Name: Fullsteam Southern Lager
Brewer: Fullsteam Brewery (Durham, NC)
Classification: California Common/Steam Beer
Alcohol: 5.5%
Thoughts: My Birthday is on Monday, and my friends and I went out in downtown Durham to celebrate. We eventually ended up at Fullsteam's Tavern and it was my first time being there. I even tweeted about it and quickly got a response from Fullsteam making fun of me for being a beer lover in Durham and just now making it to the brewery. I certainly agree with them. What took me so long? This place was amazing! We played ping-pong, foosball, pinball and of course drank some good beer. I chose to go with their flagship beer, the Fullsteam. This California Common poured a rich ruby color with a substantial and creamy head. If you recall I was not a huge fan of Anchor Steam's version of this and I have had Sierra Nevada's version as well, which I wasn't fond of. However, for some reason I absolutely love Fullsteam's version. I read another review of all three of these brews and it noted that Fullsteam's seems to have more fermentation character from the yeast. This yields a great banana bread smell with an addition of caramel and woody malts. In the taste the malts are definitely carrying the vocals on this beer, but the hops are darn good backup singers in the beer band. There is a hint of sweetness from the malts and a hint of zest from the yeast. The body is solid and the feel is smooth and clean. This is another brilliant beer from the guys at Fullsteam.
Rating: 87/100
Thanks so much for the solid review! And for putting up with our teasing. I hope you got a chance to try some of our seasonal offerings, like Chatham County Paw Paw and IGOR.
ReplyDeleteHope to see you again (maybe before November 14, 2012!). razz razz razz