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. Wassail will be available in 6 packs and on draft from October through December. ABV 7% IBU 56

Over time we have continued to add to our holiday presents. Wreck the Halls, in our Brewer’s Share series, is a sublime hybrid of an American style IPA and a “Winter Warmer” style strong ale. 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 our 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.  Session Fest will be available in 12 packs from October through December. 6.2% ABV 26 IBU.

The new holiday beer for our Limited Edition Lager Series is  LTD Black Bock.  It 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.  The sixth beer in the series, our LTD Black Bock 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 Black Bock  will be available in 6 packs and on draft from October through December. ABV 7.0% IBU 34.

We have crafted all our beers to be great guests at your holiday celebrations and they are a wonderful addition to every holiday meal. All Full Sail beers share balance and nuance and help to inspire the camaraderie of the holidays. So come celebrate the holidays with us. Cheers from the Full Sail Crew!

Now here's some good  news for you Session fans.  Our crisp, clean & refreshing  Session Premium Lager and our short, dark & drinkable Session Black Lager will soon be available in handy six packs.  We just started shipping from the brewery last week so start looking for them in your favorite stores.  Grab one of each!  Convenient 12 packs will still be available.

It’s been 25 years since we brewed up our first batch of beer and to celebrate we have crafted “25,” a pale doppelbock to celebrate this special occasion: the brewery’s 25th anniversary.

“On September 27, 1987 we opened our doors to living the dream. A dream to open a small brewery that focused on quality, creativity, and authenticity. A brewery that we would run with respect for our employees, the environment, and our community. A brewery that reflected our deep respect for the art and science of brewing. So here we are 25 years later. Very humbled, grateful, and amazed that we got here in one piece. Still a mix of beer geeks and boardheads. Still independent. Still trying to find that perfect balance between art and commerce, work and play, inspiration and perspiration. We are very grateful to our fellow employee owners, our distributors, and our retail partners, all who helped to make our dream real and thriving for 25 years. And mostly, we are deeply grateful to every one of our customers who have toasted, celebrated, quenched their thirst, and enjoyed our beers over the last 25 years. We thank you all for living the dream along with us,” said Irene Firmat, Full Sail’s CEO & Founder.

According to Full Sail’s Executive Brewmaster Jamie Emmerson, “25” is a complex, luxurious beer brewed with Vienna malt and Saaz hops. Extended lagering produces full bodied flavors of caramel and honey with a hoppy backbone of white pepper and lemon spice. A beer made for celebration, Full Sail 25 is an elegant Northwest Style Pale Doppelbock. This new brew was recently awarded a gold medal at the 2012 World Beer Championships, It will be available throughout their 25th year on draft and in 22 oz bottles. IBU 70 9.0% ABV

Next time you’re in Hood River, stop by for a beer, sit out on our deck, enjoy the amazing view, and toast to the next 25!

Planning any travel in February? We have partnered up with our craft beer loving friends at Alaska Airlines and samples of our 25 will be available free-of-charge on Alaska Airlines regional flights this April throughout the Western U.S, Canada and Mexico. Happy travels!

If you have someone on your list this year that appreciates darn good beer, we have the perfect gifts for you! From pint glasses to illuminated pub signs to hoodies and t-shirts and more! Many of the items, such as the slick reversible beanies seen here, are new this season. Treat someone or treat yourself. We won't tell. 

Place your order by December 13 for delivery by Christmas via ground shipping.  After the 13th, contact us about expedited shipping options.

Find plenty of Full Sail and Session beer gear here. 

Join us for a very special (and very festive) Brewmaster Dinner this month, taking place at 5pm on December 20th in our Hood River Tasting Room & Pub. The menu plays upon a traditional holiday feast, with a dash of mountain lodge cuisine thrown in for fun, and of course each course is expertly paired with one of our holiday beers. All four gourmet courses with all four beers are just $35 per person. This is one you won't want to miss and a guaranteed sell out! See below for the full menu.

FIRST COURSE
A traditional Swiss ski lodge appetizer of crispy roasted Yukon Gold potatoes topped with raclette cheese and paired with pickled red onions and cornichons. Paired with Wreck the Halls.

SECOND COURSE
Oven-roasted chestnuts and tomato chutney beside potted pork shank rillettes, toasted baguette and a lightly dressed frisee salad. Paired with Session Fest.

THIRD COURSE
A blood orange glazed game hen with a savory pecan bread pudding and delicata squash. Paired with Wassail.

FOURTH COURSE
Pumpkin stout cheesecake topped with nutmeg chantilly cream, chocolate sauce and on top of a buttery shortbread cookie crust. Paired with LTD 06.

For more information on our Brewmaster Dinners, please call our Tasting Room & Pub at (541) 386-2247.

On the Real NYC - The Pour. Session Black
Jesse & Greg review our short, dark and drinkable Session Black.

Cool Material -  Nine Beers You Need to Drink this Winter
Our Wassail is one of them!

Anchorage Press - Good Beer in Stubby Package
James "Dr. Fermento" Robert's  Session story

Ski Magazine - Best Mountain Microbrews
Featuring Session Premium Lager

The Street.com, Jason Notte - 5 Best Holiday Beers You Can Get Before Halloween
Wassail is one of them!

The Oregonian, Michelle Cole - From Full Sail Brewing to pear orchards to tech enterprises, Hood River has it all.

Beervana, Jeff Alworth - Twenty Five Years of Full Sailing

The Beer Here, John Foyston for the Oregonian - Full Sail's 25th and More! 

Keep up with the latest events, tweets, pictures, links, and posts. Become a Full Sail fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Our Tasting Room and Pub will be closed on Thursday, December 13th for our annual employee holiday party.  We will be closing early (4PM) on Christmas Eve and we'll be closed on Christmas Day. We will have regular hours on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Warmest holiday wishes to you and yours. Cheers - The Full Sail Crew