Beer News from Full Sail Brewing

Wreck the Halls with Old Boardhead
We have just released two other annual favorites, Wreck the Halls and Old Boardhead Barleywine Ale as part of our Brewmaster Reserve program.

Wreck the Halls is a holiday brew to end all holiday brews. It’s aggressive and sublime, assertive and mellow, complex yet drinkable, and it has a lot of hops in it. Wreck the Halls is an American style IPA crossed with a winter style strong ale. The finest Pale malt along with Crystal and Caramel malts gives this beer a sweet malt body and a red color. The famous Centennial hop is used to give this beer a pronounced fruity-citrus character. The beer is dry hopped (the process of steeping aging beer on fresh hops) for three weeks, which amplifies its aromatics and flavor. Wreck the Halls will be available only on draught this year, and will be available through December. ABV 6.5%, IBU 68.

We consider Old Boardhead Barleywine Ale part of our brewing tradition and a testament to our commitment to brewing quality. The inaugural bottling took place back in September of 1998. It was the first beer in an impressive line up of Brewmaster Reserve bottlings to come. We’ve bottled it for ten years, and since this beer has won six gold and six silver medals.

Old Boardhead Reserve 08 is a deliciously rich Barleywine that has a spectacular depth and delicacy of flavor. Deep and robust, it’s a luscious brew to sip in cold or any weather and it’s the perfect ale to warm you during the autumn and winter months. Old Boardhead is brewed with Two-Row Pale, and three types of Crystal malt for a strong sweet body, and is balanced with Centennial and Crystal hops for a pleasant hoppiness and finish. Old Boardhead is available in 22oz bottles and on draught. ABV 9% IBU 91.

Old Boardhead Barley Wine cellars exceptionally well. Store a few bottles in a dark, cool place and be patient – you will be rewarded for your effort and restraint. To help you beer aficionados that have the self-discipline to cellar this beer, we mark each bottle label with the Reserve year.

Our Brewmaster Reserve brews are available in specialty beer stores and pubs throughout the Pacific Northwest. The release of Wreck the Halls finishes out the 2008 Brewmaster schedule. In January we will kick off the 2009 schedule with Slipknot Imperial IPA. In February we will release Black Gold Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout as part of our vintage barrel aged series. Click here to for a full list of our Brewmaster Reserve 2009 line

Session Premium Lager and Full Sail Pale Win Gold at the Great American Beer Festival®
We are proud to announce that we recently claimed two gold medals at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival® competition, the largest national beer competition that recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States today. The top winners were recently announced at the 27th Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

We received a gold medal for Session Premium Lager in the International-style Pilsner category and for Full Sail Pale Ale in the Classic English-Style Pale category. Everyday we get to taste the quality results of the hard work and passion that goes into hand-crafting our beers, but to be recognized by our peers for excellence is a true honor. We are thrilled to bring home more gold.

Since its release in 2005, Session Premium lager has earned five gold medals and was named “The World’s Best Premium Lager,” at the 2007 World Beer Awards. Session Premium Lager is a classic all malt continental pilsner, brewed with American and European hops for a wonderful noble hop aroma. We use two-row barley malt – with a touch of wheat malt – for a pleasant, refreshing finish.

With its fresh hop aroma, crisp, clean, perfectly balanced flavor and refreshing finish our Pale has earned over 15 medals and awards over the years, including two gold, and seven silver medals. In addition, Full Sail Pale was recently named “One of America’s Best Beers” by Men’s Journal Magazine (Oct 2008).

The 2008 Great American Beer Festival® competition winners were selected by an international panel of brewing experts from an impressive field of 2,902 entries received from 472 U.S. breweries. More than 1,500 breweries were invited to compete. Click here for more GABF® info

Meet the Brewer and the Beer – Big Daddy J’s Malt Liquor
As a continuation of our 21st birthday celebrations, we are proud to announce the next beer in our line up of small batch Brewer’s Share draft beer series – Big Daddy J’s Malt Liquor. To celebrate the release we invite you to “Meet the Brewer and the Beer” at our Tasting Room and Pub on Monday, December 15, from 5:00 to 7:00PM and at our Riverplace Brewery in Portland on Tuesday, December 16th from 5:00 to 7:00PM.

This is a great way to give you a chance to meet the brewer who crafted the beer and it gives the brewer a chance to show off his mad brewing skills. So come celebrate with us and raise a pint or two of Brewer’s Share Big Daddy J with brewer, Jason Munoz.

As a daddy-to-be and a recent graduate of Oregon State University’s Brewing Sciences program, Jason celebrates his inner college student and his soon-to-be new station in life with Big Daddy J. According to Jason, BDJ is a malt liquor that is simple and delicious. It’s golden in color and hopped with Hallertau Hersbrucker hops, perfectly balanced so that it’s clean and drinkable smoothness makes that 8% alcohol go down so easily.

Our Brewer’s Share beers will only be available on tap at our Tasting Room and Pub in Hood River, Oregon and at our Brewery at Riverplace in Portland, Oregon. (Growlers to go are welcome.) Click here for directions to our Brewery

LTD 01 Coming Soon.
Good news beer lovers, our easy-drinking albeit way tasty LTD Recipe 01 is rocking the fermentation tank as this very moment. We predict LTD 01 will be hitting the shelves in early January, maybe sooner.

Back for its third year, LTD 01 is part of our seasonal line that emphasizes and builds on our brand mantra – both the world class quality of our beers (LTD – Limited Edition) and our celebration of independence (LTD – Live the Dream). We dedicate LTD to everyone who’s living the dream, whatever that dream might be. Our dream was to start our own brewery, run it our own way, and do it in an unreal place where all summer the wind pumps and all winter the snow dumps. If you’re living your own dream, then cheers to you!

Since its initial release, LTD 01 has racked up two gold medals from the World Beer Championships and received an “A” rating from Beer Advocate Magazine. But, we’ll let you be the judge. If you haven’t already tried it, it’s a wonderfully balanced medium-bodied, copper colored lager with subtle hop accents and a caramel aroma that goes down smooth – perfect for the winter season.

You can pick up a sixer at your favorite beer store or get it on tap at your local pub until spring when we will follow up with LTD Recipe Number 02. Rumor has it the brewmaster is working on LTD 03 for this summer. Stay tuned. Click here to tell us how you are living your dream

New Holiday Brewmaster Dinner Menu
Brewmaster Jamie Emmerson and Chef Ron Penrose have teamed up to create a holiday celebration of beer and food.

Our new Holiday menu will be available Thursday, December 4th and Thursday, December 18th. It will feature four different courses with a special beer pairing for each course.

The cost of the dinner including beer is $25 per person. We will begin serving the menu at 5:00PM until we run out! (Quantities are limited and our regular menu will also be available.) For more information about the dinners call the Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub at 541-386-2247.

In January, we will offer a new winter Brewmaster Dinner menu that will be available one evening only. Mark your calendars now for Thursday, January 8th.

Tis the season for gifts for the beer lover in your life!
Nothing says happy holidays more than a Full Sail t-shirt and a ballcap. Now on Special – Only $20 (a $30 value!).

Get into the holiday spirit with a classic Session ringer t-shirt teamed up with a Session trucker hat.
Now on Special – Only $20 ($30 value!).

Session Rock Paper Scissor Party Kits – Perfect for holiday entertaining or a great gift idea. $15

Order by December 15th for UPS ground shipping in time for Christmas! Expedited shipping is also available. (Special pricing is limited to web orders.) Click here for beer gear

Tasting Room and Pub Holiday Hours
Our Tasting Room and Pub will be closed for our annual Holiday gathering Thursday, December 11th and for Christmas on Thursday, December 25th. Warmest holiday wishes to you and yours! – The Full Sail Crew