little bit of toasts. mostly just a little bit of this and a little bit of that, not a solid hop presence with a solid malt backbone.

M: moderate carbonation on a medium body.

D: not even close to your typical AIPA out of Oregon, which is a bad thing in my opinion. not grabbing this off the shelves again when im craving some hops.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 02:01:15 | More by Jimmys

Chaz33187

California

2.55/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.25

a- golden very bubbly
s- quite boozy smell, no hint of hops
t- very bitter and malty, no recognizable ipa taste, definitely one of my least favorite beers
m- smooth and relatively thin, a little bit of welcomed carbonation
o- I left it in the freezer and drank it super cold- it still let me down. Nothing surprising or exciting at all. By no means "Ridiculously Tasty"

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 05:40:01 | More by Chaz33187

Crosling

Colorado

2.58/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Draught. Light copper. Gentle, pine & grapefruit hop blend in the aroma but the aroma is very subtle. Meek body and malt profile and the hops arn’t even vibrant or very flavorful, just a bit medicinal and piney. The malt presence must have perished along the way from Oregon to Colorado, which is something I find in so many of Full Sail’s smaller beers.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2006 03:20:15 | More by Crosling

JEdmund

Kansas

2.58/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Appearance
Light golden orange—lighter and more honey-colored than most IPAs; completely clear with lots of carbonation bubbles furiously rising; modest half inch head (probably could have poured a taller one) and good lacing left throughout

Smell
Very floral, almost perfumey, with just a dash of pine and citrus bitterness; there's a familiarity here, but I don't know my hops well enough to place it; not my favorite hop type for aroma, but it's not unappealing either.

Taste & Mouth Feel
Crisp and DRY! There's a lasting hoppiness long after you've tasted it; light to medium body; weak back end that's fairly flat and watery; the flavor lingers but no weight to it; the bitterness really starts to make itself known after three or four sips; leaves such a dryness in the mouth! would like some malt to chew on and subdue these bitter hops; extremely lemony and so bitter it makes my spit congeal; becomes too bitter mid-way, and that's even while splitting the bottle!

Overall
I had yet to taste an IPA that was too bitter for me until this one. It really tastes like someone squeezed half a large lemon into this beer. It really ruined it for me and made it unenjoyable towards the end. It's a pretty one-dimensional beer and could benefit from more malt to balance it and less bittering hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2007 13:53:32 | More by JEdmund

cvfish

Louisiana

2.58/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - poured a light amber color that produced a foamy white head that disappeared and left little lacing around the glass

S - minimal hops and malts, nothing inspiring

T - small amounts of hops and malts hit the tongue, with some bitterness

M - medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation

D - not a great tasting IPA, left a lot to the imagination

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2008 23:08:30 | More by cvfish

bucklemyshoe

Georgia

2.58/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz. for $1.69. The pour is yellow-orange with no head. The aroma (coincidentally the best part of the brew) consists of hops, citrus, and some bready malt. The tast is nearly all hops with some random lemon, caramel, and coriander kicked in. The finish was strange. Overall, it was pretty unbalanced (unimpressed).

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2010 05:49:43 | More by bucklemyshoe

kojevergas

California

2.58/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap acquired at a Trader Joe's and reviewed live in me gaff in Los Feliz, California. Served into a Uinta pilsner glass. Expectations are average given the brewery - which has been sort of meh for me in the past. Best before 12/18/12. 6.0%.

Not paired with anything. Served straight from the fridge.

A: Pours a two finger beige colour head of some mild cream, above average thickness, and good retention. Colour is a clear pale yellow. No yeast particles. No bubble show. Not particularly vibrant.

Sm: Generic floral hops, clean malts, some cream, and very light citrus. Appealing and fresh. An average strength aroma.

T/Mf: Generic floral hops and slick clean malts. Some artifical cream. The sugary artificial malts don't cover up the hop bitterness on the climax. As a result, the balance is impaired. A bit buttery. Overly smooth and wet, not allowing the flavour to shine through. Simple and underwhelming.

Dr: Drinkable but meh. Another middling bottle of mediocrity from Full Sail. I suppose it's priced well for what it is. A very lackluster beer in the style. More a pale ale than an IPA. I wouldn't bother with this again. Doesn't make me excited for more Full Sail beers.

C-

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 05:48:09 | More by kojevergas

TheLongBeachBum

California

2.6/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Presentation: 12 fluid ounce bottle picked up at Trader Joes. Has the newer but still generic Full Sail Label. This one is yellow, orange with dark blue and the “IPA” in green text. Listed as 6.0% By Vol. Braille like punching has Enjoy By: 070606.

Appearance: Easy single pour of the 12 ounce into my 20 ounce Mug produces a large off-white head that leaves a lasting set of lace rings as I work my way down the drink. Golden-amber body with a very clean filtered presentation. A handful of lazy streamers punctuate the torso. Looks pretty good at first but the head dies down before the end of the drink and lessens the overall mark.

Nose: Light toasted malts, floral twists with a background orange peel. Very earthy, almost musty such as that experienced from old faded hops. Finishes with a gentle herbal quality but the musty nature tends to be off-putting.

Taste: Citric entrance, lemon soaked malts with…..wait a minute, here comes that earthy musty faded hop aspect. Now it’s starting to really annoy me. It tastes old, like a faded English IPA, where are the fresh hops!? Bitterness breaks through the faded hop character but its low end stuff.

Mouthfeel: Average carbonation does lend a helping hand but it cannot rescue this IPA from certain blandness.

Drinkability: I picked up a Six-Pack of the IPA at Trader Joe’s on the strength of the lovely Pale Ale. I soooo wish I hadn’t.

Overall: I enjoy the odd Full Sail Amber Ale, and I dearly love the Pale Ale, so I’m very disappointed with the IPA, I expected so much more. I am at a loss to think as to why I should even buy this because the IPA doesn’t seem to sufficiently differentiate itself enough from the excellent Pale Ale. Under-hopped with a dank musty feel, and sloppy malts. Tastes like something Greene King. Urghh!!!

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2006 02:22:03 | More by TheLongBeachBum

stephens101

Oklahoma

2.6/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours pale orange into a pint glass. One-finger off-white head fades slowly leaving a choppy lacing all around the glass. Smells of stark hops with a unique earthy, almost meaty aroma bringing up the end. Weird. Typical citrus and pine qualities float around in the background. I'm wondering if there's something off with my palate, as there is a queer quality to the taste as well that I can't quite describe. Mouth-feel is light. Drinkability is good. I grabbed this one hoping for something a little more hoppy, but what I got was a sub par session beer with some quirkiness going on.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2008 23:11:17 | More by stephens101

cannabanaceae

Washington

2.6/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Appearance was of a cheap lager.
Smell was malty with little hop scent.
the mouth feel was numbing with a alcohol presence. a little bitter but not worthy of the name IPA.
Drinkability was session like and I would love to drink this in place of a bud keg at some random party, but that is not saying much... sorry but I have seen some good brews from this company and I love the motto of Indy but they could hop this one up a bit.. Come on guys you know what I mean

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 06:53:20 | More by cannabanaceae

PeterLemonjello

Alabama

2.65/5  rDev -26%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big fan of Full Sail, the brewery, and several of their beers. I was very excited to try their IPA and was quickly disappointed.

A - Pours a crystal clear golden straw. Questions marks began in my head upon seeing as most IPAs I'm fond up are darker.

S - Actually, if I closed my eyes...I would have guessed I was smelling an Amber. Maybe not quite as bready/malty as most good Ambers but certainly less hoppy than a Pale Ale and not even close to the aroma present in most quality IPAs.

T - Tastes like a decent Pale Ale to me. Very very little bitterness and certainly not much in hop flavor. Maybe a tad citrus, but malt flavors are more prevalent.

M - Solid mouthfeel. Not too thin, not too substantial. Has the mouthfeel of a session beer,

D - This isn't a bad beer, just not a good IPA. If you are looking for hops, steer clear of this one. It's certainly plenty drinkable if you're a fan of Pale Ales.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2009 23:31:20 | More by PeterLemonjello

brentk56

North Carolina

2.68/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a nice white head that leaves many shards of lacing

Smell: Lightly toasted malt with a rather citric, almost herbacious quality; a touch of unpleasant solvent, too

Taste: Starts out with a toasted malt flavor that is joined, mid-palate by a lemony citrus flavor; after the swallow, the herbacious elements kick in, ruining the balance

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation; harsh mouthfeel after the swallow

Drinkability: A very poor example of a west coast IPA

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2007 00:44:56 | More by brentk56

goschool

California

2.7/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The pour is gold approaching amber with a white head that has good retention and leaves more the average lacing. The nose has earthy, herbal hops with a touch of orange. This stuff tastes like Lagunitas IPA would if it was stale and you poured lemon juice in it. There's a British character along with the PNW in this, but musty hops and too much lemon ruin anything tasty or drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2006 07:09:50 | More by goschool