Fullsteam

I was asked to provide some details about our brewery and tavern for an upcoming guide to the Triangle. It was a good exercise to try to put into words what we’re hoping to pull off. Thought I’d share it with you all. Note, of course that this is written in future tense…we’re not there yet, as evidenced in the accompanying video.

Have a great Thanksgiving!
Sean

Fullsteam Brewery is located in Durham’s Central Park District — a block away from the historic Durham Athletic Park, the backdrop for the movie “Bull Durham.” The 15-hectoliter brewery specializes in seasonal “plow-to-pint” beers that incorporate Southern farmed ingredients, heirloom grains, and local botanicals. Think sweet potato, scuppernong, Carolina grits, rhubarb, even kudzu. Fullsteam will brew a smoky beer called Hogwash designed to go with North Carolina barbecue. And in addition to these unusual “Southern Ag” offerings, Fullsteam will brew a number of classic beer styles: India Pale Ale, stout, and the brewery’s flagship “Carolina Common.”

You’ll find special “one-off” beers and experimental test batches at the brewery’s on-premises tavern, Fullsteam R&D. In total, Fullsteam will serve around eight to 12 beers on-tap at R&D. And while not a full-service brewpub restaurant, R&D will serve “bullies,” small savory pies with seasonal ingredients. Bullies and beer make for an affordable and fun outing.

R&D also has a sizable event space which will feature a constantly-rotating schedule: local music, notoriously bad movies (think “The Room” and “Battlefield Earth”), and community-focused entertainment. The event space will be available for rent for private functions, non-profit gatherings, and community events.

Fullsteam’s guiding philosophy centers on optimism, creativity, and fun. The visionaries of a century past dreamed of a future of flying machines. Utopian societies. Unparalleled peace and prosperity. Frankly, society’s vision of the future has little in common with the hope of a hundred years ago.

What’s that have to do with beer?

Beer is the beverage of the common man and woman, and when they gather at the tavern — the social hub for the community — it oft is the impetus of social change; the birthplace of bright ideas.

Durham is one of the most socially-minded, civically-engaged cities in the United States. Great things are happening in Durham, and Fullsteam is excited to be a small part of it all.

All are welcome at Fullsteam. Hipsters: $5 cover.

Fullsteam Brewery
726 Rigsbee Avenue
Google voice is what we’ve got for now: (620) HOGWASH