Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Posted on 29. Sep, 2011 by Robert Gale in Pubs
Brief History
Established in 1987, Full Sail Brewing set up home in the Diamond Fruit cannery that had laid derelict for 15 years. Soon the apple juice press room had been converted into a brewhouse and by the end of that year, 287 barrels of beer had been brewed. The following year 2,200 barrels were produced and in 2007 production had increased to 120,000 barrels. [Source]
Whilst still on a high from their immediate success, the following year they undertook ambitious plans to install a bottling plant and was the first microbrewery in the Pacific Northwest to successfully do so.
The first beer packaged was Full Sail Golden Ale followed by their Imperial Porter, Amber Ale and Wassail Winter Ale. [Source]
In 1989 they won a Gold Medal for their Full Sail Amber Ale at the annual Great American Beer Festival.
Employee-Owned
Full Sail is unique amongst breweries in that it is entirely owned by its employees and it has been for over a decade. The owners always dreamt of the brewery being owned by the many people that had dedicated their time and effort to the brewery so in 1999 the company was split between the 47 employees that were at the brewery. Those 47 employees are immortalised in one of the Full Sail Brewery’s logos.
The Brew Pub
Located in downtown Hood River, OR, the brew pub has excellent views of the Columbia River from its terrace. It’s the perfect place to spend a few hours whilst watching the boats and wind surfers on the bustling river.
Inside is a spacious room with a large bar stocked with the entire range of Full Sail beers. Taster trays are available and if you are felling adventurous you can opt for the two 8 beer tasters trays which guide you from their Session lager through to their strong Old Boardhead barleywine.
The Beer
Full Sail brews a lot of excellent beer and you are likely to find them all here. As feel as the many kegs they appeared to have a beer available on cask. When I visited in September, 2011 their IPA was available. You can view the beers that they are pouring here.
Also available to take away are some of their bottles including their Boardhead barleywine which was a snip at $4 for a 22oz bottle.
Visiting Full Sail
The tap room is open daily from 11am to 9pm for both beer and food. Free afternoon tours are available at 1, 2, 3 and 4pm.
More Photos of Full Sail Brewing Co.
Venue Location
Full Sail Brewing Co.
506 Columbia Street
Hood River, OR
USA
Tel: (541) 386 2247
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