Full Sail Hop Pursuit IPA…boy did they leave themselves open on that one. The name, of course, is a play on the phrase “hot pursuit”, except with hops. It can have other meanings, too, though, as we will soon see. Full Sail calls the beer a “Northwest IPA” (whatever that means) and says it has “hops for days”. I’m not so sure about myself. Anyway, when I saw it on tap at Taco Mac I ordered up a mug to see what I could see.

Don’t get me wrong, of course, I love Full Sail and have been enjoying their beers for many, many years. I love the quality, variety and value of Full Sail brews, and the history (they go all the way back to 1987 folks). That said, it’s inevitable that sooner or later I’d stumble upon one of their beers that failed to tickle my fancy, and Full Sail Hop Pursuit IPA appears to be it.

From the website:

Hop Pursuit is the ultimate celebration of Oregon agriculture and Pacific Northwest Hops. Our brewers shoot a wonderfully hoppy surplus of Cascade, Mosaic, Equinox, and Simcoe into the fermenter using our Hop Shooter, dry hopping the beer and enhancing the aroma of pineapple and late hop flavors. Piney and mango notes follow with a mid-palate hint of honey. Two-Row Northwest Pale, Caramel, and Munich malts provide the right amount of malt character. Balanced by a clean, caramel malt body, Hop Pursuit's multi-layered hop flavors lead to a crisp, assertive finish.

Full Sail Hop Pursuit has an alcohol content of 6.5% by volume with 65 IBUs. I paid $5 for a full 20-ounce mug and you can buy it for $8.99 a six-pack in cans.

My mug of Full Sail Hop Pursuit IPA arrived a bright orange color with a thick creamy head and hints of citrus, tropical and passion fruits, and herbal earthy hops in the nose. I get light caramel malt up front, then herbal, grassy minty hops, and a long dry finish. The earthy hops seemed more apparent to me in the palate than the tropical ones did, but even they were subtle. Indeed, everything about the beer was subtle and it reminded me more of a classic English IPA than a Northwest one.

With so many other more interesting choices, I’d be hard pressed to say I would buy this beer again, even with the bargain price. After I finished my Hop Pursuit, I found myself still in pursuit of hops. See? I told you they left themselves open.

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