The Kudzu Chronicles: Volunteering in Rutherfordton from Fullsteam Brewery on Vimeo.

Henry and Edith Edwards are, respectively, the Kudzu King and Queen of North Carolina. So in our mission to learn about all things kudzu, it made perfect sense to call them back up and see about meeting them, learning all there is to know about the root, leaf, and flower of this misunderstood plant.

My timing was impeccable. Why? Because Mr. Edwards needed some help moving bales of kudzu onto a truck, and he figured this here city slicker might be willing to help him out.

And he was correct. It sounded like just the ticket: getting away from brewery planning and spreadsheets to take a three-hour drive to The Kudzu Cow Farm in Rutherfordton.

My wife and daughters and I left at 7am, arriving just after 10am. Immediately I was put to work — as in, immediately. I said to Carolyn, “Hold on — they need me to do something. I’ll be right back.” And the next thing I knew, I was in the back of a trailer hauling bales of two-year-old kuzdu for three hours straight.

I was able to grab a few shots of the process toward the end of the project. I’m sorry that the film doesn’t offer much in the way of a cogent narrative, but suffice to say, I learned a lot about kudzu and enjoyed meeting one of North Carolina’s great treasures, the Edwards family.

If you don’t see the video within this post, you can check it out here: http://www.vimeo.com/6322847

Many thanks to the Edwards family for their hospitality, education, and passion for this misunderstood vine. Here’s to your continued great health.

MORE

• video featuring Henry and Edith Edwards and other kudzu experts
• article on eating kudzu
• feature on Henry Edwards harvesting kudzu

By “flagship,” we’re referring to the beer that we expect will drive profitability and growth. Think Fat Tire. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Yuengling Lager. You know Yuengling is doing well when a “lager” ordered in Pennsylvania bar automatically refers to Yuengling’s flagship beer. And New Belgium certainly has it figured out with Fat Tire: there are a ton of people out there who think the brewery is actually called Fat Tire. That’s a good problem to have.

For a short while, we thought about naming our flagship “Bull City.” Perhaps “Bull City Brown.” But we looked at our brand and the other beer names and…you know what? It felt kind of forced.

So Occam’s Razor came into play: the simplest solution is often the best. Fullsteam. It captures the essence of what we’re all about, our love of steampunk, and the beer itself. Best of all, it’s a damn good beer that’s well-positioned to be our flagship. Hopefully our customers will agree.

Beer 1: Scuppernong
Beer 2: Sweet Potato
Beer 3: Fullsteam
Beer 4: Hogwash!

BREWERS NOTES — FULLSTEAM

fullsteam (aka carolina common): our flagship beer is based on the historic pre-prohibition “steam” beer that was commonplace in san francisco in the late 1800s. northern brewer hops stand out with their woodsy, minty aroma, while a caramel and toasty/biscuity maltiness sidles up to the hop bitter for a balanced beer with a clean, hoppy finish that is more flavorful than bitter.

fermentables: uk pale, cara munich 2, vienna, special roast

hops: northern brewer

ATTENDEE TASTING NOTES — FULLSTEAM

• “Fantastic!”
• “Ditto!”
• “Grat” (ESL? BAL? You decide!)
• “Right on. Good weight. Balanced and delicious.”
• “Hint of resin and silky. Hops are punctuated for a split second”
• “Oh my god, I am home!”
• “Fun!”

Beer 1: Scuppernong
Beer 2: Sweet Potato
Beer 3: Fullsteam
Beer 4: Hogwash!

BREWERS NOTES — SWEET POTATO

sweet potato amber v1.0: this is not designed to answer to the typical holiday pumpkin ales that are generally well dosed with pie spices, but is definitely a beer that, like those spiced beers, also says fall is here. in planning this beer, i decided i did not want to use any typical spices, but instead i wanted the potato to do the coloring and flavoring on its own. i kept the grain bill light in color, baked the potatoes before adding to the mash, and hopped with complimentary floral and citrusy hops. version 1.0 uses sweet potatoes as 25% of the fermentables, while 2.0 will be 50%.

fermentables: uk pale, munich, cara aroma and a pile of locally grown sweet potatoes

hops: bravo and centennial

ATTENDEE TASTING NOTES — SWEET POTATO

• “Nice balance of hops and a residual savory hit”
• “Very good”
• “Ditto!”
• “Surprisingly…but pleasantly…unsweet”
• “Very Autumnal! Good!”
• “My favorite — earthy goodness”
• Deep-flavored, caramel smooth”

]]> http://www.fullsteam.ag/blog/2008/11/tasting-notes-sweet-potato-beer-2-of-4/feed/ 2 http://www.fullsteam.ag/blog/2008/11/tasting-notes-scuppernong-beer-1-of-4/ http://www.fullsteam.ag/blog/2008/11/tasting-notes-scuppernong-beer-1-of-4/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:38:23 +0000 Sean http://www.fullsteam.ag/?p=184 Last week’s Oxford, Mississippi tasting was offered as a flight, from lightest to most complex. This first of four entries includes the original brewer’s notes (32′s musings, offered to all attendees), as well as the tasting notes of the participants themselves.

The tasting notes idea was sort of last-minute, but it worked. These are test batches, after all, and public input on Fullsteam’s creations is critical to our success.

Beer 1: Scuppernong
Beer 2: Sweet Potato
Beer 3: Fullsteam
Beer 4: Hogwash!

BREWERS NOTES

scuppernong white v1.0: a cloudy white beer with hints of scuppernong grapes perfect for a spring afternoon. a pile of grape skins on the table and my body recoiling in horror from just one too many super sweet grapey gooballs, what else could i do with the rest of the box of scuppernong grapes that my wife bought me? stomp them good and add the results to the wheat beer as a secondary fermentation, right? version 1.0 is a wheat beer fermented with brewers yeast with a grape concoction added to the beer to naturally ferment a second time. version 2.0 will be a wheat and scuppernong blend that is 100% naturally fermented.

fermentables: malted wheat, uk pale, scuppernong grapes, table sugar

hops: fuggle

ATTENDEE TASTING NOTES

• “Light, tasty, and lovely”
• “Balanced sweetness, light fruit”
• “Crisp, clean, and delish! Light, but lots of body.”
• “Banana-rama!”
• “Silky on the throat” (must. not. make. Office. reference.)
• “Very nice”
• “Lovely flavor…fruity and full!”
• “I have not tasted a beer like this in my life!” (we think that’s a good thing)
• “Light and fruity. Yum, yum, yum.”
• “Full-bodied. Not too sweet. I like it.”

Mr. 32 is brewing this beer again for an upcoming v2.0. On the way back home from Mississippi, we stopped in the Land of the Giant Peach and bought more scuppernongs. And some Chow-Chow, Cheerwine, and Blenheim Hot Ginger Ale. Man, we love the South.