Fullsteam Southern Lager - Fullsteam Brewery

wedge

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

@ Tobacco Road (Raleigh)

Clear, dark copper color with a big, rich-looking, creamy head on top. Spicy, leafy hop aromas balanced by toast and cracker-like malts. Leafy/earthy hops continue into the flavor, lightly oily and mild overall, and some nutty, caramel malt. Medium bodied with a moderate bitterness. A nice beverage to start out with...

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2012 16:19:15 | More by wedge

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

tap

Pours a red amber color with a whitish head.

Rich hop and copper malt nose.

Flavor is bready and copper malts with a hint of hop.

Medium body with a light carbonation.

A decent lager that is drinkable enough and has a good flavor. Seems like a session candidate. I am not personally crazy about it but I can't fault it for anything really.

Serving type: on-tap

05-28-2012 23:13:50 | More by Cylinsier

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pour is between amber and straw. Somewhat near Yuengling actually. Light white head, but their beer never has a head.

Smell is Steam beer to a T. Phenols from the ale yeast, but smoothness from the lagering.

Taste is better than Anchor Steam. Hints of banana, but its really lost in the background to the malt. Its really just a adjunct lager brewed at ale temperature. Good beer, but not going to blow your mind.

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2012 03:20:21 | More by VncentLIFE

tdm168

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a pale brownish amber with a half inch of head with good retention. The smell is nondescript. There's really nothing going on there. The taste is smooth caramel malt with floral, piny hops. There's just a hint of toasty, nutty malt as well. Mouthfeel is smooth, crisp, and refreshing.

This is a nice beer. A great take on the style. This is probably one of the hoppiest lagers I've ever had, and it was balanced and delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2011 15:43:07 | More by tdm168

devilben02

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a rich, deep amber color with a substantial, creamy, medium-tan head. The aroma is faint but pleasant, with a combination of cereal grains, a light woodsy mustiness, and a little caramel sweetness. The flavor is much more pronounced, with a predominant character of sweet brown bread and a little butterscotch, although there is a substantial pine and floral hop bitterness that balances and even takes over at times. The fine, light carbonation is active yet unobtrusive, but it allows the bready sweetness to linger a bit more than I would have liked.

Overall, this one is not my favorite offering from Fullsteam, but it is an accessible, easy-drinking beer that serves as a fine flagship for the brewery.

Serving type: growler

06-28-2011 13:40:47 | More by devilben02

Verecund

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Carolina Common, Southern Lager, Fullsteam. Whatever you want to call it, I consider this one of FS's better beers.

A rich amber pour with a creamy one finger head. Sheets of thin lacing.

Great balance between floral hops, some bright fruit notes, soft caramel, a complementing mustiness, and biscuit malts. Estery, banana notes are present as well (from, I suspect, the yeast). Nice balance.

Caramel sweetness, earthy and floral bitterness (though light), and banana bread. It opens sweetly, the mid-palate is lightly bitter and floral, and it finishes with a nice balance of woody/earthy bitterness and rich, banana-like esters.

The competition between sweetness and light bitterness works well here, and I probably prefer this to the couple of other steam beers I've had before (Anchor, Troegs). It has an added caramel malt sweetness that provides some contrast. Well done.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2011 01:54:50 | More by Verecund

oberon

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Carolina Common, Southern Lager whatever its called its very good.Poured into a becker a slight chill hazed amber/bronze with a large fluffy crown atop that left broken lace as it settled into a frothy mass.Toasty and bready in the nose,quite yeasty as well with light fruity esters.A little sharp in the mouth but not anything to hindering going on,flavors are yeasty and toasted,some caramel sweetness thruought,a decent drying earthy finish.A full flavored steam beer wich I think is an under appreciated style,a very nice lager beer.

Serving type: growler

02-16-2011 21:39:43 | More by oberon

BamaBeerBuff

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Label on the growler says "Carolina Common" but I believe this is the beer...

A: Color is a pecan amber with a very, very creamy ecru colored head that is retains quite well for a beer of this style. Thin, dense sheets of foam lace line the glass.

S: A full, fruity aroma that showcases banana-bread (like a Belgian ale!), light grains, and a strong floral hop character.

T&M: Tasty! A rush of fruity flavor and sweet caramel malt is balanced out with a wood-like, slightly leafy hop flavor. Finish showcases a twinge of caramel flavor. Body is medium with a zesty carbonation (even out of the growler). I've had fresh pints at the brewery and it's even better there.

D: Highly drinkable. The flavor is complex, yet not challenging. Body and alcohol level are low to medium. Just a solid everyday session beer.

Serving type: growler

01-05-2011 01:19:37 | More by BamaBeerBuff

blackie

Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a: served in a tall Fullsteam logo glass, something of a pecan amber in color, with a coating of off-white carbonation that retains well

s: nose of biscuit, toast, and subtle caramel, bright in a lager kinda way but plenty aromatic, woody/earthy hop aromas, like this

m: carbonation appropriately lively, both carrying flavor and scrubbing the palate with each sip, body crisp and refreshing without being "light"

t: clean lager-y base of toasted biscuit and a brushing of caramel sweetness, earthy hop tones, woody and a touch minty in the finish, crisp with a balanced bitter, nicely flavorful

d: great drinkability, not many of this style floating around for comparison, but this is obviously well done, for my taste this beats out "the" CC

draft at Tyler's, Durham - coincidentally review #1500, whatever the hell that means, might as well be from the home state

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2011 04:13:03 | More by blackie

tharper

North Carolina

4.85/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

on tap -Tyler's Taproom - Carrboro NC

I was very surprised by the fullness, aroma and taste of this lager. It is almost a marzen in the viscosity and fullness of maltiness.

The appearance was very bright with a 1" head that lingered and laced well. Overall I highly recommend it and am proud that it is produced in my home town of Durham, NC.

***

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2010 05:52:05 | More by tharper

skeeordye11

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: crystal clear ruby in color. Faint film on the surface of the beer with no lace.
S: crystal sweet maltiness with a woody hop presence as well.
T: earthy. Caramel sweetness with a good balance of earthy bitterness in the finish. Very nice. Love those NB hops.
M: medium. The flavors dance across the tongue in beautiful harmony.
D: very high. I'll drink a growler of this right next to the carber anyday.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2010 23:21:20 | More by skeeordye11

TheRabidBrewer

California

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Interesting beer given I come from the land of Anchor California Common: San Francisco. ;-) Got this beer as a bonus from a trade. It was a bottle fill from a growler.

This is Fullsteam's take on the Cal Common style using the same hops and (I strongly suspect) the same yeast. The Fullsteam version has a deeper, richer caramel malt character. Anchor's version has more emphasis on the Northern Brewer hops and just enough malt to balance.

Fullsteam also has more fermentation character. The Cal Common yeast is a hybrid: a lager strain selected to ferment at ale temps. As such, it likes to throw more esters than a typical lager yeast mostly in the form of isoamyl acetate or banana. In Fullsteam, it yields an interesting aroma most reminiscent of banana bread.

Aroma: Sweet banana bread with woody mustiness from the Northern Brewer hops.

Appearance: Light copper and mostly clear. Some fine suspension, but no chill haze. Thin white head that persists only along side of glass.

Flavor: Initially malt forward, then quickly moves to a fairly bitter finish that is somewhat balanced by the malty caramel sweetness. The banana bread carries over into the flavor as well, but although quite unusual, is not unpleasant. The woody hop flavor adds a dimension that helps balance the caramel.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with mod/low carb. Smooth with no astringency.

Overall: An interesting take on a regional style. The additional caramel malt sweetness with the elevated fermentation character adds a dimension to the beer that takes it in a completely different direction than Anchor's Steam Beer. Fairly firm bitterness but with some residual sweetness in the finish that competes for dominance. A good solid beer.

Serving type: growler

10-17-2010 03:06:09 | More by TheRabidBrewer

beer2day

North Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pint pour at the Saucer in Raleigh.

Solid gold pour with two finger light head. Faint retention. Weak lace.

Nose is faint and slightly sour. Light malt with a touch of Belgian candy sugar.

Slightly sour hit. Moderate malt profile. Bready and chewy. Crisp finish, with a decent dose of earthy hops.

Decent session drinker, but just not my style.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2010 01:45:27 | More by beer2day

Durge

Connecticut

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A clear caramel copper color with a decent fluffy white head and great lacing. The aroma says wheat and yeast with some spiciness. The flavor is unique. A bitter leafy hop over biscuity fruit sweetness. I get apple, melon and bright toasted pumpkin. It's a crispy feel with tingly carbonation and medium bodied. Definitely quite drinkable, as well. Recommended for a try and something I would quench my thirst on any time.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2010 04:06:18 | More by Durge

drabmuh

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Random growler pulled in for a recent tasting. Overall the beer was pretty good but I've had so pathetically few examples of a steam beer that its hard to determine what the style actually is.

Beer poured into a tulip. Beer is golden / amber to orange with a nice head of off white bubbles, small, that leaves lacing on the glass. The cap is really nice on this growler and sealed in the carbonation well. Moderate carbonation, small bubbles.

Aroma is a little weak, its mostly malt, mild caramel, not much to talk about.

Beer is medium to light in body with a nice forward presence, not much in the middle and a mild bitterness with a mild dry finish to the whole thing. I like it. The dryness isn't distracting or palate wrecking, its a decent beer. I'd have it again.

Serving type: growler

10-06-2010 14:53:04 | More by drabmuh

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler shared by drabmuh at a recent tasting.

Pours a medium copper color with a nice off white head and a good deal of lacing down the side of my tulip. Nose is pretty faint, but brings forward some caramel malt as well as some slight herbal and floral hops. The taste takes it up a bit. The malt is the center of the show, but there are some faint hops making there way through, although not adding too much bitterness. Not particularly sweet. Moderate body with good carbonation. Drinkability was really nice, and I enjoyed the crispness of this one to start the tasting off.

Also of note was the growler glass itself, which was quite cool.

Serving type: growler

10-06-2010 02:29:55 | More by Thorpe429

atsprings

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Rockfish Grill served in an 18oz schooner a crisp amber with a thin diminishing head. Aroma is a nice amount of sweet malts with slight earthy hops. The taste is a very nice balance of crisp earthy citrus hops and sweet caramel malts. The beer is very smooth, crisp and refreshing. This is another great beer from Fullsteam, while it's not my personal favorite of theirs, I can see it as worthy of being their flagship.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2010 23:27:10 | More by atsprings