Hood River, Or – In
Hood River, every year a few
undeniable signs signal when winter is at the doorstep. The cool east
winds begin to blow, Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams get a white blanket of fresh
powder, and the snow report for the backcountry regains
its trance-like hold. But most of all, we know its winter because Full Sail
holiday beers start flowing once again.
“It all began back in 1988 when we began our tradition of holiday brewing with
Wassail.
Traditionally, these beers were a bit more of everything - malt, hops
and alcohol - to emphasize a brewery’s appreciation for its customers
and to reflect the richness of the holiday season.
So it is with Wassail and all our holiday offerings. 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, perfect for the holidays. We used a
blend of European noble hops and Pacific Northwest aroma hops for a
pleasantly hoppy finish creating a deliciously balanced
beer that appeals to both hop and malt lovers alike. It's like our own
little Christmas miracle,” said Jamie Emmerson, Full Sail’s Executive
Brewmaster. Wassail will be available in 6 packs and on draft from
October through December. ABV 7% IBU 56
Over time Full Sail has continued to add to their holiday presents.
Wreck the Halls,
in their Brewer’s Share series, is a sublime hybrid of an American
style IPA and a “Winter Warmer” style strong ale. The result is a bold
beer that celebrates the holidays
with an intriguing blend of Centennial hops that provide elegant citrus
notes balanced by a backdrop of a rich caramel malt body. Wreck the
Halls is dry hopped further, thereby amplifying the aroma and flavor. A
perfect way to celebrate the season, Wreck the
Halls will be available on draft and in 22oz bottles in early November
through December. ABV 6.5%, IBU 68.
Session Fest
is Full Sail’s Session holiday beer that comes in a stubby little
bottle, makes a
great stocking stuffer, and is the perfect beer to leave by the
fireplace for Santa or Santa’s little helpers. According to Full Sail
Executive Brewmaster, Jamie Emmerson, “Session Fest is a Czech-style
strong lager (gotta love the Czechs!) called polotmavé
or literally “light dark or semi-dark.” Brewed with 2 Row Pale malt,
Munich malt, Caramel malt and Wheat malt, and hopped with a blend of
Glaciers and Cascades, Session Fest has a medium-to-full body balancing
candy caramel and full malt flavors that are underscored
by a spicy hoppiness that provides a nice perfume with citrus and pine
overtones and a long clean finish. Session Fest will be available in 12
packs from October through December. 6.2% ABV 26 IBU.
And this year Full Sail introduces their new holiday beer for their Limited Edition Lager series –
LTD 06.
LTD means limited edition, but according to Full Sail’s Founder and CEO,
Irene Firmat, at Full Sail it means something even more: Live the
Dream. “We’ve been living out our dream: brewing
beer, our own way, in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We
dedicate our LTD Series to everyone who’s living the dream, whatever
that dream might be. Our passion for brewing beer was born from our
experiences travelling throughout Europe and enjoying
the richness of the brewing heritage of great lager beer styles. So
with each LTD beer, we create our own individual passport back to these
wonderful beer experiences showcasing an original lager recipe available
only for a limited time.” LTD 06, a black bock,
is lush and full bodied with hints of roast, coffee, and chocolate in
the aroma followed by flavors of caramel and figs with a long creamy
smooth finish. LTD 06 is brewed as a Czech style Cerné Speciální with 2
row Pale, Munich, Caramel, and Chocolate Malts
and hopped with Santiam and Perle hops. LTD 06 will be available in 6
packs and on draft from October through December. ABV 7.0% IBU 34.
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