Session Lager

Once upon a time, Rainier Beer (or Vitamin R as we called it) was the beer of choice in the Pacific Northwest dating all the way back to 1884. A regional beer couldn't compete in the big world of Big Beer, and it slowly diminished in popularity. The brewery was sold to G. Heilemann in 1977, then to Stroh's and then to Pabst. Today, it's brewed in California and barely registers on the consciousness of the local beer drinker. The iconic brewery is now the national headquarters of Tully's coffee. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I remember the Rainier beer that was brewed in Seattle. It was a great, cheap beet with a nice balance of hops and barley. The stuff brewed in California is watery swill in comparison.

I've now found the perfect replacement for Rainier. Session beer from Full Sail Brewery in Hood River, Oregon. Before I talk about the beer, let's first address the name: what is a session beer? It's a beer with low alcohol by volume and a well-balanced taste. The idea is that it tastes good but won't get you plastered when involved in a good, long beer-drinking session. The story I've heard (and you can take this with a grain of salt) is that session beers date back to World War II in England. Men making shells on the production lines were only allowed to drink between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, and again from 7:00 to 11:00 pm. Keeping the drinking to those hours kept the leglessness to a minimum. The important thing about a session beer is the low ABV. When it gets above 5.0, you really start to feel it, so good session beers are almost all below that limit.

Full Sail's Session Lager has 5.1 BAV, so it's slightly strong for a session beer, but who cares? It's damn good. It has a great balance of hops and barley for a taste that makes a statement without forcing itself on you. Just like I remember my old Rainier Beer. Full Sail says this is their attempt to bring back the taste of American lagers from before Prohibition. If this is, in fact,  what pre-Prohibition beer tasted like, then the temperance movement deprived Americans of some mighty tasty beers. I also like the 11 oz. stubby bottles. They look good and feel good in the hand. Another bonus: inside each cap is a picture of hand forming either rock, paper or scissors. Play to see who makes the next beer run! Just be sure you come back with more Session Lager.

Lincoln Stax