Bill came up to us with a big smile and a simple phrase: “I am not going to drink a sweet potato beer!”

So of course we had to foist one upon him.

He graciously accepted a small taste.

“Not bad!”

And then he had a full glass.

Maybe another one, too. I’m not telling.

—

32 and I love pouring beer for people who like to try new things. Who have an open mind. Thursday’s event was full of them. Only one person flat-out declined to try a taste, claiming that they were a “wine person.” (Which is okay, we all have our preferences.)

But the majority of people were intrigued by the notion of a “sweet potato beer” and a “smoky pale ale,” and were excited (or at least willing) to try it. Even a gentleman who said he didn’t have a taste for beer — and left with that same disinterest — even he was up for trying a taste.

I’d like to think it’s a Durham thing, where locals have a keen sense of adventure and open-mindedness. (Perhaps even a “tolerance” for a beer made with sweet potatoes.)

It’s one of the many reasons 32 and I are so excited about Fullsteam R&D, our on-site tavern: we get to witness that moment of conversion. To see some transition from the wince of the unexpected to small epiphanies. And to serve test batches to people eager to try the new and perhaps unexpected.

We’re very fortunate to be setting up shop in a city that embraces the unusual. Durham rocks.

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We poured Fullsteam, Sweet Potato, and Hogwash! for a modest but enthusiastic crowd.

Takeaway #1 was that the smokiness of Hogwash! is pronounced on its own, but subdued when paired with Carolina barbecue.

Takeaway #2 is that our Sweet Potato beer pairs surprisingly well with naner puddin.

Many thanks to Gary Cole, Executive Director of the Theater of the American South, Barry Page of the Arts Council of Wilson, and to Sandra Homes of the Wilson Visitors Bureau, all of whom made our participation possible! And thanks to Amanda and her team at The Pit! You guys rock!

Here are a few more pictures of the evening, and a shoddily-produced video by yours truly.