Full Sail Wreck the Halls
This annual favorite is a sublime hybrid of an American style IPA and a winter warmer. The result is a bold brew that celebrates the holidays with an intriguing blend of Centennial hops providing elegant citrus notes balanced by a backdrop of a rich caramel malt body. Dry hopped to amplify the aromas and flavor. Available in 22oz. bottles and draught. Gold medal winner at the 2010 World Beer Championships. ABV 6.5% IBU 68
3.5
473 reviews
Hood River, United States
Community reviews
This ale is medium in color, medium in body, and medium in alcohol content. The malt is understated, without a distinct taste, and the hops are overstated, like an IPA. IT is a good hoppy beer, but without the delicious malty flavor to balance out the hops.
A pretty smooth ipa! Has a good copper pour w/ a white head that leaves lacing. The aroma is subtle but hoppy. The taste is clean & crisp for an ipa. No lingering bitterness but not exactly a flavor explosion either. It’s a drinkable ipa but not spectacular.
Reviewed from notes: Pours a nice amber color with white head. Christmas type spices, citrus, and pine on the nose; all follow onto the palate. I like the spice on this one, gives it a different flavor profile than the typical IPA. Very enjoyable for the holidays.
Bomber. Clear orange amber pour with a small head. Nice hop profile - very aromatic. Subtle spices in here too. Nice beer.
Pour is translucent red/orange with a small white head. Aroma is of nutmeg, spice, citrus peel, and caramel. Flavor is hoppy up front with notes of orange and lemon, but finish is sweet and spicy. Interesting, not bad.
Appearance was hazy ruby light brown with diminishing off white creamy 1 finger head, spotty lacing. Aromas are toffee, rye, vanilla, spices soft sweet malts, no alcohol. Taste are soft sweet malts upfront with touch of cinnamon, nutmeg, then soft grapefruit, lemon and pine on the soft bitter backend. Palate was soft smooth CO2 with medium body, then slight bitterness with winter warmer base. An interesting cross of styles.
Caramel-molasses nose with some raisin-butterscotch. Rich. A bitter bite, more roasty than hoppy. Medium to heavy body, bitter finish. Good winter warmer. General impression is that of a beer in the 8% ABV range rather than the 6.5% it actually is.
Bottle. more red than orange. Pretty. Nice aroma. Nice taste. A holiday ale that's basically in name only. None of the spices.
Pours clear copper color with an off white head. Floral hop aroma with a caramel malt aroma hidden behind it. Smooth caramel malt start with a piney hop finish. Lingering bitterness in finish.
Pours amber/red color with a somewhat clear body with a film of a soapy white head, concaves a bit to leave some clingy lacing sticking to the glass, carbonation is seen rising at a moderate pace; the smell has citrusy hops up front, bready malts back it up nicely; the taste is bitter at times through the hops but still the bready malts back up a decent sweetness; slightly orange-esque aftertaste; dry citrusy finish; its kinda easy on the palate nothing too harsh but adequately pounds the mouth like an AIPA should, overall good AIPA that I would have again
22oz bomber from Crossroads Spirits. Shared with Shawn B. after work. Pours a clear golden amber color with a half finger of foamy off white head. Aroma of old rotted citrus fruit, caramel malt, faint pine needles, and spices. Taste of sour lemon skins, bitter red grapefruit, pine, and malty caramel.
An inviting floral aroma with hints of pine and citrus. Pours a clear dark copper with a foamy, mostly deminishing, off-white head that provides ample lacing. The taste isoverall bitter. Floral, citrus, honey, malts, pine and bread, with a bitter bread/grain finish and aftertaste. Medium body and medium carbonation. Dry crisp mouthfeel. Overall, surprisingly, and pleasingly so, not as hoppy as I thought it might be. A lot of taste and a lot to enjoy.
Bomber, enjoy by 011014. Hoppy nose of citrus fruit with light floral and heavier caramel notes. Deep red body rounding into orange with a large, pale beige head. Thin body is dry and bitter, lightly astringent; has both the abrasive sweep and the soapy of floor cleanser. Hops are fresh but muted, caramel not really there, very light/thin body. Digging the small grapefruit pith, wishing there was more pine. Lightly carbonated, somewhat heavy for the thin body, but alcohol presence is low and confined to a bit of gradual warmth. Messy, unfocused idea.
From bottle. Amber color with clingy white head. Aroma is citrus, yeast, and malt. Taste is citrus and pine hops, dark malting, and a touch of spice. Balanced bitterness in the finish.
Bottle - pours a clear amber with thick foamy head. Nose of hop and grass. Taste is of hops, malt, and pine. Oily mouthfeel. Dry finish.
Poured from a bomber. Dark amber body with small silky head. Immediate aroma of piney hops, some caramel. Taste is mostly hops but not to much, balance is perfect) with some caramel and malt sweetness, and is touch of winter spice (nutmeg?). This is what I love about the holidays!
This one is all about balance. Nice floral and citrus hops blended well this caramel malts. Real soild brew
22oz bottle ’03 Reserve Old Notes-Pours a cloudy amber with a small head. Aroma of caramel, malt, citrus, and hops. Taste of the same with a nice blend between all the flavors. This full bodied brew is well balanced and is a nice cold night drink.
22oz bottle. Pours a cloudy copper color with a thick creamy off-white head that lasts and has nice lace. Aroma is piney floral hops with a sweet malt background. Taste is rich, creamy and slightly grainy malt with tropical fruit and a citrus, floral and mildly earthy hop finish. Nice lingering bitterness. Medium bodied with a rich creamy mouthfeel and good carbonation.
Hay orange-amber pour with a white head. The aroma is full of pine and orange. The flavor is similar with some bitter pine, light orange, caramel and medium bitterness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.
February 2012. Sampled at the brewery. This is probably my favorite Full Sail IPA so far. Big on flavors and aromas with pine, caramel, citrus and plenty of hops. Bitter and dry finish, just like it should be.
Bomber from Hayduke. We had this together via facebook chat. It poured very hazy mid brown and had a nice frothy beige head. A little lacing was left. I smelled citrus and pine hops with caramel and a little spice. Both of those hops were tasted. Grapefruit left a big bitterness. The after taste was long and was grapefruit bitterness. Pine was tasted less so. Caramel was big. This reminds me of a double IPA in that it has big flavors. The ABV is not big enough for a double but the flavor is. A little cinnamon spice is tasted. This is quite a nice IPA with big flavors in a reasonable ABV beer.
Poured into an english pint glass,the color is a cloudy amber with minimal head, the aroma is very nice with hints of fruit, citrus, taste is citrus, some sweetness and was seems to be nutmeg or cinnamon.
Fruity, herbal hop aroma; a little soapy at first, but that went away. Some caramel malt aroma. Citrus hop flavor; really nice tangerine-like finish. Herbal, spicy hops--a little cinnamon-ish in aftertaste. Fair amount of the Full Sail caramel flavor (not too much), with some bread crust. Substantial bitterness.
On tap. Clear amber/ copper with a thin off white head. Scent is pine, citrus and bread. Taste is caramel, pine and fruit.
bomber. pours a hazy copper, white lacy head. nose is resinous grapefruit like, malty. mouth is upfront, grassy, bitter, and resinous, malt profile just keep hopping rate in check. overall is a grassy, herbal, and bitter thing. interesting hop profile, strong bitter and resins at work in tandem.
Bottle. Thanks to adnielsen for sending. Pours a reddish color with off-white head. Piney, caramel, earthy, hoppy aromas. Piney, caramel, grainy, hoppy flavors. Pretty good.
Aroma is hoppy. Dark amber color with light head. Smooth to start with a very hoppy finish.
December 26th, 2011 - Another long holiday day spent in pajamas and cowering from the cold and snow, another winter warmer beer on the evening menu. Full Sail’s Wreck the Halls moves away from the cookie cutter malt bombs and brings some hops to play, which feels just about the same to me as decorating a palm tree with Christmas lights. Sure, it’s celebrating Christmas, but with more than a ladle full of blasphemy. Cloudy with an orange marmalade glow, Wreck the Halls immediately distinguishes itself from all of the seasonal brown beers, and divorces itself even more acutely in the aroma, where marshmallow, sweet cream, touches of hops, aloe, bubblegum and even banana portend an ester rich IPA. Surprisingly, the flavor is tart, tangy and sour, like a mild but acidic fruit medley. This makes for a lovely blending with the bitterness of the hops, developing int a light and sweet citrus based IPA, in contrast to those that might lean more towards pine and resinous tastes. Not bad!
Drank in pilsner glass from bomber at home. Aroma- smells like rye mixed with hops. Appearance- nice auburn golden color. Light head and good carbonation. Taste- smooth with lighzt hoppiness. Missing something to make this beer stand out. Palate- get a little hop mouthfeel. Not outstanding. Overall- decent ale. Tries to be an ipa but not enough umph. With that said for the price it is a great value at 2.99