This pioneering Southern brewery plans to close its downtown Durham taproom
One of the breweries that helped establish Durham’s buzziest nightlife district plans to close its flagship taproom.
Fullsteam Brewery, a much heralded and influential brewery throughout the South, announced it will close its taproom on Rigsbee Avenue in October and stop serving food this week.
The brewery will close its kitchen on July 31 and then close its taproom on Oct. 31, ending its 13-year run with a Halloween trivia night, owner Sean Lilly Wilson said in a Facebook video. (In the interim, Wilson said, customers are welcome to bring their own food.)
While the taproom will close in three months, Fullsteam will continue operations on Rigsbee Avenue through the end of its current lease, which expires in 2025. After that, Wilson suggested Fullsteam could move its operations to some hopeful sites elsewhere, but the future is uncertain for now.
Fullsteam’s satellite location in Boxyard RTP will remain open and unaffected by the changes.
Why is Fullsteam closing its Durham taproom?
Fullsteam is known for a deeply rooted commitment to brewing with local and seasonal ingredients, leading to numerous awards and acclaim.
“When we opened almost 15 years ago we were pioneers in this neighborhood, early in this idea of what a brewery looks like and how it interacts with and serves the public,” Wilson said in an announcement video.
Fullsteam helped establish Durham’s popular Geer Street district, a collection of bars, restaurants and breweries which has become a drinking destination over the last decade. In its early days, Fullsteam hosted food trucks and attracted beer fans just getting acquainted with local craft beer.
That popularity has also spurred serious development activity in the area. High rise apartment complexes are sprouting up, which is bringing hundreds of new residents. But for the last two years, it has meant Fullsteam and other bars have operated in a construction zone.
“This area is changing and basically our need to grow as a production brewery is incompatible with how this area is evolving and market forces,” Wilson said in the video. “So we are looking at a new location to produce beer and we’re also looking for a new location to serve you better.”
As Fullsteam’s neighborhood has seen major property value spikes over the last decade, the brewery said its latest lease extension terms were too expensive.
The Fullsteam production space is owned by Raleigh developer and restaurateur Greg Hatem, whose Durham location of The Pit is also on the property. The Pit closed its regular restaurant service in Durham during the pandemic and now operates as a private events space.
This story was originally published July 29, 2024 at 10:47 AM with the headline "This pioneering Southern brewery plans to close its downtown Durham taproom."
