Our Beer
PLOW TO PINT BEER FROM THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH
Fullsteam’s mission is create a distinctly Southern beer style that celebrates the culinary and agricultural heritage of the South.
We believe in:
- Southern farmers. We buy and brew local…not only to craft distinctly Southern beer, but ultimately to provide a higher quality of life for our neighbors and friends who farm for a living.
- regional pride. Local identity trumps mass-marketed nationalism.
- redemption. The image of beer can be redeemed in the beautiful South.
- fun. Lofty as our goals may be, at the end of the day…it’s beer. The beverage of celebration and community.
We brew a wide range of Southern-style beers, from the simple to the esoteric:
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION (learn more)
Year-round, easy-drinking beers that celebrate labor past and present.APOTHECARY (learn more)
Southern agricultural beer brewed with local farmed goods, heirloom grains, and botanicals.FORAGER (learn more)
Beer made from local ingredients hand-harvested by you, the community.R & D (learn more)
Experimental beers only available at our tavern, Fullsteam R&D.CO-CONSPIRATORS
Collaborating with local musicians, chefs, and other fellow nut-jobs to craft unique, custom beverages.
Interested in learning more about our vision of Southern-style beer? Check out one of our earliest blog posts, “We brew to differ.”
How our hearts are breaking
let us take a little booze,
for we’re goin’ crazy
with them weave room blues.
– Dorsey Dixon, “Weave Room Blues.”
Have you found hickory smoked malt? I have not seen hickory, only alder, beech, and of course peated malt. You could build a smoker from an oil drum with a bit of welding and expirement in the mean time with the % of smoked malt in the grist and intensity of smoking (use a standard kettle grill to smoke at home-brew scale).
I’ve read of american brewers using rices in saison-ish beers as a replacement for the very belgian candy sugars, to great effect. Even an americanized lambic using local rice and peaches could be an interesting project.
If you have ideas, but not the space to brew and ferment, I’m happy to help. I brew at least four batches a month on my 10gallon single-tier sculpture and have tons of fermentation space for ales (not as much lagering room, though).
nathan — 32 uses his big green egg to smoke his own malts over hickory…so we’re thinking exactly along the same lines here. Same with the rice and peach lambic, which we’ve listed as a “in our heads” experimental beer (Fuzz Buzz). It’s fun to get insights and ideas from other people, but even better to get offers for fermentation space! Email sent!
[...] a scan of their Web site it looks like Fullsteam’s mission is to develop a truly “southern beer.” If necessary they look to create a new style and it appears they are calling at least one of their [...]
Here’s a picture of 32 smoking malts over hickory for the latest batch of Hogwash!…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/popthecap/3307499890/
[...] dreams. They have plans to open up a brewery later this year which will be dedicated to creating a distinctly southern beer…”beyond sweet tea”. Their website is http://www.fullsteam.ag which they say the dot ag [...]
We need more local, assertively hoppy, IPAs. Brew an NC Torpedo or West Coast IPA. If you brew a truly dry, hoppy ipa in nc, you’ll stand out from the crowd.
I agree with Tom from Raleigh — more IPAs, please!
you should can beers which would be good to take to the beach, pool party or outdoor picnics, e.g. IPAs, pilsners, wheat beers, etc.
Kudzu eh?
Interesting, have you done much research on the use of kudzu to treat alcoholics and consumption reduction?
I brewed a kudzu beer a couple years ago (dry vined, so to speak), then read all this info. weird.
Good luck guys, some brilliant ideas.
I heard that you were skillfully lagering our Roasted Grits into a fine ale. There are some who are waiting for this event. Can’t wait!
Please please please – consider a lager!
I cannot wait until you guys are up-and-running. That hickory-smoked porter sounds very nice. I love what you guys are planning on doing.
Yeah, about that kudzu beer. You might wanna read this article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-11-17-kudzu17_ST_N.htm
read it, familiar with it. That’s why we joke around about calling this beer “I love it! I never want to have it again!”
Your Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale is simply brilliant. I want to try some of your other beers, but I can’t get past this one. Any suggestions for how to break out of my happy rut?
I had several cups of Full Steam’s Hog Wash beer at the event in Taylor, MS last Friday night, as a part of the Southern Food Alliance Symposium. Where can I buy this beer in Atlanta?
Fullsteam –
You have a nice tavern/website/pr campaign, but maybe you should work on improving your brews first.
Leave the craft brewing to the West Coast/Midwest. I realize that you are attempting (being the key word) to create a “southern” American craft beer, but what you are doing is laughable, i.e., you all are like an urban hillbilly – just as dumb, but with feathered hair.
This anonymous comment came in today on the web site. Interestingly, the IP address is from RTI.ORG, right here in Durham’s Research Triangle Park. Perhaps some self-loathing? At the very least, a rude person.
I like emails like this. Because if we were purely a Pale Ale/IPA/brown/stout brewery, we probably wouldn’t get hate mail. Snarky anonymous drive-bys like this are a reminder that we’re on to something.
Please know that if any of you are disappointed by a particular beer we make — or if you experience quality control issues — you are most welcome to stop by the tavern to receive a replacement or a refund. If you’d like to provide specific feedback on what you didn’t like about our beer, email me personally at sean@fullsteam.ag. We will do our best to rectify the situation (that means “fix it” or “git ‘er done” for our fellow urban hillbillies.)
Sean Lilly Wilson
Chief Executive Optimist
Fullsteam Brewery
sean@fullsteam.ag
Good luck with your Southern Beers!
How about a sweet tea style beer? If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!
If I head up to NC, I’ll be sure to stop by and try a “few” of your beers. Do you have any motels or hotels nearby for visitors that have a few more than a few of your beers?
Thanks much!
The downtown Marriott is four blocks away, and the more-intimate Kings Daughters’ Inn is within a half-mile. Hope to see you someday!
Sean
Had a Persimmon ale last night at dos perros. It was fantastic. I need it in a bottle or can please
you make an IPA??
Yes, Rocket Science (look under Workers’ Compensation)
Which beers are available in bottles vs. growlers, and where in / near Raleigh can I buy them? Dying to try some!!!
Caryn -
Thanks! We fill our Workers’ Compensation beers into 64-ounce returnable growlers. Apothecary and Forager beers are sometimes bottled — it depends on the beer. We don’t yet have a full-fledged packaging line, so bottling is challenging for us.
Look for growlers at our tavern and at a number of Durham and Chapel Hill retailers. We have a number of accounts in Raleigh, but none that carry our growlers yet.
Cheers, and thanks again for your interest!
Sean
Having some of the Working Man’s Lunch out here at Duke’s Earth Day event; excellent brew; look forward to coming by and trying more especially Carver’s Sweet Potato
Visited Full Steam for the first time this weekend. Interesting joint you got there Sean, I like the concept. Can I order pizza and have it delivered there
Shared a pitcher of the IPA, really liked it!
You can most certainly order pizza and have it delivered. Of course, there’s often pizza right outside the door…
Great to see you, Rick!
We come about twice a week, but after a week off were really bummed to hear that your Rocket Science IPA is no longer the same type of IPA, but a more Belgian tasting type brew. I like your other beers here and there, but that was the one that kept me coming back, and I think we might have to move on now! Good luck to you guys and thanks for creating such a great space!
Lizzie – Rocket Science isn’t a Belgian-tasting-type brew. It’s an American IPA. Did you get the right beer?
Am visiting for the first time (right now!) and can’t express how great this place is! Awesome, laid back environment with friendly customers, great staff, and rocking’ beers. Can’t wait to come back again, again, soon!
Thank you so much, Chad. That means tons to us. Come back soon!
Finally have a night when I can get out of the house and have a beer. Do you guys have Wi-Fi? I’d love to make you my new place to get work done while having a few well crafted beers! Looking forward to it!
We do indeed have Wi-Fi! Come on by.
I loved first frost enough that over Xmas, I got some ripe persimmons off the family farm to throw in my Scottish 80. When reading your brewing notes, I was interested to see that you added the persimmons at high krausen and not secondary? Might I ask why? Regardless, excellent beer and I look forward to getting by there in the near future.
Keep up the good work!
Ben – fruit and wort goes in at fermentation….a big yeast inoculation starts all about the same time. It’s just how it works for us. Glad you enjoyed it…hope to see you again soon!
Sean
Do you have IGOR again? I see it is posted on the sidebar in the At R&D section. If so, let me know and I’ll come over ASAP! If not, let me know and I’ll probably see you Monday…
Apologies – I need to update that side widget. We do not have IGOR anymore…next year!
Hey,
I’m coming to Durham this weekend with my great friend Wes, making a documentary/reality show about our trip to Durham, and the great things about Durham.
We would love to experience the unique local flavor that you establishment provides. The fact that your brew is made of local ingredients sets you apart from the rest, and gives you something that is true to Durham.
We would like to have the opportunity to visit your brewery and take a tour all while filming. You truly have something special that everyone deserves the chance to see and experience.
We will be in Durham on Saturday February 4. If you are interested in the opportunity to showcase your unique beer, please feel free to contact me at robertball84@yahoo.com or reach me at 404.372.0558.
Thanks,
Bobby Ball
Greetings fellas!
I’m in charge of redesigning the beer menu at Ruckus, and have been incredibly happy with the growlers of your beer I’ve purchased from Tasty Beverage. I’m curious about your distribution, and would like to talk to you about possibly putting one of them on tap. Please feel free to email me any information.
Thank you. Happy brewing!
Aaron M. Bobick
Sean, interested in any Jumbo or Black Beauty muscadine grapes?
we would be. whole or juice? hit me at sean@fullsteam.ag
Hey Guys, my husband works in the Morrisville area every other week from Charlotte, and mentioned that your beer is “awesome”!!
Just wondering is you guys are packaging it in house yet? He is a computer programmer, I sell packaging out of Charlotte. check out our website and let me know if you are seeking a supplier for packaging. Thanks for letting me peddle my goods..Happy Friday!
Hi,
Can I purchase your persimmon beer now? Do I have to come to the brewery or can I get it other places?
I live in Durham and just had the pleasure of a couple of pints of a brew you created this past Saturday. I am trying to find out what it was from my friend, but regardless, it was great. I’ll be stopping by and look forward to it.
Dave
Just an hello to Sean who I met when he first came to Mabel &jack.
Looks like you are doing great, move to Vermont for LOTS of competion,small breweries are the way to go- lick yo all!