Spotless IPA (Brewmaster Reserve 2010)
Full Sail Brewing Company

Plenty of orange was up in this beer piling up a full inch of white head. You get plenty of that grapefruit Cascade hop nose.

Taste again is all grapefruit. The price was right on these, best deal in bombers around. They didn't overdo the malt bill, there is some toasted caramel and pale honey malts, mouthfeel of Cascade and Chinook hops. Ample stickiness.

 

 

 

Like a sun drenched orange, this beer pours out, solid 1.3" head, white in color, Tight neat little bubbles. Aroma was old school Yakima hops, high bitterness, nothing proprietary. Kind of makes you reminisce back to the days when you first started smelling beer, and Full Sail's regular ipa was a blast.

Taste, leans more grapefruit for me, but there's a hint of pine. Nice light caramel malt presence, doesn't get in the way of the hops. Alcohol not hitting the mouth. Not sticky, great drinkability to it. Kind of a blend of the old time ipa's and a little bit of the gusto of some of the new ones. What I really liked was getting this for $3.99 a bomber. Makes it real easy to take a chance on a beer from a good brewery. A very accessible, yet respectable ipa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed 7/24/10.

P: Bright golden with a thin, dirty white head that settles to pools of bubbles and a patchy covering.

A: Zesty, crisp, floral hop aromas. Stone fruit esters, biscuit malts. A little bit of spice.

T: A melange of flavors: citrus, spice, earthy wood tones, biscuit malts. A good, quick, bitter hop oil taste that quickly fades and is rounded out by the other flavors. A touch of caramel sweetness is in there too.

My first known experience with Zeus hops, and I like the profile that they produce. The combo of earth, wood and floral tones work well and the high alpha acid content is balanced nicely.

Handsome orange-amber in the wine glass. Modest head, well laced. Spicy nose, flowery hop aroma. Big rich pine flavor starts out nicely but goes to the back of the throat. Long woody, astringent, bitter aftertaste. Bitter citrus rind like grapefruit pith. Some malt gives it a medium body with just a touch of fruity sweetness that reminds me of watermelon.

Somewhat flat tone, but turns harsher than most IPAs. Interesting hop flavors, but even at 70 IBU I find it tough to drink. Label says Willamette and Zeus.

Notes from 2.15.11

Appearance - Bright, cloudy orange with a off-white head that fades quickly.

Smell - Floral and citrus.

Taste - Hoppy and pine.

Drinkability - Bitter and sticky. Lots of carbonation.

Overall - Decent, but I wish I could have tried it fresher.

Spotless pours a slightly hazy light amber color with a medium sized, frothy white head on top. The foam dissolves quickly down to a ring around the surface leaving behind a fair amount of lace spots and lines on the glass.

The aroma is subtle with notes of lemon citrus and caramel malt. Somewhat bready. Very pleasant.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer is creamy on the palate, dry with a moderate carbonated fizz. The flavor begins with hop notes of lemon citrus and grass. Caramel malt, toast and light fruit notes (peach? pear?) soon move in. It finishes lightly bitter and dry. Once gone the peach fruit notes and hop bitterness lingers on the palate.

This is an easy drinking beer that goes well with pizza or a burger. It's not a hop monster and interesting compared to other IPA's. Maybe closer to a pale ale with its fruity characteristics.

Oregon is beer-crazy; it seems like you couldn't stand in that state and swing a dead varmint without hitting a craft brewery that is churning out stellar brew after stellar brew, and Mt. Hood's Full Sail Brewing is no different. Known, at least around Camp, for one of the tastiest pale ales to be found on the west coast, Full Sail has consistently made refreshingly unique takes on every style from the afore-mentioned pale to a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout.

The Spotless IPA Brewmaster Reserve 2010, part of what they call their "Summer Sun Series," pours the color of said celestial body--big, fat, and orange--and throws off life-giving hints of tangerine, lemon, and the requisite pine from behind a fluffy cloud-like head. Full Sail packs this picnic lunch with plenty of Willamette and Zeus hops that, like a lot of summer relationships, start to reveal their bitter selves after the original hit of sweetness fades.

This would be a great IPA for those put off by the Hop Bomb arms race and long for a simple sunny west coast day in a bottle.

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #43 (Aug 2010):

This clear beer has a pale copper color, and enough sticky lace to get by. Thick herbal hops and tobacco come to mind. It's a tad bit crispy and fluffy, and has a creamy medium body. Exotic fruit and a hefty girth of herbal flavor come from the hops. Its bitterness is dull but drags hard on the palate. Mild caramel and a faint biscuit malt base do the job. Alcohol rounds out the bittersweet finish with the warmth of fruity esters. This is definitely one of the most original IPAs we've come across this year. Hunt it down.

A nice, clean beer from Full Sail. I've like their other 'spot' beers so this was a natural must-try for me.

Pours a diluted-orange, clean body, capped with a moderately fluffy head, some lacing. Pretty good retention.

Slight citrus aroma, but mostly subtle orange and pomelo. This one isn't as strong as some other IPAs.
The flavors aren't as strong either, but think that's ok. This one has tame citrus flavors, but not the sharpness. Undertone of soft malt and caramel. Alcohol comes briefly through to say hi.

Again, not the bite as some IPAs. Clean and fresh, though not balanced like Odells.

nice beer

This is pretty good, though not a mind blower.

Pours a hazy orange with a decent head (which falls to non-existent lacing). The aroma is beefy and grainy, like a medium-weight barley soup. This doesn't sound appetizing, I know, but it works on some level. The flavor is strong and musky, with a distinct bitter orange and that same beefy character, with a distinct barley flavor (as opposed to malt - I mean this in the sense of a real pearled barley). The bitterness is sharp and thin, high up in the back of the mouth. The mouthfeel is slight but prickly.

22 Oz bottle from Roth's Vista Market,Salem OR Nice looking IPA here deep slightly hazy orange body and a nice thick ,bubbly off white head.Aroma is hoppy but not as much as expected, mainlly grassy, fruity in aspect..some breadieness in the back. Very hoppy flavour to it, but like the label states..very bright and fruity..really gives a "zing" to the exierience. OK on the palate, not astonishing but to style..nice fruity bitter after taste Overall a pretty simple beer actually. Not Full Sails best IPA but acceptable.