Full Sail might surprise you this year and should definitely be applauded for bringing a lager into a field dominated by ales. I do wish Full Sail would break out some of the bigger beers from their lineup, but I suppose this event serves as a good opportunity to build brand awareness of their flagship lineup.
Traveling perhaps the great distance to SAVOR is Full Sail Brewing out of Hood River, Oregon. I’m guessing the majority of our readers aren’t too familiar with Full Sail as they have not been in our market for terribly long, but perhaps you have had Full Sail before and not realized it. Full Sail is responsible for brewing the Session Lager series. I’m sure many readers have seen these before. They are the short, stubby, Red Stripe-esque bottles. The black lager is, by all accounts, a pretty decent schwarzbier. Outside the Session Lager series, Full Sail has been brewing craft beer since 1987 and even took home gold at the Great American Beer Festival in 1989. Full Sail is 100% employee-owned and strives to find that “perfect balance between art and commerce, work and play, inspiration and perspiration.”
Location: Hood River, Oregon
Type: Production brewery
Available in DC Market: Yes
Beer #1: Full Sail LTD 03 (German Pilsener / 5.6 % ABV)
Notes: That’s odd, an American craft brewer making a traditional pilsener? To be clear, I love it and welcome any break from the vast sea of hop bombs we have all grown accustomed to. The LTD 03 is crisp, sharp, refreshing and balanced…everything a pilsener should be. I recommend trying this one early in the evening. After all those IPAs, this will taste like you’re tapping the Rockies.
Beer Advocate: B (85 Reviews)
Rate Beer: 69 overall, 96 style
Beer #2: Full Sail Amber
Notes: Nothing too exciting here. The Full Sail amber is a solid presentation of the style and may come off a bit sweeter than typical ambers. While this one might not excite anyone, it does appear to be a solid amber ale.
Beer Advocate: B (355 Reviews)
Rate Beer: 83 overall, 95 style
Full Sail might surprise you this year and should definitely be applauded for bringing a lager into a SAVOR field that is dominated by ales. As with many other breweries, I wish Full Sail would break out some of the bigger beers from their lineup, but I suppose this event serves as a good opportunity to build brand awareness of their flagship lineup.
This profile is a part of the DCBEER.COM SAVOR Brewery Profile series. For more information, follow the link to see profiles of all 2011 SAVOR participants.
Beer Review Disclaimer: The beer reviews found on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer do not represent the opinions of this site. We provide these in the hope that they will serve as a resource showing what some craft beer fans have thought of the beers. These reviews can be a helpful guideline, but are not the be-all end-all about a beer’s strengths or weaknesses.
