Full Sail Maibock

Product Reviewed: Full Sail Maibock
Brewed by: Full Sail Brewing Company, Hood River, OR
Date Reviewed: June 19, 1994
Reviewed by: David Brockington
Original Posted to Usenet: September 2, 1994

Initial Impressions:

I tried this beer at the 1994 Herbfarm Microbrew Fest about ten weeks ago, but was tardy in translating my notes to electrons. Full Sail is a stalwart of sorts amongst the Pacific Northwest microbrewers. They have brewed a decent line of ales for some time now, including a hoppy/ floral Pale Ale and a nutty/caramel-like Amber which are shipped all over in 12-ounce bottle form, in addition to being served draught in the PNW. In addition to the two foundation products, Full Sail also had a Brown Ale for the past five years or so, only available on tap. The Brown is noted for its nice balance between maltiness and the PNW brewers' penchant for hopping anything in sight. Finally, one of Full Sail's finest products is their annual Wasail winter warmer, which joins the Amber and the Pale on your grocer's shelf as a bottled product in addition to its draught form.

In the past 18 months or so, Full Sail has been branching out. They have been brewing a fairly light-bodied Stout for a while to augment the ale line, but more notably, they have recently been trying their hand at lagers. To this end, they have formulated a hoppy, but inconsistent Pilsner (it has always been better on tap, but has found its way into bottles with the same fortitude as the aforementioned Amber and Pale), an Oktoberfest, and a Helles Bock. While regional rival Widmer also claims the latter two styles amongst its repertoire, Full Sail actually makes the requisite commitment to brewing a lager: different yeast, cold ferment, and even colder long-term storage (5 weeks in the case of Full Sail) which results in the tying up of capital. Widmer, in contrast, brews their Oktoberfest and their Bock as ales from the ground up. Rather untraditional for a brewery which prides itself on brewing traditional German beers. At any rate, as I held the Dominion Spring Bock in such high regard, I was interested to see how a brewer from the PNW would stack up against the Dominion beer in the same style.

The beer itself presented a pale, crystal clear hue in the glass. The head was rocky and white, with decent retention.

Nose:

The nose was limited, with a slight maltiness struggling with a sulphur-note for recognition.

Flavor:

The beer started out nutty, which quickly moved into a full malty middle. This Bock finished with a balancing, possibly overdone, hop bitterness. In the background of the finish was a hint of astringency.

Final Analysis:

The lingering hop bitterness threw me off a bit. While not nearly at the level of, say, an IPA, it was overly pronounced for a beer which should showcase malt in all its glory. The sulphur note was also underappreciated by this reviewer; this hints of a possible fermentation or yeast-strain problem. Finally, the astringency noted, ever so slightly, in the finish made the product feel not as clean as a lager ought to be. Even so, this is a fine start at a Helles Bock, with the style generally hit and the flaws rather minor. As this was the first year (I think -- someone, correct me if I am wrong) of this beer, I will be keen to note any progress which may occur in the 1995 batch. The Dominion product, however, stands shoulders above this beer.

**1/2

David Brockington, Seattle, USA
bronyaur@u.washington.edu