Southern Craft Beer Tour Part II

On our way home from my sister's wedding, we had the mighty fine pleasure of stopping at Full Steam Brewery in Durham, NC. Full Steam has a well deserved great reputation, and since I've in fact been to very few actual craft breweries, I was pretty darn giddy about this visit.

I felt a little anxious about bringing our kids into a brewery, but doing so wasn't awkward at all. The atmosphere was very laid back and welcoming, although at the same time, it was impressively well put-together--hipster posh, I'd say. Our daughter Evangeline got to meet a beauty of a dog named Gossamer. She was also quite enamored with the mash tuns.
 

The crew was generous about handing out samples, so between "taste tests" and the flight I ordered, I believe I was able to taste the entirety of the beers on draft that day. I can say in absolute sincerity, that I was extremely impressed by every single one of them. And how stylish is their flight board in the shape of North Carolina? I'm telling you, Full Steam has some thoughtful designers on staff.

 Less thoughtful, however, was the ordering of my beers. Usually, a flight is prepared by arranging the drinks from left to right according to strength of flavor--a person can't taste a Lite Lager if their tongue has just been coated with the deep coffee and chocolate flavors of a Baltic Porter, you see. But even though I said, "...not necessarily in this order, of course..." when placing my order for the stylin' flight you see above, the man behind the bar wrote down and arranged the beers in the exact order in which they came out of my mouth. Big rookie oversight, in my opinion. He wasn't doing his workplace any flavors: Had I not known my beer styles enough to rearrange the flight order once I got back to our table, I would have ended up being far less able to appreciate Full Steam's lighter brews. Of course, this doesn't take away from the tastiness of the beers themselves! My flight consisted of: Full Steam's Cream Ale, El Toro; its American IPA, Rocket Science; its Ginger Pale Ale, Cack-a-Lacky; its Sweet Potato Lager, Carger; and its Hickory Smoked

 Porter, Hogwash. At this point, it may be needless to say that what makes Full Steam especially unique is its creative twists on traditional styles. May I say again, that each endeavor is impeccably done.

My husband bought me a souvenir glass commemorating the brewery's Ginger Pale Ale, Cack-a-Lacky, a collaboration with Southern spice company Cackalacky Inc. Here it is with my pick of the day, Full Steam's Session Nut Brown Ale, Sweet Season. Since Brown Ales are low on my general list of favorite beer styles, I think the fact that I picked this beer out of Full Steam's very impressive lineup says a lot about the brewery's capabilities. Furthermore, Sweet Season is a "session beer," a beer with a low ABV that you can drink glasses of in a continuous "session" without getting drunk or overwhelmed. I tend to equate session beers to elevator music: they help lighten the mood, but they're nearly always forgettable.

Right away, the "nuttiness" of this Nut Brown Ale came through in the aroma. The malt gave off scents of roasted walnuts, pecans, and even macadamia nuts. The flavor matched this profile, while incorporating a delightful dark chocolate taste in the finish. The beer's tastiness was well supported by a medium mouthfeel, which is also rare for a session ale. In spite of the complexity of flavors and the hearty texture, however, this drink retained a refreshing crispness. It was something of a nice anomaly-- a session ale to savor!

 The excellent icing on the cake was that space across the street is commanded by The Pit, which serves up undeniably supurb authentic Southern barbecue that even our picky two-year-old enjoyed.

I had no idea North Carolina had two types of BBQ sauce! That's kind of hardcore.

I'll conclude by saying that if you're ever in North Carolina, a stop by Full Steam Brewery is a good time if you're not a beer lover, and a fantastical time if you are one! And if you're already in the Durham area...lucky!!!