Shortest Day CDA
Full Sail Brewing Company

CDA's aren't really common, but I like them. This isn't the best I've tasted but is still a good beer. Nice malt flavor, roasty, chocolate, coffee, with a little too much hopping. It should be more in 45IBU range is my belief, or maybe not use the Citra hops. Nice sweetness though. 57 IBUs Rated 11-10-2018

I find Full Sail brews generally speaking the most successful beers/ales in the Pacific Northwest.

This is no exception. Malty, yet floral at the same time, with a great mouthfeel. I could drink several of these (which for me is a lot)

12 Oz bottle
Package date 10-01 2018

Pours a solid blackbody that turns into a brilliant mahogany when held up to the light. Tan head, A little visible carbonation, Good thin lacing, decent retention.

A big whiff of Mosaic hops lead the way. Piney and floral. Getting a lttle malt sweetness with faint chocolate notes

Taste is more balanced. The malt sweetness is much more prevelant but with great bitter. VERY NICE !

Medium feel is slightly prickly

I am a HUGE fan of mosaic hops and this beer was very Mosaic hop forward. Nice malting. Really like this beer!...
My new favorite CDA/Black IPA... Bravo, Well done !!

 

Picked up a bomber from TW Arrowhead on 11-25-16 for $4.99. No bottling date visible. Available November thru February so presumably bottled in early November. Been stored in the beer fridge since purchase.

Beer poured brown with a nice tan head that is leaving lacing behind.

Nose is light roast, citrus, notes of chocolate.

Taste is grapefruit and pine over light roasted chocolate accented malts.

Mouthfeel is light bodied, crisp and refreshing.

Overall a very nice rendition of the CDA style which has definitively lost popularity in the last two years. Happy to have had this opportunity from this respected Cascadian brewer!

Bought this for 2.99 at my local TWM.
Pours a nice dark brown, with a just a small amount of carbonation. The head is minimal, with a nice tan color, but present. Smells like a dark ale with a good hop touch.

Definitely good hop characteristics, but the bitterness is balanced by the malt. Light tastes of chocolate and nuts, with a good roasted flavor. Finishes with a nice bitter taste.

Too bad this beer is a seasonal. I would love to drink this all the time.

 

 

Dark mahogany body; very clear; very dense, creamy head. Heady, spicy aroma; lots of pine resin and some citrus notes; malt presence but way, way back -- hop aroma dominates. Delicate flavors of roasted grains with suggestions of mocha and cocoa nibs; light sweetness, light bitterness. Full bodied; soft; creamy, and delicate yet rich and fulfilling.

A most outstanding dark ale from the Columbia River gorge area. The beer delivers an exquisite blend of balance and deftness to aroma and flavor, and the mouthfeel is one of exceptional tone and pleasantness. It brings on all the hallmarks of a top-notch IPA while delivering a dark ale flavor quality that is not too strong, not too blatant. Yep -- well-balanced, excellent complexity, and very, very good...

22oz brown bomber, sample from the brewery.

Smells of soft piney resin, slightly dank with some citrus as well. A great looking beer as well, dark and inviting with a tan lacing that sticks well. Big hop character, bitterness is retrained though the flavor is through the roof. Pleasing dark malt flavor throughout, from oranges to pine, resin to fresh hay. A whole lot going on here, by far one of the best CDAs I've had this year.

Overall a nice, well-balanced Black IPA. It's chocolate-malt forward, but the floral, citrus aren't buried by the dark barley. The fruity hops really start to step out as the beer warms, and the body is on the lighter side. The flavors are huge, but I really like how it comes together

 

22oz bottle $3.99, great price as always. This has the best label I have seen on a Full Sail beer, very cool. Dark brown, almost black. Aroma of mild citrus, dark malts, the most subtle sweetness. Flavor is your classic CDA or black IPA, citrusy, roasty, solid for the price. I went back for a second one.

22 oz bottle purchased from Fred Meyer in Wilsonville OR $5.79 To be honest this a gorgeous almost perfect beer to look at ..black as night with a lovely huge creamy,thick, rocky tan head. Aroma more hoppy than expected from the visuals if you get my drift? Citrus, mango and nectarine..and some good old dank in the back.. a little light chocolate malts. Taste has more of the roasty, toffee, semi dark chocolate and sea salt taste..kind clashes with the juicy fruity hop for a while but melds well in the end. Palate is smooth and easy..low to medium body and carbonation. A very nice Cascadian..goes good with the wet windy weather.