Fullsteam Brewery announced Rigsbee St. location in downtown's DAP district
June 13, 2009
It's official: after a heckuva long search for a home, from quickly-discarded plans for a heavenly brewpub in an old Trinity Park church to scouring other parts of our Bull City, Fullsteam Brewery's found a place to perch.
The "plow-to-pint Southern brewery" that's the brainchild of Sean Wilson -- who led the successful Pop the Cap battle to raise the alcohol by volume limits on beer so craft beers could succeed in the state -- has announced its founding location will be at 726 Rigsbee.
The DAP-area building used to be a Seven-Up cola bottling plant, and it seems that a site that once made the "uncola" it a fitting home for the unique beers Wilson and his team hope to brew.
What can you expect from Fullsteam? Nothing less, Wilson and partner brewers Chris Davis and Lee Chase say, than an attempt to add the idea of a southern states brewcraft to the nationally-recognized West Coast and New England pedigrees--
Fullsteam’s mission is to ... develop a distinctly Southern brewing style, using local agricultural ingredients and heirloom grains in the brewing process — largely ignoring the modern (and sadly, Southern) propensity to mimic the familiar, tested, and known.
What exactly do we mean? We’re not yet sure. But we’re developing recipes, testing batches, sourcing local ingredients, and pushing the boundaries of what beer is. Let’s face it: the world has tons of really good lagers and pale ales. Don’t worry…we’ll make a good number of them, for you traditionalists out there (and for those times when a fresh-brewed lager hits the spot.)
All of this, of course, has been an exercise in hypotheticals pending the selection of a location... a location that now, happily, is set.
More from the Fullsteam folks on their timeline for opening when we know it.
This is great news for Durham and the industrial district.
Posted by: Sasha | June 13, 2009 at 03:36 PM
Spectacular.
Posted by: fletchfoto | June 13, 2009 at 06:18 PM
I happened to bike right by there, yesterday, and was wondering what would fill in the neighborhood over time. Glad to hear about this, which will make my friends and neighbors very happy, which will therefore make me happy. The only sad thing about this is that I recently quit drinking. Oh well. Maybe I'll start again, just to support the neighborhood :-)
Posted by: Phil | June 14, 2009 at 12:44 PM
This will be a great addition to downtown, although it's location leaves something to be desired, since this isn't exactly a location to walk to from Main St. (at least not until a few more things are open late at night on the way there). Too bad they didn't choose something closer to where all the other new bars and restaurants are opening up.
Posted by: NilssonSchmilsson | June 14, 2009 at 03:42 PM
Reason why I love Durham #726. Congrats Fullsteam!
Posted by: Will | June 15, 2009 at 08:56 AM
Excellent news. Few things contribute to the civilization of a city more than the making of a good beer.
(To nilsson: I suspect the location has little to do with an attempt to develop a retail walk-in business. They'll want you to enjoy their brew at your favorite local watering hole.)
Posted by: Doug Roach | June 15, 2009 at 09:03 AM
I recently had to walk from parrish street home to OND at 1am, and while i was somewhat apprehensive about it, turned out to be quiet and uneventful. Just have to be smart about it.
Posted by: TSQ75 | June 15, 2009 at 02:24 PM