Brawny
Fullsteam Brewery

Had on draft at the brewery.
Slightly hazy amber light white ring and lacing. Very subtle nose, almost unnoticeable hops and very slight hint of spruce. Taste is where this beer was really pleasantly surprising- starts with hop bitterness and then finishes with huge flavors of pine. Like the smell of freshly cut Christmas tree but in your mouth! Might turn some people off but I’m a huge fan of spruce smell (Christmas wreath/tree, etc). The spruce hints linger on the finish. Feel is thin and slightly oily.

Probably a divisive beer but one I really enjoyed. If I had easy access to this, I might even make it my annual Christmas tree decorating beer.

 

A: Pours a relatively clear medium to dark copper in color with moderate amounts of active visible carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass and faint medium golden yellow + honey colored highlights. The beer has a three finger tall dense sudsy foamy off-white head that slowly reduces to a medium sized finger thick cap in the center surrounded by a large patch of thick film covering the remainder of the surface of the beer and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of citrus/grapefruit pith, citrus/orange zest, dank pine/resin, and herbal hops over the top of light to moderate aromas of biscuit + toasted malts with minimal amounts of caramel sweetness. Hints of woodiness + Christmas tree.

T: Upfront there are just shy of moderate flavors of biscuit + toasted malts with minimal amounts of caramel sweetness. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of Fraser Fir (Christmas tree) with a light to moderate amount of woodiness. Finally there are moderate flavors of citrus/grapefruit pith, citrus/orange zest, dank pine/resin, and herbal hops which contribute a light to moderate amount of bitterness which fades away relatively quickly leaving a lingering Christmas tree flavor.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: Definitely an interesting brew and the smell + flavor of Fraser Fir Christmas tree really comes through in it. The alcohol is well hidden and it is a decently balanced IPA underneath. I enjoyed this one but I'm not sure that I could have another of these in a single session.

 

Fullsteam delivers an IPA with the infusion of Fraser Fir tips.
L: Semi hazy golden with a nice white crown.
S: Piney with some muted tropical fruit undertones.
T: Hops forward, a bite from the evergreen, a good malt balance. Enjoyable.
F; Sticky, a just right level of carbonation.
O: A good, solid IPA. The Fir tips adds a dank, sticky aspect that would've made this one a good beer to have sitting next to the Christmas tree.