Full Sail Wassail Winter Ale

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Aroma is strong and malty with a rich hoppy undertone. It pours a rich, semi-opaque mahogany with a thick, frothy beige head - very appetizing. Flavor is mouth-filling, malty with strong spice hints, plenty of hoppy bitterness, and just a touch of sweetness. Texture is lively and jazzy, and finish is lip-smacking.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

Translucent reddish brown with a thin but dense ecru cap-- quickly resolving to a thin and patchy icing that, nevertheless, leaves traces of lace. Dark dried fruits are sweet in the nose. Much hoppier (and boozier) flavor than the aroma suggests. Some coffee and spice, but not what I was expecting; the aftertaste is unpleasantly bitter. Nice carbonation, but flavor comes across simplistic. It's sad when a beer doesn't quite live up to the promise of either its name or aroma.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

One dimensional for an old ale, but at least the dimension it goes is done in decent fashion. Malty, malty, malty focusing on burnt toast and an overload of crystal malt. Medium bodied with a metallic after taste. Fairly bitter without the hop flavor.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Wow! What a great beer. Pours deep chestnut with a short lasting but thin foam cap. Big malty mouthfeel and a spicy flavor. Aroma, appearance and taste fall just a touch short of what I would call spectacular. Finish is just a little thin too, but hey, for the cost, this is a terrific beer.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Good Winter Warmer. This is a difficult style to pull off. Full Sail’s entry manages to provide an interesting flavor profile without overindulging in any particular Winter Warmer cliche. The beer pours dark brown with a healthy beige cap. Bubbles lace the glass as the liquid level falls. The aroma is Scottish Ale caramel sweet. There are some interesting fruit notes, apricots, peaches, etc. The flavor brings in a strong and very much appreciated bitter flavor. It’s not a huge beer or a dramatic beer, but it fulfills the aim of a Winter Warmer without looking to old standby of cloves and other pumpkin pie spices. Re-rated 12/10/09: Not quite as good as I remember.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

A respectable performance, but I found it to be just a tad "typical" - not neccessarily in a bad way, just not living up to some of my more recent tastings. Nice spiciness and maltiness, but still finishes with enough hops to make it interesting. I'd drink it again... and will since I have 4 left.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Very faint aroma of roasted malts, and some chocolate, Deep brown body, with loose laceing. Flavor was decent with some fruit, chocolate and a little nuttiness. Overall it was a decent winter brew.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Nose is that of spice and hops. Pours a deep redish brown. My first pour had very little head wih a light lacing. Taste of spice and roasted hops. Mouthfeel is a little weak. Its not a bad winter ale, but I was expecting more.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

i wanted to enjoy this more but alas ... some choc, raspberry malty aromas .. nice ass head ... good bitter content .. dark brown .. a nice old ale, not overdone .. decent but i don't get it .. the 1 yr aged version i had a few months later was decent too ...

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 6

What to pair with lamb stew? Whole Foods would provide the answer. A very opague, deep, reddish brown colored ale. A little dissappointing on the head. Creamy light tannish head is unimressive and doesn’t hang around. Some soapy lacing. The aroma has strong hops over roasted malts scent. The body is on the light side. Citrus hops and dominate the palate with an underpinning of malt. In its pairing it did what it was suppose to do. It went well with the strong flavors of lamb. A good ale, not an outstanding one.