"Driver, where are the doors on this thing? No matter, just get me to Fullsteam straightaway!"

Whew, what a week, right? I don’t know about you all, but things here got crazy. Crazy awesome, that is. In honor of the Month of Awesome, we belly danced and drag bingo-ed and played Celebrity Trivia with a big crowd (congrats to the Farmhands on their come-from-behind win!). Sean took beer to Charleston, I took beer to Raleigh, and we all got excited about some very limited releases for the weekend. A bourbon-barrel aged Southern lager? A Super Bowl sixtel surprise?

There’s even more to come, of course (speaking of which, how are those Mardi Gras costumes coming along?). But I think we should all relax for a day. Hang out. Have a beer. It’s Saturday, after all. We’re doing nothing special here at the tavern, which is just the way we like it.

The Hello Awesome Saturday Social Line-up for February 4th, 2012

Worker’s Compensation ($2/$4)

• Carver
• Fullsteam

Apothecary / Forager

• Hogwash hickory-smoked porter ($2 / $4)

R&D

• Bourbon barrel-aged Working Man’s Lunch (5.6% ABV, $2.50/$5)
• Bourbon barrel-aged Fullsteam (5.3% ABV, $2.50/$5)
• 750ml bottles of First Frost (9%, $12, meant to share)

NC Guest Taps, too! Depending on when you visit, we may have:

• Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter (Farmville)
• Big Boss Blanco Diablo (Raleigh)
• Big Boss Aces & Ates Coffee Stout (Raleigh)
• Carolina Brewery Flagship IPA (Chapel Hill)
• Foothills Torch Pilsner (Winston-Salem)

Food trucks

• Klausie’s Pizza (arrives around 5 p.m.)
• Only Burger (6 to 9 p.m.)

We are out of First Frost on draft, but did you see above? We’re selling bottles of the orange-capped First Frosts for $12, which we will allow you to take off-premises or consume on-site…but seriously, share it with a friend or three.

So for a while we’ve been doing a little thing on the third Tuesday of the month called Drinks With Fullsteam. It’s been a pretty casual affair—some people with some beer sit down with some of our brew staff and talk shop. Drinks With Fullsteam plans to get a little classier in 2012. Don’t we all?

From now on, each session will have a theme. Our first theme was: Seasonal Ingredients &  Seasonal Beers! Our brewery staff talked about how they choose and use the bounty of seasonal offerings available to us in North Carolina, from figs to rhubarb to basil… and beyond (kudzu, anyone?). Themes for upcoming talks will be announced ahead of time.

These will be informal talks with plenty of time for questions and conversation. The tavern will be happy to sell you a pint that you can take into the brewery during the session, which should last around 45 minutes. We’ll be at the brewery glass door to check you in.

What else is new in 2012? We’re now offering tickets for Drinks with Fullsteam! You can reserve them on our Eventbrite page. Tickets are free but there are only 20 spots per session, so please reserve for only as many as you know will attend.

So, RECAP! Drinks With Fullsteam is the third Tuesday of every month. Tickets are here and free. Beer will be there and not free. We will be there (but also not free!). Hope to see you there and classy.

Check out the delicious-looking menu for this Tuesday’s beer dinner at Weathervane in Chapel Hill! This time last year, we had a fantastic beer dinner at the restaurant, which is affiliated with the great Southern emporium A Southern Season. We’re pleased to introduce a few additional beers to the mix this year, and excited to play host to a large crowd.

Unfortunately, the crowd is so large that the dinner is sold out. So unless you have a reservation or just enjoy reading menus, you may not want to read further. Stay tuned for more events like this…

We’re pleased to report that First Frost bottling is in full swing! This fine winter ale, made with 500 pounds of North Carolina persimmons, is already on draft here at the tavern, but starting Monday, December 19 we’ll be rolling out these 750 mL bottles to better beer retailers and restaurants across the state. If you want to try before you buy, here’s your chance. Or, we should say, your three chances:

Thursday, December 15 at Bailey’s in Chapel Hill 
We’ll be offering tastings of First Frost at Bailey’s from 6 to 7 p.m.

Monday, December 19 at Sam’s Quik Shop in Durham 
From 4 until 7 p.m, you can bet we’ll be there.

Tuesday, December 20 at Beasley’s Chicken + Honey in Raleigh
At 6:30 we start pouring First Frost and we stop when we’re out. Or at 9:30. Whichever comes first.

We’re delivering bottles of First Frost to retail accounts this week and next. They should start appearing on shelves soon!

Want those treasured low-numbered bottles? The official First Frost bottle release is this Friday at A Very Merry Durham. We’ll start selling bottles when we open at 4pm. We even have a few 2010 bottles for sale. Both are $15 a 750ml bottle.

If your restaurant, bar, or retail operation is interested in carrying First Frost, we like the way you think! Go ahead and fill out the form below.

Coming soon to Fullsteam R&D and beer retailers throughout North Carolina…the 2011 First Frost! We brewed this 9.1% ABV beauty with 500 pounds of native North Carolina persimmons – a resplendent harvest compared to last year’s 75-pound yield. The result? 2,400 750ml bottles of winter ale – three times more than last year’s 800 bottle run.

We release the bottles to the public at Friday’s holiday extravaganza, A Very Merry Durham. $15 a bottle at the brewery, just like last year.

Starting Monday, December 19th, you’ll be able to purchase First Frost at a better beer stores throughout North Carolina. We’ll keep you posted on the list of participating retailers. Don’t be surprised if a few bottles are available outside of North Carolina…we’re eager to share the goodness beyond the borders. This is one special beer.

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