I
apologize for my absence, but work and travel have kept me busy. That
and a wife who wants things done around the house. But what this
does mean is that i have had time to visit two new breweries and try
around 25 new beers. Today I'll start with one of the most
interesting places I have been to in a long time. I'm talking about
Fullsteam brewery in Durham NC.
To
give you an idea about the feel of Fullsteam it's located in a
warehouse. The inside has simple concrete floors with a bar that
seats probably about 20. When the barkeep asked me what I wanted I
simply told him one of everything you make starting from lightest to
darkest. He obliged me and i can tell you right away that i liked
their style. They don't do small tasters of each beer but 6 ounce
glasses. They also had the awesome idea of a dry erase strip down
the middle of their bar which I used to write my beer notes on.
To
start I was given a Beasley's honey white. Now I love white beers but
tend to stay away from anything with honey in it. Then I was told
this white was also made with cracked black pepper . . .which they
toast themselves. I took one sip and was hooked. The sweetness was
perfectly balanced by the heat from the pepper. It was so good I
almost considered abandoning the other beers and have a couple pints
of Beasley's. I knew however I owed it to my readers, and to myself,
to move on.
Next
came Carver's sweet potato lager. Again I was worried that between
the malt and sweet potato it would not be for my palate, or that
cinnamon or some other spice would be added in. What I actually got
was a well balanced lager. The sweetness of the malt was balanced by
the earthiness of the sweet potato. It had a full mouth fell and
would go perfect with any dinner I can think of.
Third
comes their 1 hop rye IPA. I tried to get a hop and malt list but
was unsuccessful. This IPA was bitter at about 64 IBU. The bitterness
was right on for me and not overwhelming on the palate. This would be
perfect for a summer BBQ or after mowing the lawn.
|
Fifth
came the toughest beer of the night to drink. Hogwash is their
hickory smoked porter, and let me tell you you can definitely taste
the hickory smoke. A sip of this beer is like a punch smoke on the
mouth. I could however see a good place for this at a summer
barbeque or with a nice North Carolina pulled pork sandwich.
Finally
we come to the last beer offering of the night. Overtime is the
imperial version of the Working Mans Lunch. It has the same
interesting flavor with a little bit more bitterness and a much
higher alcohol content.
While
sampling these beers I had the pleasure of talking with Fullsteam
owner Sean Lilly Wilson. He explained to me that Fullsteam strives
to use as many local southern ingredients as possible. This is
evident in the sweet potato in their lager and the corn they use in
their cream ale, which wasn't on tap the night i was there, that both
come from North Carolina. They also make a winter ale with
persimmons from Florida. Even Chef Jose Andres has taken notice of
the amazing beers produced here for he uses them in one of his
restaurants. He also let me know that not only do they produce
seasonal brews, but they also want to do an IPA for every season.
I
can only hope to make it back to Durham soon to try more new beers
from this up and coming brewery (did i mention they are only about
two years old?). If you are in the area and want to try some
delicious, although different, beers, then make sure to visit
Fullsteam. Trust me when i say you won't be sorry.