Full Sail Brewing Company- Wassail: Drinking In A Winter Wonderland

I love going out of town.  This past weekend we headed out to Ohio to my uncle Jack’s 19th Annual Sausage Party.  Ok, I’ll wait till the laughing stops…don’t confuse it with a sausage fest, it’s a party where everyone gets together and makes a bunch of sausage.  Party guests get to come by the next day and pick up a pound of each style and the rest gets donated to the food pantry to help those who are less fortunate.  Other than seeing family and partying I love going out of town to find out what craft beers they have available that I can’t get in Illinois.  I have to say that I had some good ones to choose from and this next brew is one of them.  I have heard a ton of great stuff about the brews from Full Sail Brewing Company out of Hood River, OR.  In fact, this brewery was on my must stop by list at GABF but somehow I never managed to make it over to their booth.  Lucky for me, I grabbed me a couple of sixers this past weekend during a stop at the new Giant Eagle Marketplace in Upper Arlington, Ohio(their selection was amazing for a grocery store).  I am about to embark on a journey with Full Sail’s Wassail, their winter seasonal that is available September through December, let’s do this. 

Full Sail Brewing Company’s Wassail is a winter seasonal and their website describes Wassail as, “A few unmistakable signs tell us when winter has arrived here in Hood River. The waterfalls in the Gorge start kicking out the jams. The snow report for the backcountry regains its hold over us. And the Wassail starts flowing once again. We’ve brewed Wassail every holiday season since 1988, and it’s now as much a part of the festivities as sharing a roaring fire with our closest family and friends. A deep mahogany color, Wassail is brewed with four different malts and a blend of Pacific Northwest hops, giving it a malty full body and a pleasantly hoppy finish that appeals to both hop and malt lovers alike. In other words, a Christmas miracle.”

Wassail pours brown with ruby red touches and a ½” beige head.  The aroma is a mixture of bready and roasted/caramel malts with faint hops and a touch of spice.

Wassail is a good, solid winter seasonal.  Instead of focusing on smashing you in the face with nutmeg and cinnamon and a bunch of other seasonal spices, they give you a well balanced, flavorful brew with slight hints of the season.  Very few breweries really nail it when it comes to seasonal brews but Full Sail has got it going on with Wassail.  Wassail starts with a smooth malt sweetness that contains very complimentary hints of cinnamon (very minimal but present) and finishes with a combination of roasty malt sweetness and hop bite.  This is a good brew that I would be happy to find a twelve pack wrapped under the tree this holiday season and after a couple you’d find me wandering the neighborhood singing “Drinking In A Winter Wonderland.”

ABV: 7.0%

Consumed: Dogfish Head Signature Glass

Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack