It’s that time of year again. The sun is out longer, the days are getting warmer and, while I still enjoy my fair share of stouts at this point in the year, I have been enjoying some really tasty IPAs.
Full Sail Brewing’s latest in their Brewmaster Reserve line of beers, is Hop Pursuit, an extra pale ale that packs a pretty decent amount of hops into a 22oz bottle. Brewed with Cascade, Willamette, and Mt. Hood hops, the beer is hoppy, but not overly so.
Appearance
Hop Pursuit pours a golden orange in color with a large fluffy white head.
Aroma
It’s got a wonderful hop presence on the nose that’s not too citrus-like, but instead leans more toward a piny resin. There’s a small bit of malt mixed in there as well. Overall, Hop Pursuit has a well balanced, smooth aroma.
Taste
This brew has a nice piny and earthy tone with a good bit of malt balancing it out. The hops have a bit more of a citrus/grapefruit character in the taste than the nose, but for the most part the beer isn’t too fruity in that regard. The finish is on the drier side with a welcome bitterness.
Overall
At about 6% ABV, I found this one quite drinkable. It’s got a well rounded, traditional and earthy hop presence with a great crisp, bitter finish that suited me perfectly on a warm afternoon. I don’t recall what I paid for the bottle, but I don’t believe it was high enough to scare me away from another couple of bottles or five.
Rating: 3.5/5
August 19th, 2010
Full Sail LTD 01 | To Ale With You said:
[...] only had one other Full Sail brew (Hop Pursuit) in the time that I’ve run this blog. It’s only been recently appearing more and more [...]