February 22, 2012
Located in an industrial area, this is one of the better done warehouse breweries I’ve seen. The brewery is clearly visible in the back. There is a bar area and an area with arcade games, other amusements and picnic tables. The bar area is where I sat which was appointed with some eclectic decor and a dry-erase strip across the bar, which was pretty cool. I liked the massive card catalog behind the bar which doubled as a display for the light snacks they have available. The place is dog friendly, which is cool. And apparently a running group gathers here, because there was not a soul outside as I entered at least 50 people in running gear outside as I exited. In fact, as I was pulling out of the parking lot they began running en masse which gave me great cover to get out onto the street. Thanks guys! The place inside was pretty packed by the time I left. I think given that I’m STILL typing about the ambience, it impressed me, and it deserves a 5. OK onto other stuff. I’m not sure if you’ll always be able to park across the street (looks like something went out of business) but there is plenty of parking now. There are no samplers available but there are 8 ounce pours and they did give me a taste of two beers. The beers overall were solid. They’re an experimental bunch, so expect that going in. The brewer was having some beers at the end of this shift and he seemed cool. There were two bartenders, one of whom was engaged, one of whom was a space cadet and both of whom were helpful in their respective ways. I had three 8 ounce pours and two samples for 7 bucks. That’s cheap in my book. Of the 4 breweries visited today, this was my favorite easily. Highly recommended.

January 26, 2012
This is your neighborhood brewery that you just can’t miss. And their beer is explicit!

December 2, 2011
A popular brewpub in the warehouse district of Durham. There is a long bar, which we were lucky to grab seats at, and plenty of small tables. On a Saturday night, the place was hopping, although being a warehouse, the space looked more open than your typical crowded bar. Plenty of music, I don’t think there were any TVs though. Oh yeah, and you can write on the bar. They had a number of offerings, from a barrel-aged imperial stout, to a Belgian strong ale, to a potato lager (maybe 6-8 total house beers on tap). A couple guest taps (local stuff). No food, but there are trucks outside you can buy stuff from. I had a fun time here and was pleasantly surprised by some of their beer offerings. I would come here again.

December 2, 2011
Old warehouse, live music, of course they primarily sell what they make. I’ve had 2 of their beers so far and they both been pretty good. Bartenders were knowledgeable.

September 27, 2011
I do have a thing for brewery’s located in old warehouses. The taproom had 4 things on and 5 guest taps. I thought the beers ranged from solid to pretty good. They have a real passion for their beer which I appreciate. The vibe was laid-back. Some might called it hipsterish but why put labels on things. Seemed like a comfortable place to hang out with friends whilst drinking a couple of tasty craft beers. This is what the world needs more of.

September 1, 2011
This is one of the coolest tasting rooms I’ve visited in a long time. It’s huge and wide open with some vintage arcade entertainment near the entrance. Through two separate doors stands a dark, air-conditioned bar. I like that layout. The beer I’ve had from Fullsteam has personality and has been tasty, I like it. There is a jukebox in the large room with some bitchin’ tunes but it was apparently turned down while I was there. They have different people come in and sell food on different days. There was a for-real Indian lady cooking up some seriously good smelling food. I’d love to go back and hang out here again.

August 15, 2011
Visited here with emacgee a few weeks ago. Cool spot with two food trucks (pizza and ice cream) parked right out front. Ping pong and people everywhere. Reminded me of camp for a second. Bar is inside a separate room. I was a little put off by the fact that the bar (where you rest your arms as you sit on the stool) was incredibly sticky and dirty and seemed like it hadn’t been wiped all night. Markers were also provided if you cared to write on the bar which had some special surface for doing so. Kinda goofy, but I can dig it. The beer I have had many times. Had a Wanderlust, a special stout they had brewed with the addition of fresh cherries they got through some special artisinal event. I can see this place doing great things down the line. Look forward to visiting again.

July 13, 2011 [ Updated July 15, 2011 ]
I have no problems saying that the Fullsteam layout is an interesting and unique one. There were these cool Frankenstein lab-esque meters on the wall when I fist walked in and a few ping pong tables in the front. The bar would do better with a circulation system since the bar is separated from the rest of the building. I was told that it was in order to keep the AC usage at a minimum, which definitely makes sense. It would benefit slightly from aerating the bar area a little. Its nice to have the noise barrier but the lack of circulation builds up the bar smell. Although I did not partake in the food truck offerings out front it was pretty cool that they were there. I enjoyed my first time here and will definitely be back.

June 30, 2011
Will let you sample anything and everything with no charge, some places charge. They serve great bold flavored beers along with milder ones. They also support orther local NC brewery beers called guess Taps. I have been made to feelt like a fool for asking other breweries why dont they do that.

February 15, 2011
The ambiance is pretty much what you expect, borrowing its aura from the adjacent brewery and giving you a full view of it from behind a glass wall. Definitely a low-maintenance sort of place; could do with some more comfortable seating (wooden picnic table and bench combos, metal barstools, nothing has a back), but that’s how the breaks work. Several beers including Fullsteam regulars, experimental beers, and guest beers from other NC breweries. Friendly staff, helpful with recommendations. They had some snack food to compliment their beer selection (persimmon cookies to compliment the First Frost; moon pies to compliment their Working Man’s Lunch), but I did not sample any. I considered giving them points here because they allow you to bring in your own food. Good prices for great beer; $4 pints on most drinks. A great place to take some food, enjoy some beer and live entertainment, or otherwise hang out. Definitely check their website for their beer and entertainment offerings before they go.