{"id":4610,"date":"2011-07-29T08:40:48","date_gmt":"2011-07-29T12:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/?p=4610"},"modified":"2011-07-29T09:44:02","modified_gmt":"2011-07-29T13:44:02","slug":"hop-line-local-ingredients-local-beer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/2011\/07\/hop-line-local-ingredients-local-beer\/","title":{"rendered":"HOP LINE: Local Ingredients, Local Beer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Evan Crouch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For food lovers across the Triangle, summer is a special time of year. Along with the heat, humidity and a few mosquitoes, summer brings the prospect of fresh seasonal produce. Go to any nearby farmers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 market and you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help but be amazed by the abundance of locally grown fruits and vegetables at our fingertips.<!--more--> Not only does local produce make for a tasty repast, it also helps to support the regional economy: It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s estimated that 80 to 90 cents on the dollar that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spent locally, stays locally. Most of us are familiar with the economic benefits of eating locally, but what about drinking locally? Craft beer offers an unexpected vehicle for just that \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and local breweries are catching on.<\/p>\n<p>One such brewery is Fullsteam in Durham. Located at 726 Rigsbee Ave. (near the old Durham Bulls ballpark), Fullsteam strives to craft brews that use as many local ingredients as possible, with a respectful nod to the Southern culinary tradition. Locally sourced sweet potatoes, cornmeal grits, scuppernong grapes, figs and persimmons have all made their way into the brewery\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unique lineup of beers. Fullsteam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s current seasonal is the Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s made with locally grown basil that delivers a refreshing herbal quality, and coupled with the lemon and pepper notes from the saison-style brewer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s yeast, Summer Basil makes a perfect complement to a fresh summer salad.<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4611\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4611\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/HopLine.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/HopLine.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"HopLine\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/HopLine.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/HopLine-120x80.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4611\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fullsteam CEO Sean Wilson. Photo by Sean Living-Water<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nThere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something oddly poetic about this brewpub rising amidst the abandoned tobacco warehouses in the former epicenter of North Carolina\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bygone cash crop. When talking to Fullsteam CEO Sean Wilson, one really gets the sense that he sees an important role for his brewery in the local economy. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ultimately, we here at Fullsteam want to craft what I call a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSouthern beer economy,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 where we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re buying ingredients locally and making beer from them,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Given our backgrounds and love for local food and Southern traditions, it was easy to hone in on the Southern-sourced model \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fun, creative and boundless. We have a unique opportunity to create a category rather than replicate historical styles. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really exciting!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Wilson isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the only one who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s getting excited about the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153plow-to-pint\u00e2\u20ac\u009d movement. Liz Clore, an apprentice farmer at Elysian Fields Farm in Cedar Grove, just finished harvesting this year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s basil crop, which wound up in Fullsteam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Summer Basil. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fullsteam seems to foster a real community environment in Durham, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m excited they extend that to the ingredients in their beer. And honestly, much of my motivation for farming is the delicious end product, so it is awesome\u00c2\u00a0to know that the basil I produced and cared for becomes a part of something I love to drink,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0she says.<br \/>\nAfter finishing her apprenticeship, Clore says she plans to start her own farm next year in Saxapahaw, noting that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153growing crops specifically for brewers on my own farm is an exciting prospect.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s satisfying to observe this positive ripple effect as it moves through the local economy. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s even more encouraging to see new farmers get into the game. Harrison Willets, of Willets Farm Starberry Lane in Mebane, is converting an acre of his farmland to be used for hop cultivation. It will take a full three years of planting cover crops to prepare the soil, but Willets says it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s well worth it: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think people in this area are motivated to brew at home and need a supply for fresh hops, as well as local breweries having an option to make an all-local beer. \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to diversify one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s product layout and customer base. This crop does both.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>In these tenuous economic times, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more important than ever to back our local farmers, brewers and businesses. We all reap the benefits of a shared prosperity when supporting our neighbors in the community. And if you have a penchant for support of the quaffable variety, you needn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look any further than the local beer scene. As Sean Wilson reminds us, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re truly in a golden era in North Carolina \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 an era that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just getting started.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<br \/>\nI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll toast to that!<\/p>\n<p>The Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale is available in growlers and on draft and pairs well with light summer fare like this salad \u00e2\u20ac\u201c for which the bulk of ingredients are available at your farmers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 market!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Summer Salad<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Ingredients<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n1\/2 pound fresh feta<br \/>\n1 small wedge of watermelon\u00c2\u00a0<br \/>\n1\u00c2\u00a0heirloom tomato<br \/>\n1\/2 slicing cucumber<br \/>\n1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil<br \/>\n1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar<br \/>\n1\/2 teaspoon sea salt<br \/>\n1\/2 teaspoon chopped mint<br \/>\n1\/2 teaspoon chopped basil<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Procedure<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nRemove the rind from the watermelon, peel the cucumber and remove the core from the tomato. Slice each item one-quarter-inch thick. Make sure the feta cheese is very cold and drained of any liquid, then slice into one-quarter inch pieces. On a serving plate, alternate pieces of watermelon, tomato and cucumber with a slice of feta in between each. Sprinkle the salt and herbs on top, then drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Evan Crouch For food lovers across the Triangle, summer is a special time of year. Along with the heat, humidity and a few mosquitoes, summer brings the prospect of fresh seasonal produce. Go to any nearby farmers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 market and you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help but be amazed by the abundance of locally grown fruits and vegetables [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4610"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4612,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4610\/revisions\/4612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}