Fullsteam sneaking into SC market

fullsteam

Shh! Do you want to know a (sort of) secret? You didn’t hear it from me, but Durham, NC’s Fullsteam Brewery is quietly making its way into the South Carolina market.

This Thursday, the brewery will hold a beer dinner at the Wild Dunes resort in Isle of Palms. The intimate and pricey but impressive six-course meal will feature a range of their beers paired with food from The Lettered Olive and looks to be tasty all around.

You’ll notice at the top of that announcement that brewery founder Sean Lilly Wilson noted the dinner “kicks off our quiet launch into the Charleston, SC region.” Wilson also confirmed a “mini-launch” of 10 accounts in a tweet, with more expected after the brewery finishes its expansion.

If you want to get a taste of what’s to come, Fullsteam will be one of the breweries pouring at Brewvival this weekend. On tap will be the 2011 and 2012 editions of their First Frost winter warmer, The Common Good “Kentucky common” and a cask of their Cackalacky! ginger pale ale.

Quest’s presence grows online, in print.

Screenshot_2_17_13_8_18_AM-2

The folks at Quest Brewing Co., one of the up-and-coming breweries in Greenville, ended last week on a high note after being the subject of a local newspaper piece and launching a more robust web presence.

Already featured in a local TV news report, Quest was also the focus of a Greenville News article published Friday. In it, Quest founder Don Richardson talks about how the brewery got its start and where they’re going from here. Maybe they can cut it out and put it on their fridge. (Or, their new 30-barrel brite tank, which was delivered Saturday.)

Richardson said he expects the brewery to be online and open for tastings by mid May. Their main focus from the start will be the four core beers in their Legendary Series: Smoking Mirror Porter, Kaldi Coffee Stout, Golden Fleece BPA and the West Coast-style Ellida IPA.

(Quick aside: A smoked porter as one of your core beers? High five, guys.)

And, as if expecting a little more attention from all the media reports, the brewery’s new website also went live Friday afternoon. The new site gives visitors a good look into the backstory of the brewery, where they see themselves going and what they’ll be brewing when they eventually go online. The beer lineup is looking good, as the brewery plans to churn out not only unique base beers and seasonals, but a line of sours and barrel-aged beers as well.

No news on opening day – sometime in May is all we’re hearing now – or when tours and tastings will be offered, but that news will likely be coming shortly.