Although Portland gets lots of attention, there are lots of breweries all over Oregon. Full Sail Brewing is located about an hour east of Portland along the Columbia River in Hood River. The setting is quite lovely, with the brewery occupying an elevated area that overlooks the river in the distance. This particular area of the Columbia is famous for windsurfing, so you can spot lots of colorful sails dotting the river. The brewery is a large complex as Full Sail makes and distributes both a large amount of and a wide variety of beer. However, the tasting room offers a nice environment that belies the enormity of the brewing facility. There is nice brick in the tasting room, with warm wooden chairs and tables and large windows on the side facing the river.

Full Sail offers a typical pub menu, with appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and a few other pub favorites like fish and chips. While we didn’t eat a full meal, we enjoyed an order of fries while we were there, which were a fine snack to go along with our beer. We ordered a tasting flight of six of Full Sail’s beers and were able to choose our six from a wide variety of their beers. The beers came in a rather fun, sail-shaped holder, and we enjoyed trying the various brews. Overall, we enjoyed getting to visit Full Sail and recommend a visit if you are in the Hood River area.

Tip: While in Hood River, you can also check out the Fruit Loop.