There’s so much going on this week with Charlie Papazian in town. Welcome, Charlie! Can’t wait to meet you!
It’s a beer lover’s dream around here. So while our friend, Sean, is in town (for Barley’s Big Caskageddon event on Tuesday), we’ve invited both in for a little sampling tomorrow from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Fullsteam Brewery is the plow-to-pint agricultural brewery in Durham, NC, offering up some very unique flavors between his Workers’ Compensation Series and the Southern Apothecary Series. I mean: MOON PIE BEER, people. Really!
And, we’re getting a few growlers and limited bottles of First Frost, too. Fullsteam isn’t normally available (yet) in Asheville, so don’t miss it!
Fullsteam Southern Lager
“Our flagship, simply called “Fullsteam.” Quaffable yet complex, particularly for a lager; a perfect balance of hops and malt. Fullsteam has a woodsy aroma topped off with a caramel and toasty/biscuity maltiness. Style-wise, Fullsteam is a “Common” beer — an under-appreciated American original. Our Southern spin on the the California Common — though it may well take us decades to realize — is to eventually brew Fullsteam with 100% Southern hops and grains. Let the adventure begin. 5.5% abv”
Carver Sweet Potato Lager
“North Carolina is the largest U.S. producer of sweet potatoes. In our quest to work with local Southern ingredients as much as possible, the humble sweet potato is an obvious choice. Perhaps less obvious: our decision to avoid cloying spices that would only serve to mask the savory-yet-delicate flavors. Why “Carver?” It’s our small tribute to the amazing Southern environmental scientist and farmer, Doctor George Washington Carver. While he may be better known for his work with peanuts, Carver was also passionate about the sweet potato. 500 pounds of local sweet potatoes per batch [one-third of the base fermentables]. 5.8% abv”
Hogwash Hickory-Smoked Porter
“Beyond sweet tea! Beer crafted to pair with North Carolina barbecue. We house-smoke malted barley over hickory wood, imparting a sweet, subtle smoke. But Hogwash only tastes smoky at the first sip. Wait until you have a bite of barbecue and a second taste…the smoky meat and smoky beer meld together in total harmony. While iced tea and barbecue (or, shudder, wine and barbecue) is all about contrasts, Hogwash accentuates that subtle, sweet smoke we’re known for around these parts. Smoke on smoke….only in North Carolina! 5.5 abv”
Working Man’s Lunch (with MoonPies!)
“A tribute to the Southern tradition of an RC Cola and a MoonPie. We brew this beer with biscuity malts, vanilla, and chocolate nibs from Raleigh’s own Escazu Artisan Chocolates. But instead of using a traditional, dry English or Scottish ale yeast, we get zany and brew with a German (Weihenstephan) yeast strain. The result is a drinkable, dark ale with vanilla and chocolate notes. Have your three martinis, Boss Man. We’ll take a Working Man’s Lunch. 6.0% abv”
First Frost
“Persimmon (Diospyros Virginiana) — literally, ‘fruit of the gods.’ Sweet and savory, with natural notes of cinnamon and apricot, the orange-globed persimmon fruit truly is heavenly. But it’s not until after the first frost that persimmon turns from astringent and bitter to a luscious fruit worthy of the gods. Following the first frost of 2010, we foraged for wild persimmons on active and abandoned Chatham County farms, and received even more from local friends. In total, we harvested 75 pounds of native persimmon, adding the fruit during First Frost’s primary fermentation. We did not add spices. Instead, our mission is for you to explore a truly local flavor: the obscure, unusual, and under-appreciated wild persimmon. 8.8% abv”
