Full Sail marks Session Lager's 21st anniversary with brewery dinner

At Full Sail Brew Pub in Hood River, Oregon, Session Lager’s 21st anniversary is not being treated like a simple toast. The brewery is turning it into a reservation-only dinner on Thursday, May 7, a four-day birthday bash through Sunday, May 10, and a relaunch push for a beer that has spent 21 years proving that a sessionable lager can still have staying power.

Full Sail says it first introduced Session Lager in 2005, after brewing in Hood River since 1987. The beer arrived in throwback 11-ounce stubby bottles and quickly became the brand’s calling card, the one Full Sail now describes as the beer that “changed everything.” That legacy is part of the pitch for 2026, but so is the way the brand keeps shifting around it. Full Sail has refreshed the packaging to echo the original 2005 look and added Session West Coast Lager and Session Japanese Rice Lager to the year-round lineup in 12-ounce cans.

The anniversary numbers help explain why the beer still matters. Full Sail says Session Premium Lager has won 30 gold medals, and the brewery says its broader awards haul now tops 300 accolades, including more than 200 gold medals. Over the years, the Session family has expanded into Session Dark, Session Fest, Sesin Cerveza, Session IPA and Session Light, while several past versions have already been retired, leaving room for nostalgia to work alongside the present-tense relaunch.

The centerpiece of the celebration is the Session Brew Dinner on Thursday, May 7, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Full Sail lists the dinner at $75 per person, with reservations required, and built the menu around pairings that show how the beer can move across courses rather than just sit at the end of the bar. Citrus shrimp ceviche will go with Sesin Cerveza, salad with Session Japanese Rice Lager, grilled salmon with Short Circuit West Coast Imperial IPA, and lemon olive oil cake with Session West Coast Lager.

The birthday bash continues through Sunday, May 10, with live music from The Amber Tones on Friday, May 8, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, plus raffle prizes, giveaways and more food-and-beer pairings. Full Sail says Session Japanese Rice Lager comes in at 5.0% ABV and 12 IBUs, while Session West Coast Lager is aimed at drinkers who want hop aroma without the heavier alcohol hit. That is the real answer hiding inside the anniversary celebration: Session lasted because it found the right audience, fit the right occasions and kept showing up in forms drinkers still have a reason to reach for.