[BW] Beer Blog

Brewery: Full Sail Brewery
Style: Porter
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: A- (Community)
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.89 (98th percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

I have mixed feelings about Full Sail. On one hand they have a commitment to sustainability rivaled by few and have a completeley seperate brewery just to brew their top-tier brews. On the other hand they brew a lot of boring, completely uninspired brews. They even have a brewing contract with Miller to brew some of their smaller produced beers, such as Henry’s Organic Pale Ale. I guess I think of them as a macro micro brewery.

That aside, I’m a big fan of bourbon-inspired porters and stouts. This brew immediately stood out to me on the shelf as something I absolutely had to try. Will Full Sail redeem themselves somewhat? First, let’s see what this one is all about:

Top Sail was aged for about 10 months in bourbon casks from Kentucky. This aging presents hints of chocolate, figs, and oak to this amplified robust porter. Deep black in color, it has a raosy malt flavor and a rich malt sweetness that’s smooth and drinkable. A hearty cellar beer.

Appearance - About as dark of a brown as you can get. Not much light gets through either. A good finger’s worth of tan head is left upon pouring.

Smell - Bourbon definitely shines through, but not in an overwhelming way. Hues of chocolate and malt also come through as well.

Taste - Much more balanced than Oregon Trail’s attempt. This isn’t to say that Full Sail’s is necessarily better, but Top Sail is much closer to a porter that uses bourbon to add to the experience. My nose tagged this one perfectly as chocolate and malt are also very apparent. Surprisingly, even at 9.85% ABV, the alcohol isn’t very apparent.

All in all I’d say pick this one up if you’re into porters or darker ales brewed with bourbon. If bourbon turns you off then you can probably skip this one. While this is definitely a delicious brew, I think it got more hype than it deserved.

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Brewery: Full Sail Brewing
Style: Winter Warmer
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: 86
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.54 (87th percentile)
Serving: 12oz Bottle

This brew comes to us from Full Sail Brewing Company in Hood River, Oregon. Wassail has been brewed annually since 1988 and because of Full Sails large distribution volume, this brew can be found in most supermarkets across the Pacific Northwest at the very least.

A deep mahogany color, Wassail is brewed with four different malts and a blend of Pacific Northwest hops, giving it a malty full body and a pleasantly hoppy finish that appeals to both hop and malt lovers alike. In other words, a Christmas miracle.

A miracle huh? Let’s find out!

Appearance - Looks like a standard brown ale. Only a very thin head appears and quickly dissipates. A tan lace is left throughout the entire pint.

Smell - Mildly hoppy with hues of malt coming through. Smells a lot like Deschutes’ Jubelale, only a little less malty.

Taste - Absolutely delicious. At first my palate was taken over by lots of hops. After a few seconds I was pleasantly surprised by hues of chocolate and coffee. The alcohol content of this brew isn’t nearly as apparent as other winter warmers. The mouthfeel is also much lighter.

Overall this is a very delicious beer. If you’re a fan of hoppier beers and want to try one of the new scary winter releases at your local market, give this one a shot. I know I’ll definitely be picking up a few more six packs before the season is over.

BONUS: Tour of the Full Sail Brewery
Recently I had the opportunity to tour the Full Sail brewery. Located right by the Columbia River in Hood River, Oregon, the Full Sail brewery is a must-see for anybody road tripping across northern Oregon.

The building itself hosts their primary brewing facility as well as a restaurant/bar area. I didn’t have the opportunity to try any food at the restaurant, so I’ll focus on the brewing facility.

My first reaction walking into the brewing facility was noticing how pristine everything looked. From what I’ve seen at other microbreweries, cleanliness usually isn’t a priority. Sure the tanks will be sterile and all, but I usually expect to be sprayed with something or walk through puddles. Not at Full Sail!

Aside from all of their fancy pants equipment, what impressed me the most is how sustainable they are. The brewery is powered by wind power, they try to purchase locally as much as possible, and they even absorb the cost of transporting mash waste to farms across Oregon so it can be used as livestock feed.

The main facility in Hood River is where they brew the more widely-distributed brews, so here is where beers like their Amber, IPA, Pale Ale, Rip Curl, etc. Their auxiliary brewery in Portland is where they brew the rest. What I didn’t know is that Full Sail also has a contract from Miller to brew Henry Weinhard’s. While they don’t brew all Henry’s ale, they do brew the Organic Pale Ale as well as the Hefeweizen and seasonals.

Where my tour guide lost points with me is after complaining about the process they had to go through to be USDA certified as an organic brewery, he used the opportunity to shoot down the entire organic brewing movement. You brew Henry’s for Miller and you’re lecturing me on the credibility of brewing techniques?

In an apparent attempt to buy back my love, we were all given a token good for a free Full Sail pint glass at the bar. To test my glass’ ability to hold liquid, I first had to sample a pint of Wreck the Halls before I left. Turns out my glass works just fine and with a pint of incredible beer in me it was time to head home.

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