Full Sail is one of the “old guard” among Oregon brewers; they were founded in 1987 in Hood River. According to their Wikipedia entry, Full Sail was the first craft brewery in the Pacific Northwest to bottle their beer for retail—something I did not know, actually.

In 1989 they won a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their flagship Amber Ale, and have been brewing top-quality beers ever since.

Last year, to celebrate the brewery’s 21st year in existence, Full Sail brewed 21, a commemorative Doppelbock. (They launched a website to accompany it.) Released in 22-ounce bombers, this limited edition beer is 8% alcohol by volume, and you might still be able to find a few on shelves. Maybe.

Appearance: Tawny brown, relatively clear, with a creamy tan head.

Smell: Nutty, malty, a touch of butterscotch, toasted biscuit, a nice sweet and appetizing nose overall.

Taste: Smooth and creamy, with a roasty, nutty malt body that’s really good. Toasty but not too dark, sweet but not cloying, a touch of chocolate, a hint of honey. Very rich, very malty, hops are balanced but definitely take a back seat.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body, smooth, very satisfying all around.

Overall: Superb; it’s rich and malty sweet just how I like, and it’s extremely well-balanced—you don’t even notice the 8%. This is a world-class beer.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B+. On RateBeer, it scores 3.5 out of 5 and is in their 84th percentile.