Fullsteam is a place for beer-making and beer-drinking. Other things too, but let’s keep it simple for a minute. The beer-making side is the brewery, of course, and the beer-drinking side is R&D, more often known as the tavern. Why a tavern? Why not a bar or brewpub? Why do we always have to be so dern quirky?

Well, ahem, historically in America and particularly in the South, taverns were essential waystations and meeting places for both travelers and locals. They were places where people went to conduct business, talk politics, and hear news of the world. Some doubled as post offices, polling places, or even jails. In the colonial era, taverns were one of the few establishments where people of different genders and ethnicities commingled in a shared space. People relied on them to be open for a drink and a bed no matter what time they came through town.

So Fullsteam is a brewery but we’re also a tavern, or at least that’s the spirit we’re going for. We can’t stay open all night, and we’d get in trouble if we let you sleep here, but we hope to always be a welcoming and reliable community space. With that in mind, we’ve extended our hours and set them in stone (or at least we’ll update the website).

Fullsteam’s expanded here-when-you-need-us hours, effective February 1st

Monday – Thursday: 4 p.m. – midnight

Friday: 4 p.m. – 2 a.m.

Saturday: noon – 2 a.m.

Sunday: noon – midnight

Oh, hey! Good morning! Welcome to Saturday, the third Saturday of January to be exact. This week the Saturday Social is sharing space with the C.A.R.E. NC First Annual Poker Tournament starting at 1 p.m., and we expect everyone to play nice. Perhaps you regular Saturday Socialites will consider a little Texas Hold ‘Em. Or maybe you’ll  enter to win some sweet raffle prizes. Perhaps you just want to (gently) heckle that one guy who’s a terrible bluff. Sean wrote some stuff on our Facebook page the other night thanking you all for being such a supportive community year-round. Over 100 of you liked or commented on the post, and I can guarantee you made him blush. We thank you so much for the love. In the spirit of all that, this Saturday’s Social goes out to you regulars who make us your tavern for all seasons. And this song is for y’all too:

The “Aw Shucks” Saturday Social Lineup for January 21, 2012

Worker’s Compensation beers ($2/$4)

• El Toro cream ale
• Carver sweet potato lager
• Working Man’s Lunch dark chocolate ale
• Hogwash hickory-smoked porter

Apothecary / Forager

• First Frost winter persimmon ale (9.1% ABV, $5 a half pint)

**SPECIAL** Bourbon-barrel-aged Working Man’s Lunch

NC Guest Taps, too! 

• Duck-Rabbit Baltic porter (Farmville)
• Carolina Brewery Santa’s Secret (Chapel Hill)
• Carolina Brewery Flagship IPA (Chapel Hill)
• Lone Rider Shotgun Betty (Raleigh)
• Big Boss Aces & Ates (Raleigh)

Food trucks

• Will and Pop’s Saturday brunch! (11am to 3pm)
• Klausie’s Pizza (arrives around 5pm)
• Motorco First Ever Food Truck Mash-Up (KoKyu, Pie Pushers, Chirba Chirba, Farmhand Foods, and more starting at 6 p.m.)

Suman’s Monday-night residency at Fullsteam continues this week with a few of my favorite things:

Butter Chicken (aka Chicken Tikka Masala): All-natural, succulent, boneless chicken enveloped in a sublime Cardamom-Tomato-Cream Sauce…
Saag: A robust ensemble of fresh greens (collards, mustard, kale, spinach) with a small dollop of butter…continuing the run of good luck…
Rajmah: Hearty, Punjabi-style kidney beans with fresh ginger and roasted spices…
Basmati Rice with Spices
Garlic Naan
Fresh Cilantro Chutney

As always, $10 gets you a plate of everything. Extra chicken? $2. Extra naan? A buck. 6 oz containers of cucumber raita and Indian Sweet Potato Pudding are $3 a piece.

Dinner is from 5 to 7:30. We hope you’ll stay and eat, but take out is available too!

Oh, you’d like a movie, too?? Tonight we will be screening Aaja Nachle, a lovely feel-good story with awesome songs and dance. Bollywood, baby!

Hey folks! We know there are a few more names to check off on your gift-giving list. Suman, our Very Bolly Monday chef-extraordinaire, knows too. That’s why she’ll be at the tavern from 4:30 to 6:30 on Thursday and Friday this week with her beautiful jewelry, beaded scarves, and assorted chutneys including:

• tamarind
• cilantro
• peach-ginger-raisin
• grape-orange
• mango-cranberry-date

Of course, just like her great meals, everything is homemade.

Again, that’s Thursday, 12/22 and Friday, 12/23 from 4:30 to 6:30. Get a gift, get a quaff, get it done!

Suman’s menu:

• Kadhai Chicken: All-natural, boneless chicken, with fresh ginger, tomatoes, redolent with fenugreek
• Mili Moong: Comfort food…a blend of 2 kinds of moong lentils, accented with cumin
• Shahi Gobhi: Cauliflower in a cashew gravy
• Basmati Rice with Spices
• Garlic Naan
• Fresh Cilantro Chutney
• Thanksgiving Bonus! Carrot Halwa: A delectable confection of organic carrots, milk, sugar, butter, delicately perfumed with cardamom

$10 a plate. 5pm to 7:30pm today.

Fullsteam beers:

• Chatham County Paw Paw
• IGOR
• El Toro cream ale (and shandies)
• Carver sweet potato lager
• Working Man’s Lunch
• Rocket Science IPA

And, yes, we’ve posted this Bollywood classic before, but it’s worth another look-see. I believe it’s based on a true story.