Back in December I had the chance to go MTB riding in the Raleigh-Durham area … it also afforded me the opportunity to visit one of my new favorite breweries–Fullsteam Brewery. After being photo-bombed by the owner at the World Beer Festival I knew I had to visit this place in Durham. Wow! Well worth the trip … check this place out …
They embrace the weird here … I guess that’s why I like them. You won’t find any menu … but if you want something to eat, just head out to the food cart (or two) outside. They are in a ‘renewing’ neighborhood–a very nice experience. I showed up on Saturday for two reasons. 1) To take the tour (see below) and 2) to drink the Hogwash–their own hickory-smoked porter. Well, dang, they were out of the porter (I’ve had it … it’s good), so I had the Working Man’s Lunch and the Carver Sweet Potato (oh, and Maybe the Rocket Science IPA).
These beers were a good warmup for the tour … given, not surprisingly, by the owner. These guys are definitely passionate about their beer, they all seem to enjoy themselves, and the tour was well done, well documented and presented.
Even better, they served samples through out … and it was free. You just show up at the right time on the right weekend (first Sunday of every month … reserve your spot on-line … only 25 people get a spot!)
They are a pretty small operation really (a somewhat limited selection) but all of their beers were very good (plus, if you look close at the tap picture above you will see they also have guest local beers). Interestingly, one of the things that limits them is this combined mash-tun/kettle setup … first one like it I had seen … I think the owner mentioned that they may be changing this setup somewhat.
You could tell that they really liked experimenting — they had their hombrew setup in the brewery … all the extra kegs, different brew materials–I mean, who thinks to brew with Sweet Potatoes? Again … this place is great!
No photo-bombing in the following photo! Haha. Thanks, Sean, for the great tour!
Beer Mentor
Beer Mentor 