Fullsteam Brewery

What Fullsteam Brewery does

Fullsteam Brewery is a privately held craft brewery founded in 2010 by Sean Lilly Wilson in Durham, North Carolina, operating under a "plow-to-pint" model that sources ingredients from Southern farmers, foragers, and craft malt houses. The company's product portfolio spans flagship year-round beers (Paycheck Pilsner, Rocket Science IPA, Wyndfall Table Cider, Humidity, Half Day Brown, Lucky's Lager, White Lily, Thieves of Joy), a deep rotation of limited-release and seasonal beers emphasizing native and foraged ingredients (pawpaws, persimmons, chestnuts, urban foraged flowers), and a non-alcoholic offering (Blank Check). Core production is now contract-brewed at NoDa Brewing Company in Charlotte at up to 240-barrel batches, while small-batch R&D occurs at the newly leased 12,000 sq ft Rocky Mount Brewmill site, and a future 5-barrel pilot system is planned at the American Tobacco Campus.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and taproom-centric. Fullsteam operates one active retail taproom at Boxyard RTP (900 Park Offices Dr., Durham) offering square pizza and full bar service, and is developing a 9,000 sq ft welcome center at the historic American Tobacco Campus in downtown Durham featuring a 100-seat theater, Stoker Club (150 capacity), and Den/Lucky Strike Patio (40 capacity). Revenue is generated through in-person beer and food sales, private event venue rentals (Top Box accommodating 20–200 guests, plus ATC venues), e-commerce direct shipping within North Carolina, and event programming. Saturday promotions include $5 beers, $5 quarter pizza cuts, and a $39 family combo meal.

Supply chain is a core strategic pillar: Fullsteam has invested $577,972 in Southern-sourced ingredients since 2010, purchasing 614,905 pounds (307 tons) with over 95% sourced from North Carolina farms. Key partners include Epiphany Craft Malt, Riverbend Malt House, and Carolina Malt House for grain; High Rock Farm for chestnuts; Triangle Land Conservancy for sanctioned foraging at Brumley Forest; and Wynn Dinnsen for access to a 200-tree semi-wild pawpaw patch. The company holds Craft Malt Certified, Independent Brewery Certified (Brewers Association), and Certified Regenified (for Reset: ESB) designations. Headcount is 11–50 employees, with leadership including founder Sean Lilly Wilson (Chief Executive Optimist), Jon Simpson (VP Brewery Operations), Hannah Parris (Head Brewer), Amanda Scherle (Production Manager), and Austin Meyrick (Director of Brewery Operations – Rocky Mount). No external equity funding has been disclosed.

Name

Fullsteam Brewery

Legal name

Fullsteam Brewery

Website

https://fullsteam.ag

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fullsteam Brewery is a privately held Durham, NC craft brewery (founded 2010) operating a plow-to-pint model that brews beer with Southern-sourced ingredients from NC farms, malt houses, and foragers, selling direct to Triangle-area consumers through taprooms, event venues, and NC-only e-commerce shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery

NAICS

Breweries (31212)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB)

Keywords

• Craft brewery operations
• Taproom hospitality services
• Local ingredient sourcing
• Event venue rentals
• Craft beer manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Beer and Food Sales at Taprooms: Direct sales of craft beer and food (square pizza, salads, snacks) at taproom locations including RTP and Durham ATC
2. Event Venue Rental: Private event bookings at Top Box (second-floor private party space accommodating 20-200 guests) and ATC theater (100-seat venue)
3. Direct Shipping (NC Only): E-commerce sales with direct-to-consumer shipping within North Carolina

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fullsteam Brewery is a craft brewer that produces Southern-sourced craft beer (flagship Paycheck Pilsner and Rocket Science IPA plus a rotating portfolio of limited releases) and sells it direct-to-consumer through physical taprooms (Boxyard RTP in Durham, North Carolina) with food service (square pizza, salads, snacks), event venue rentals (Top Box private party space, ATC theater and clubs), online ordering, and North Carolina direct shipping. Production is operated through a hybrid model combining contract brewing at NoDa Brewing in Charlotte for core beers and small-batch R&D at the company's Rocky Mount Brewmill site.

Product overview

Fullsteam Brewery is a craft brewery operating primarily as a beer producer with taproom and event venue services. Core products include flagship beers Paycheck Pilsner and Rocket Science IPA, alongside a rotating portfolio of limited releases, seasonal beers, and special collaboration brews. The company operates two physical locations: Boxyard RTP (Research Triangle Park) with full food and drink service, and the upcoming American Tobacco Campus (ATC) location in Durham featuring multiple event spaces. Food offerings center on square pizza (hi/lo Detroit-style and thin-crispy). Event venues include Top Box (private party space for 20-200 guests), Fullsteam Theater (100-seat venue), Stoker Club (up to 150 guests), and Den & Lucky Strike Patio (40 guests). Production has shifted to a distributed model with contract brewing at NoDa Brewing Company (Charlotte) for core beers and small-batch R&D at Rocky Mount Brewmill.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paycheck Pilsner Year-round flagship Pilsner made with Carolina Malt House Pilsner malt (nearly 100% local NC), available in 12oz cans. Brewed as a core year-round beer for craft beer consumers seeking place-based local grain expression.
• Rocket Science IPA Year-round American IPA at 7% ABV, one of Fullsteam's core flagship beers.
• Wyndfall Table Cider Year-round craft cider at 7% ABV.
• Humidity Year-round hazy beer at 6.5% ABV.
• Half Day Brown Year-round Brown Ale at 3.6% ABV, a lower-ABV core option.
• Lucky's Lager Year-round lager at 5.2% ABV.
• White Lily Flagship hazy IPA with tropical juice and grapefruit bite, brewed with Riverbend Appalachian Wheat and local barley.
• Thieves of Joy Juicy, hazy, tropical modern IPA at 6.4% ABV.
• Blank Check (Non-Alcoholic Prohibition Pilsner) Non-alcoholic Prohibition Pilsner at 0.5% ABV, Craft Malt Certified with NC malted corn and barley. A separate non-alcoholic take on Paycheck Pilsner that is crisp, smooth, and satisfying.
• Southern Basil (Farmhouse Ale) Seasonal farmhouse ale (Saison) brewed with locally malted wheat and barley and nearly 100 pounds of fresh local basil, at 5% ABV. Winner of the 2019 Good Food Award.
• Squabbit (Nut Brown Ale) Nut Brown Ale brewed with High Rock Farm chestnuts and 100% NC malt at 5.5% ABV, packaged in 12oz cans. Supports American chestnut resurgence.
• Farm's Edge: Dinnsen's Orchard (Belgian-style Tripel) Belgian-style Tripel brewed with local paw paw fruit from Chatham County orchard, at 8% ABV with 100% local grain. 2017 US Beer Open Silver medal and 2018 Good Food Awards winner.
• Farm's Edge: Brumley Forest (Baltic Porter) Baltic Porter featuring locally foraged shagbark hickory, spicebush, and black walnuts from Brumley Forest, at 7.7% ABV. 2023 NC Brewers Cup Silver Medal winner.
• Rabbit Eye (Blueberry Rye IPA) Blueberry rye IPA brewed with hundreds of pounds of blueberries from small farms in Ashe, Durham, and Sampson counties, and Seashore Black Rye malted by Epiphany Craft Malt.
• American Promise (Paw Paw Hazy IPA) Paw Paw Hazy IPA brewed with North America's largest native tree fruit (pawpaw), locally farmed barley, and fruity hops, at 7% ABV. Craft Malt Certified.
• Wild Durham (Foraged IPA) Modern IPA featuring urban-foraged violet flowers, magnolia leaves, and invasive wisteria flowers, at 6.1% ABV with 84% local ingredients. Collaboration with Durham Beat.
• Green Envy (West Coast IPA) West Coast IPA brewed with Citra, Columbus, Chinook, and Centennial hops. 2025 US Open Beer Championship Gold Medal winner; first entry in the rotating COLOR FLOWER IPA series.
• Sugar Hill Golden Ale Collaboration Golden Ale with Harlem Brew South, brewed with 100% North Carolina malt.
• Busta Paga (Italian-style Paycheck) Specialty Italian-style version of Paycheck Pilsner (Busta Paga), dry-hopped using Birrificio Italiano's 1996 method.
• Boxyard RTP Taproom Full-service taproom at Boxyard RTP (900 Park Offices Dr., Durham, NC 27709) serving square pizza (hi/lo Detroit-style and thin-crispy), Fullsteam beer, wine, cider, and craft cocktails. Open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-8pm.
• Top Box Private Event Space Second-floor private party space at Boxyard RTP, accommodating 20-200 guests. Features three temperature-controlled shipping containers (nearly 1,000 sq ft) opening onto a 2,000 sq ft private patio overlooking the Boxyard RTP courtyard.
• Fullsteam Theater (ATC) 100-seat theater at the American Tobacco Campus, featuring a high-resolution multiplex-sized screen, sound system, and dimmable lighting. Available for private events and screenings.
• Stoker Club (ATC) Event space at the American Tobacco Campus accommodating up to 150 people for galas, seated dinners, social gatherings, and buffets. Expected opening late summer 2026.
• Den and Lucky Strike Patio (ATC) Indoor/outdoor semi-private gathering space for approximately 40 guests with comfortable nostalgic vibe and private patio. Expected opening early fall 2026.
• Square Pizza (Hi/Lo) Signature food offering at Boxyard RTP — fluffy Detroit-style (hi) or thin-and-crispy (lo) square pizza. Saturday specials include $39 Hi/Lo combo meal (feeds four) and $18 Detroit-ish pizzas after 5pm.
• NC Direct Shipping (E-Commerce) Direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel shipping canned and bottled Fullsteam beers to customers within North Carolina.

Quantifiable outcome

• $577,972 invested in Southern-sourced ingredients since 2010
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rocky Mount BrewmillcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2025Fullsteam leasing and managing entire 12,000 sq ft Brewmill site for small-batch brewing, R&D, and expansion into Southern-sourced wine, cider, and non-alcoholic beverages. Retained Brewmill Manager Austin Meyrick as Director of Brewery Operations - Rocky Mount.
• Capitol Broadcasting CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2025Owner/operator of Rocky Mount Mills and Brewmill campus. Partnership enables Fullsteam's Eastern NC expansion and Brewmill's continued incubator mission.
• NoDa Brewing CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2025Contract brewing partnership for core year-round beers. NoDa's 60bbl brewhouse in Charlotte produces batches up to 240 barrels, including Paycheck Pilsner and Rocket Science IPA. NoDa's second silo uses Pilsner malt from Carolina Malt House for nearly 100% local Paycheck production.
• Boxyard RTPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMixed-use dining/retail courtyard development at Research Triangle Park. Fullsteam operates taproom and Top Box event space within the Boxyard ecosystem, benefiting from campus event programming and vendor collaboration.
• Epiphany Craft MaltcoreOthersDurham-based craft malt house supplying barley, wheat, and specialty malts. Seashore Black Rye malt from Epiphany was inducted into Slow Food's Ark of Taste catalog.
• Riverbend Malt HousecoreOthersAsheville-based malt house supplying Appalachian wheat, Crystal 50, and custom Plow to Pint blend. Key partner for 100% NC malt certification in beers like Paycheck.
• Carolina Malt HousecoreOthersCleveland, NC malt house supplying Pilsner malt for Paycheck at NoDa, plus specialty malts for various beers. Enables near-100% local malt in core beers.
• Wynn Dinnsen (Chatham County Pawpaw Patch)minorOthersFullsteam serves as caretaker of 200-tree semi-wild pawpaw patch planted by Wynn Dinnsen in rural Chatham County, producing hundreds of pounds of pawpaws for seasonal beers.
• Full of Life FarmsminorOthersSiler City, NC farm supplying local ingredients for Southern-sourced beer production.
• High Rock FarmminorOthersGibsonville, NC farm supplying roasted chestnuts for Squabbit Nut Brown Ale and other chestnut beers, supporting American chestnut resurgence.
• Triangle Land ConservancyminorOthersSanctioned foraging partner at Brumley Forest Nature Preserve for Farm's Edge: Brumley Forest beer ingredients including foraged shagbark and spicebush.
• Durham BeatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDurham arts & culture publication. Collaboration partner for Wild Durham urban foraging beers, with joint team foraging events collecting flowers and herbs.
• Wye Hill BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDurham neighbor brewery collaboration on A Parliament of Birds beer with joint membership club promotions (Scythe and Sparrow vs Electric Owl Society).
• Harlem Brew SouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Harlem-based brewery for Sugar Hill Golden Ale (100% NC malt) and Patsy Young 1808 Ale (amber with local longleaf pine needles).
• White Hat Seed FarmminorOthersHertford, NC farm supplying local triticale for Please Scream Inside Your Heart Double IPA.
• Happy DirtminorOthersDurham produce supplier providing slightly damaged kiwi fruit for Fortunate Son: Kiwi beer, demonstrating commitment to local sourcing and reducing food waste.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wye Hill Brewing: Durham, NC craft brewery and Fullsteam's geographic neighbor within the Boxyard-adjacent market. Wye Hill collaborates directly with Fullsteam (A Parliament of Birds) and serves the same Triangle-area taproom + food customer with similar small-batch craft positioning.
• NoDa Brewing Company: Charlotte, NC craft brewery and Fullsteam's contract production partner since March 2025. NoDa brews Fullsteam's flagship Paycheck Pilsner and Rocket Science IPA on its 60bbl brewhouse, making it the most directly comparable peer in product category, market (NC), and operational role.
• Hi-Wire Brewing: Asheville-area craft brewery with multiple taproom locations across North Carolina and a similar distributed-brewing, multi-venue retail model. Comparable on craft positioning, NC regional scale, and taproom-led GTM motion.
• Ponysaurus Brewing: Durham, NC craft brewery operating a taproom-driven model in the same immediate market. Like Fullsteam, Ponysaurus runs a single brewpub location focused on experimental and core craft beer with a strong neighborhood/place-based identity.
• Bull City Burger and Brewery: Durham, NC brewpub concept pairing house-brewed craft beer with a full food program. Comparable to Fullsteam's Boxyard RTP taproom + food model, operating in the same local Durham competitive set.
• Creature Comforts Brewing Co. Athens, GA craft brewery widely recognized for its emphasis on local sourcing, transparency, and limited-release innovation. Highly comparable to Fullsteam's plow-to-pint, ingredient-narrative GTM and similar Southern U.S. craft positioning.
• Burial Beer Co. Asheville, NC craft brewery with a strong farm-to-glass narrative and similar ingredient-forward limited-release portfolio. Comparable on Southern ingredient sourcing, award-winning IPA/Pilsner programs, and taproom-led retail model in the NC craft market.

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. One of the largest U.S. craft brewers, with a major Mills River, NC facility that competes for the same NC craft consumer. Sierra Nevada overlaps on hop-forward IPAs, sustainability positioning, and food/taproom experience, but as a national brand with vastly larger distribution.
• Wicked Weed Brewing: Asheville, NC craft brewery (now part of AB InBev's craft portfolio). Wicked Weed overlaps with Fullsteam on regional craft identity and hop-forward limited releases but operates at materially larger scale as part of a national craft platform.
• New Belgium Brewing: National craft brewer (Fat Tire, Voodoo Ranger) with a flagship Asheville, NC brewery. Directly comparable on Asheville taproom + sustainability narrative and on being a Southern craft brewery, but at a national scale that exceeds Fullsteam by orders of magnitude.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fullsteam
• Facebookfacebook.com/fullsteambrewery
• Instagraminstagram.com/fullsteambrewery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fullsteam-brewery

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fullsteam Brewery