Our family has a long history of enjoying venues that offer excellent beer and wine. I have a vivid memory of slipping a little taste of Riesling to our oldest son when we were on a family outing to a winery in the Finger Lakes region of NY. He was 16 and I wanted him to appreciate the fine wine produced in the region. I also remember ordering a glass of San Giovese for our youngest son in Venice so he could get the full experience of Italy. He was also 16. So now, all the children are of legal age, and they all appreciate fine wine and quality beer. Our family outings often include sampling the finest naturally fermented beverages available in the area. It only made sense that on the final days of our summer vacation, we traveled to Hood River in search of both.
 |
| The unasuming entrance to Full Sail leads to the famous pub. |
As fans of
Full Sail beer, a trip to their brewpub in Hood River, OR was much anticpated, and thoroughly savored.
What did we have: We enjoyed their superior beer and their unexpectedly delicious pub grub.
What's fun: Full Sail is a pleasant pub overlooking the mighty Columbia Gorge dotted with colorful wind and kite surfers that serves amazing beer and surprisingly good food.
Everyone in our family is a fan of
Full Sail beer, so we decided to end our vacation together with a short trip to Hood River and a stop at the pub. Since we had been on brewery tours, we decided to pass up that experience and make our way directly to the drinking establishment. The pub is located on an unassuming street overlooking the Columbia Gorge. The first thing you notice when you enter are the wall of windows along the back allowing for amazing views of the river below, and the numerous colorful wind and kite surfers. It is quite breathtaking and even if the beer and food wasn't that good, it still would have been a worthwhile visit. Fortunately for us, that wasn't the case.
 |
| A sampler of beer, an amazing view. |
What did we have: We wanted to try all the available beers, so we ordered two samplers, that featured seven of the twelve beers they had on tap. They offered everything from a mellow and flavorful lager to a highly hopped IPA. One thing about Full Sail that differentiates it from many other breweries is the consistency and quality of the beer. Even the brews that weren't my favorites had interesting character, depth and levels of flavor. My choices included their Pale Ale which was crisp and refreshing, the LTD 03, a lager bursting with flavor and the Belgian Style Dubbel which was bold with the perfect balance of malt and hops. Just thinking about it makes me smile. We ordered food which was surprisingly good. Since it was a chilly day I enjoyed the Mediterranean chicken soup with orzo. The fries were a big hit with our gang, and perhaps the best of all was the turkey brie and apple panini served on garlic toast.
 |
| Delicious food and tasty beer makes for happy folks! |
What was fun: A family outing to a great brew pub is always fun. Discovering 12 different beers on tap, enjoying samples of all of them, and taking in the spectacular view, added to the experience. Finding out that the food far exceeded our expectations was a pleasant surprise. Visiting the pub during the middle of the day, without crowds, when we could relax, enjoy our beer and savor the experience was priceless.
