Holiday beer tour of the Fred Meyer beer section day #1

We were grocery shopping yesterday. We always check out the better-than-average beer section at Fred Meyer, mostly so Scotty can search for Pliny the Elder (he's such an optimist). We always like to try seasonals, so we decided to do a little taste test comparison. We grabbed all the big bottles of winter seasonals that we could find and brought them home. This is the first one we decided to try (it was closest to the front of the fridge):

 Full Sail Brewery

Wreck the Halls
American IPA/Winter Warmer hybrid

6.5 ABV/68 IBUs

Scotty's take: hoppy, less hoppy than Pliny but a solid single hop.  Has a great initial crispness with a nice aftertaste; however, disappointed by the lack of an identifiable holiday flavor compared to something like the Anchor Christmas Ale.  It tastes more like a nice IPA than a winter ale. 8/10

Katie's take: it's a nice IPA, smooth without overpowering bitterness but still a solid dose of hops.   Could be enjoyed with some spicy food, easy to drink and pleasantly refreshing.  Maybe a subtle taste of spruce in the background somewhere.  Would definitely drink it again! 7/10

Overall 7.5/10

Tune in soon for our next selection (it will be whichever is easiest to get out of the fridge).