Full Nelson Virginia Pale Ale
Blue Mountain Brewery

Full Nelson Virginia Pale AleFull Nelson Virginia Pale Ale
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From:
Blue Mountain Brewery
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
Ranked #763
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
85
Ranked #20,759
Avg:
3.78 | pDev: 11.64%
Reviews:
207
Ratings:
644
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 20, 2023
Added:
Nov 02, 2007
Wants:
  32
Gots:
  109
15 degrees Plato
60 IBUs
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by IBUnit63:
Photo of IBUnit63
Reviewed by IBUnit63 from Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Purchased at Whole Foods in Charlottesville; BBD 8/2009. Poured into a Coronado pint glass.

It has that meaty, full-finger latte-colored head that typifies the style. A little clearer than the average bear, a clean, dark copper-colored body shows off ample carbonation. Head retention and lacing are quite decent.

There is faint citrus on the nose from the hops; a little floral and a tinge of earthy grass. A sweetness emerges with slight caramel butterscotch tones...almost even a little warm cotton candy if you can believe that. If nothing else this is quite balanced.

The first taste yields a stronger hop profile - the citrus morphs into more of a grapefruit rind flavor and more pine is detected. The solid crystal malt backbone keeps a fair amount of balance in the mix, with the sweetness much more muted than on the nose...this one is pretty dry overall and quite pleasant. The carbonation in the mix actually gives it an even drier feel than would be expected.

There's definitely a solid hop bite to this as expected. Maybe even a miniscule alcohol burn, though not sweet. Citrus waxes and wanes in and out throughout the pint; an extremely austere malt backbone persists. Finish has a deep, bright, hoppy texture. This is what hop burps are made of.

In one word: Solid. An extremely well-constructed, balanced, even-keeled APA. A bigger hop bite than most with the malt backbone tethering it a bit to ensure solid drinkability. Not necessarity straightforward but maybe not ridiculously complex, either. A gateway hop bomb? Maybe. Either way, it's damn good.
Apr 09, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.84 by BeerBeast from Florida

Sep 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4.04 by Schaffer7 from Pennsylvania

Aug 09, 2023
 
Rated: 3.8 by TheEpeeist from Maryland

Jun 13, 2023
Photo of TeachChefs
Reviewed by TeachChefs from Pennsylvania

4.69/5  rDev +24.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Poured with a beautiful amber head.
And a nice color ale. Not clear and not cloudy. Almost thought it was unfiltered.
Nice flavor.
Only bought one on a recent road trip, I wish I bought more.
Aug 28, 2022
Photo of jmvogel512
Reviewed by jmvogel512 from Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Been a couple years since I had this one and glad I rediscovered it. Really great pale ale with the perfect balance malt to hop bitterness. Gives the classic west coast pale ale / IPA vibes and reminds me of a Dogfish 60 min.
Jul 24, 2022
 
Rated: 3.02 by Kubishark from Maryland

Oct 08, 2021
Photo of jeffdr123
Reviewed by jeffdr123 from Florida

3.72/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On tap at Capital Ale with Randy Love. A pretty tan. I'd serve this right next to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. A good bit of bite, but also a nice malt undertone.
Mar 28, 2021
Photo of Gr8tefuldawg
Reviewed by Gr8tefuldawg from Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
malty , nice IPA flavor, without overly bitter or bites taste. Enjoying this thus far, would bring this to a enjoy. Nice caramel color in glass. Very nice beer, not for those searching for overly tropical or deep flavors.
Mar 21, 2021
 
Rated: 3.9 by Laughbaum from Virginia

Jan 26, 2021
 
Rated: 3.69 by Jonathan-Morgan from Florida

Dec 29, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by Velivolus1 from Vermont

Jul 20, 2020
 
Rated: 3.85 by DrBass from Maryland

May 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by Velivolus from Vermont

Nov 27, 2019
 
Rated: 3.79 by harsley from Massachusetts

Sep 29, 2019
 
Rated: 4.51 by SpectrePLUS from Virginia

Sep 06, 2019
Photo of DuaneL
Reviewed by DuaneL from Delaware

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is a full tasting, satisfying ale. Lots of hops, Not too bitter. Wish we could get this in the mid-Atlantic states, but I don't think they come up this far.
Sep 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.28 by KeyWestGator from Florida

Aug 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by carrcolind from District of Columbia

Feb 16, 2019
Photo of djembeist
Reviewed by djembeist from Virginia

4.11/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
This is a great, complex beer. It pours the color of a brand new penny with a thin white head. The smell is hoppy with grapefruit and bitter orange zest. The taste is bitter and grape-fruity at first, but this your mouth fills with a beautiful floral bouquet. The mouth feel is smooth but not rough, somewhere in between, like a REAL craft beer. This is great beer!
Jan 04, 2019
Full Nelson Virginia Pale Ale from Blue Mountain Brewery
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 644 ratings