Here is the original design of the planned space station:

Unfortunately, budget cutbacks scuttlebutted the initial project, and only one of three compartments was ever built.

Rather than disassemble the station, the modular unit was re-engineered as a brewing vessel. Thanks to innovative design, the brewhouse — now nicknamed “MIR,” a tribute to its erstwhile intention — is a highly-efficient, integrated combination mash tun, lauter, and whirlpool.

Here is MIR landing into our new facility:

And docked:

Eagle-eyed observers will notice that the backside of MIR is somewhat dented. We can only presume that this damage occurred during early flight simulations. Our engineers are assessing the damage this week. We are confident that the vessel will hold pressure and operate flawlessly.

MIR launches to the public May 17th.

* certain portions of this blog post may not be true.

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

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Artist's rendering of the Fullsteam build-out

Initial demolition on 726 Rigsbee is complete! Here’s the photo set in case you haven’t seen it. Now that we’ve smacked ol’ Humpty Dumpty upside the head, it’s time to put him all back together again.

Our fearless General Contractor, Allen Knight, is bidding out the plumbing, mechanical, and engineering. I’m gathering process piping bids (the plumbing and engineering of the brewhouse). And 32 has priced out a new glycol system (a bulky piece of equipment that regulates beer temperature).

It’s all rather expensive, but the opportunity is, of course, an exciting one.

Truth be told (ugh, I hate that phrase and words like “to be honest,” as it implies I’m fibbing when I don’t use a qualifier), we have to make smart, targeted decisions on where we spend our money. I have several rather expensive investment decisions to make. At our current funding level, it looks like we can do about three of them. They are, in no particular order:

• install air conditioning for Fullsteam R&D (our tavern)
• purchase a packaging line
• build out a kitchen (versus warming up pies made off-site)
• invest in self-distribution (trucks, driver, insurance)
• gussy up R&D with steampunk-y interior design

Lining up several more investors allows us to do all of the above. (Interested?)

Alternatively, we may end up “phasing” in our building investments — that is, starting with a brewery, a basic interior, and flash-heating bullies made off-premises…but growing into the full-fledged vision over time.

The challenges are obvious: will people come on-site if we cool the space only with fans (and not cozy HVAC)? Do we save much money by outsourcing pie production until we can afford to build out a kitchen? Can we generate enough cash flow from keg sales to purchase a packaging line in six months or a year?

Or do we simply hustle, bite the bullet, and raise some more money to fully implement our vision?

These are the questions that keep me up at night.

Truth be told, I love it.

Standing outside of the property, a few people driving by honked their horns and waved to us. They’re smiling. We’re smiling. There’s a ton of work ahead, but yesterday it all began. For real.

The demo work is led by our contractor, Allen Knight, and completed by D.H. Griffin. This is our very first step in the physical demolition and build out. We decided to invest a bit more to ensure that all materials would be recycled. This includes the wiring, piping, and most importantly, the tons and tons of concrete we’re tearing out. (The pad needs to be reinforced and thicker to support the weight of brewery tanks).

All materials will be sent to the D.H. Griffin recycling center. The concrete will be crushed, cleaned, and reused. We’re really proud of this first step. Like any new business, we have to make choices when we can afford to invest in sustainable measures. This, our first step, is one of those times. I simply couldn’t stand the thought of dumping all this concrete to a landfill!

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