The holiday season, from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, has always been my favorite time for beer drinking. With such an abundance of special seasonal beers, who could blame me? Be they hoppy, malty, or even kissed with spices, holiday brews are as much a part of the season as brightly colored lights and colorfully wrapped packages. One such holiday treat is Full Sail's Wassail. This delightful brew from Hood River, Oregon, claims to be a British-style winter warmer, though I'm not sure I would place it there stylistically (the gravity for example seems too low at 1.06 or so).

The first time I tasted Wassail was in a package from Beer Across America back in the early nineties. It was one of the first beers I got from that Beer Club, and I can still remember my delight in opening the box and seeing six bottles of this otherwise unobtainable (at least here out East) treasure. I didn't take tasting notes back then, but I did in November of 1997:

Wassail is a murky brown in color, and the nose reveals a grassy hop character. A bit of malt is detectable, but soon overwhelmed by the citric hop character of the beer. Indeed, it is the relative lack of maltiness that rules it out as a classic winter warmer (traditionally an interchangeable term with old ale). I believe the beer is closer to an IPA in style; though it may not possess sufficient aromatic hop traits for the style, it does have a wonderfully bitter hop finish. A delicious brew indeed.

My next sample came with the 1998 vintage. Of that I thought:

Once again, I have to say that this beer is way overhopped for a winter warmer. It has a big bitterness to it in the finish and a subtle grassy hoppiness this year, from my experience winter warmer's accent malt and yeast character most highly (there is a nice touch of chocolatey maltiness here). It's not an IPA as I claimed it leaned towards stylistically in the past. It is a wonderful beer, whatever it is, and that should be enough in the final analysis.

Update, November 7, 2008: And here it is November of 2008, a full ten years later, and I'm happily sipping a delicious pint of Full Sail Winter Wassail again. The years may have rolled on by, but the beer hasn't changed: still a wonderfully chocolaty brew that's remarkably easy to drink. There are notes of fruity raisin, too, and a permeation of herbal grassy hops. A kiss of bitter hops finishes the beer out nicely.

A great warming winter brew and a bit stronger than in the past at 7% alcohol by volume (it weighed in at 6.6% on past samplings). Goes great with yule fires, snowball fights, Christmas carols, and blinking multicolored lights.

Update January 23rd 2015: I so enjoy going back and adding updates to the beers I've enjoyed over the years. Part of the fun is reading my old observations and updates and comparing the beer to see how it has stayed the same (or changed) over they years. In the case of Full Sail Winter Wassail, the beer is definitely getting stronger (7.2% ABV this year) and I think maltier too. The 2014 edition definitely has rich notes of chocolate malt, light hints of raisin, is a little toasty even and as always has an aggressive hop bite.

Here's what Full Sail has to say about tit his year:

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.

It's no wonder this multi-medal winning Winter Warmer is one of our favorite beers to brew. Choosing our ingredients for Wassail is like taking time to choose the perfect gift. Each year we carefully select the best hops and malts to brew this special beer. This year’s Wassail is brewed with a range of caramel malts and dark chocolate malts giving it a deep mahogany color and a full malty body. We used a blend of Pacific Northwest hops for a pleasant hoppy aroma and finish creating a deliciously balanced beer that appeals to both hop and malt lovers alike. In other words, a Christmas miracle.

Full Sail Wassail is a remarkable value as well. I picked up a six-pack last November for just $7.99, an almost unheard of value these days. That wouldn't matter so much if the beer wasn't incredible, but it is very delicious, and I am bumping this beer up another 1/2 notch for value.

The label says this beer is a available only for 90 days, and is best by April 04/01/15. An April Fool's joke perhaps? I think it would hold out much longer, and I am saving at least one bottle for a Christmas in July tasting. See you back then for another update.......

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