Tap Handle #262: Full Sail - Big Daddy J's Malt Liquor

As I state in my "Welcome to the Blog" post, I have obtained a few taps that are not figural, and this tap is one of them. It probably represents something to do with sailing or windsurfing, but I really wouldn't know. It was part of a group purchase and very cheap, and it's pretty sharp looking, so adding it to the collection was an easy decision. Since it's also a local brewery (about 50 minutes from my house), I've wanted one of their taps so that I could profile them. The only difference among varieties is the label, although the Brewer's Share and Brewer's Reserve taps are more rare. Sometime in the near future I'd like to visit the brewery.

Full Sail Brewery was founded in 1987 in Hood River, Oregon. Thanks to companies like Widmer Brothers, Bridgeport, and Portland Brewing, Oregon was at the forefront of the microbrew movement, and Full Sail was also getting started during that time. Taking over an old Diamond fruit cannery that had been derelict for 15 years, Full Sail decided to avoid cast offs and instead installed all new equipment. The next year they installed a manual bottling line using a wine bottling machine and became the first northwest microbrewery to sell bottled beer.

In 1999, the 47 employees of Full Sail bought the company in a stock offering program, making the brewery fully employee-owned. In 2003 they began contract brewing for Miller, including the Henry Weinhard brand. Full Sail is currently the 9th largest craft brewery and the 17th largest brewery in the U.S. The brewery features a pub and a tasting room; in addition, there is a smaller brewhouse in Portland. The brewery has won multiple medals in various championships and festivals (you can find the full list on their website, and it's truly impressive).

Big Daddy J's is a malt liquor that is golden in color and hopped with Hallertau Hersbrucker hops, perfectly balanced so that its clean and drinkable smoothness makes that 8 percent alcohol go down easily. It's part of the Brewer's Share series, small batches with each variety bearing the name of a brewmaster that donate a portion of the proceeds to charities. Once available only on tap in the brewery, Brewer's Share varieties are now available in both bottles and on tap during certain seasons (Big Daddy J's is available during autumn). Big Daddy J's won a silver medal at the 2012 World Beer Championships. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 3.04 out of 5.

Full Sail Official Website