Full Sail Brewing Joins ‘Ales for ALS’ Campaign

Hood River, ORFull Sail Brewing is proud to be one of the 38 craft brewers across the country that has joined the Ales for ALS campaign in support of the ALS Therapy Development Institute’s (ALS TDI) mission to discover and develop effective treatments for ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. As part of the program, participating brewers receive a special blend of experimental hops donated by both B.T. Loftus Ranches and Hopunion. From these hops each participating brewery brewed a unique beer and will donate a portion of the sales to ALS TDI.

“Our brewers got creative for a great cause and brewed a Pacific Northwest Wit. It’s a mash up of different influences resulting in a delicious, complex, refreshing pint that blurs traditional style categories. The Wit comes from using a combination of raw and malted wheat in the recipe and from fermenting the beer using a classic Belgian yeast strain that was donated by our friends at Wyeast Laboratories. The Northwest twist is pure hop goodness in the form of a custom blend of experimental varieties from Loftus Farms in Yakima, WA. Our brewers also added Aromatic and Honey Malt to give the beer a fuller malt profile and beautiful orange hue. The beer starts with aromas of spicy yeast, citrus hops and hints of strawberries and apples, balanced by rich malt flavors with notes of honey, finishing with nectarine/tangerine flavors and a clean hoppy bite. We are proud to have been asked to participate and support our friends the Smith family at Loftus Farms, who are very involved in this great cause,” said Barney Brennan, Full Sail Brewing Company’s Brewing Supervisor. (ABV 6%, IBU 65) For the months of June and July, Ales for ALS PNW Wit will be available exclusively on tap atFull Sail’s Tasting Room and Pub in Hood River, Oregon, while supplies last.

About Full Sail Brewing Company:

The independent and employee-owned Full Sail Brewery is perched on a bluff in Hood River, Oregon, overlooking the most epic wind and kite surfing spot in the world. At this very moment our specialists in the liquid refreshment arts are crafting barley and hops into your next beer. Among the company’s most popular brewsare Full Sail Amber, IPA, Limited Lager Series, Pub Ale Series, Session Premium, Session Black, and Session Fest lager. Founded in 1987, the Full Sail crew has been fermenting godlike nectar for 26 years. Committed to brewing great beer and sustainable practices their award winning brews are now available in 30 states. The Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub is open seven days a week. Swing by for a pint, grab a bite, tour the brewery, or just soak up the view. http://www.fullsailbrewing.com

About ALS:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis, due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cure for the disease. About 5,000 people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year; the incidence is similar to multiple sclerosis. However, with no effective treatment, the average patient survives only two to five years following diagnosis. There are about 30,000 people in the US diagnosed with ALS today. The worldwide population of ALS patients is estimated at 450,000.

About ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI):

The mission of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develop effective therapeutics that slow or stopamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) as soon as possible for patients today. Focused on meeting this urgent unmet medical need, ALS TDI executes a robust target discovery program, while simultaneously operating the world’s largest efforts to preclinically validate potential therapeutics; including a pipeline of dozens of small molecules, protein biologics, gene therapies and cell-based constructs. The world’s first nonprofit biotech institute, ALS TDI has developed an industrial-scale platform, employs 30 professional scientists and evaluates dozens of potential therapeutics each year. Built by and for patients, the Cambridge, Massachusetts based research institute collaborates with leaders in both academia and industry to accelerate ALS therapeutic development, including Biogen Idec, UCB, the Gladstone Institutes, MDA and RGK Foundation. For more information, please visit us online at www.als.net.