Sesión Cerveza is Full Sail Brewing Company’s Mexican-style lager. Our notes listed it at 4.5% ABV and 15 IBU, and both numbers check out against the brewery’s own release. Full Sail launched Sesión in the spring of 2017 as the newest member of its Session family, and it wasted no time collecting hardware: gold at the 2017 U.S. Open Beer Championship and silver in the international-style pilsner category at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival. Full Sail, founded in 1987 in a former cannery in Hood River, Oregon, built the Session line into one of the Pacific Northwest’s most recognizable lager brands. Note that BeerAdvocate now lists Sesión Cerveza as retired, so it may be hard to find on shelves today.

The basics

• Brewery: Full Sail Brewing Company (Hood River, OR)
• Style: Mexican-Style Lager
• ABV: 4.5%
• IBU: 15

What to expect

Sesión Cerveza pours straw gold and crystal clear with a bright white head. The aroma is delicate and clean, with crackery Pilsner malt, a whisper of corn sweetness, and a light floral hop note. On the palate it is light-bodied and crisp, brewed with Pilsner malt, flaked corn, and Celeia and Northern Brewer hops. There is a gentle grain sweetness up front, a touch of spice, and almost no bitterness, with a dry, refreshing finish that invites the next sip. It is the definition of a hot-day beer: cold, light, and gone before you notice. A lime wedge is the classic serving touch, though the beer stands on its own without one.

Our rating

8.0/10

Rated by Alex (8). Alex gave it an 8, and we think that is a strong but fair score. Sesión Cerveza does not try to be complicated, and that is exactly the point. It is a beautifully clean, crisp Mexican-style lager that nails the brief: light, refreshing, and genuinely tasty rather than just inoffensive. For a hot afternoon, a taco truck, or a long session by the water, it is hard to beat, and it is one of the best beers in Full Sail’s Session family.

Sources: Brewbound, Full Sail Brewing Releases Sesión Cerveza, 4.5% ABV, light, crisp, refreshing, loco-buena cerveza, brewed for a hot day, a hot date, and anything in between, 4.5% ABV, 15 IBUs, https://www.brewbound.com/news/full-sail-brewing-releases-sesion-cerveza/ ; CraftBeer.com, Award-Winning Full Sail Sesión Cerveza Now in Cans, gold from the 2017 U.S. Open Beer Championship and silver in the international-style pilsner category from the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, 4.5% ABV, 15 IBUs, https://www.craftbeer.com/news/beer-release/sesion-cerveza ; BeerAdvocate, Sesión Cerveza, Full Sail Brewing Company, 4.5% ABV, Retired, Straw gold in color, and light in body, brewed with Pilsner malt, flaked corn, and Celeia and Northern Brewer hops, https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/5316/273146/ ; BrewPublic, Full Sail Brewing Takes It South of the Border With Sesion Cerveza Mexican Style Lager, only 4.5% ABV and 15 IBU, Straw gold in color, and light in body, https://brewpublic.com/beer-releases/full-sail-brewing-takes-it-south-of-the-border-with-sesion-cerveza-mexican-style-lager/