Fullsteam Finds New Home at Rocky Mount Mills

By Dathan Kazsuk

If you’ve followed the evolution of Fullsteam Brewery over the past decade and a half, you’ll know this Durham-born beer institution isn’t afraid of change—or challenge. And now, with its original Rigsbee Avenue location shuttered since Halloween 2024, Fullsteam is marching onward with a bold new move that doubles down on its farm-forward mission.

This summer, Fullsteam officially took the reins of the 12,000-square-foot Rocky Mount Brewmill campus. That’s right—the brewery that introduced us to Paycheck Pilsner and Southern Basil is now managing the entire Brewmill site, shifting its focus toward small-batch, Southern-sourced wine, cider and non-alcoholic drinks—all while continuing to contract brew its flagship beers through NoDa Brewing in Charlotte.

“Once we could no longer afford to brew in Durham, we had a choice to make,” says founder and self-proclaimed Chief Executive Optimist Sean Lilly Wilson. “We could try to rebuild, or we could adapt to a changing marketplace and take advantage of existing capacity.”

Fullsteam chose the latter. And it’s not just a new address—it’s a return to roots. The Brewmill move allows the team to reconnect with the creativity and agricultural sourcing that originally defined their “plow to pint” ethos.

Expect small-batch R&D projects, such as Rabbit Eye, a blueberry rye IPA brewed with fruit from Ashe, Durham and Sampson counties, or their upcoming Southern Basil, brewed with 100 pounds of local herbs and grains malted by Epiphany Craft Malt.

The brewery also plans to broaden its beverage footprint with forays into cider, wine and even non-alcoholic drinks—all designed to showcase what the South can grow and ferment.

Wilson’s team is retaining Brewmill manager Austin Meyrick, who will now serve as Fullsteam’s director of brewery operations for Rocky Mount under the guidance of VP Jon Simpson. Together, they’ll continue to collaborate with fellow tenants like Spaceway Brewing, Larema Beverage Co. and NC Beer Factory.

“Not only does this ‘go big and go small’ model make good business sense for us, it allows us to double down on our passion,” Wilson says. “Crafting small-batch, farm-driven beer, wine and cider.”

For Capitol Broadcasting Company—the team behind the Brewmill concept—this feels like destiny fulfilled. “When we envisioned the Brewmill, our goal was to create a space where breweries could truly craft their story—and that’s exactly what Fullsteam is doing,” says Evan Covington Chavez, director of real estate in Rocky Mount.

Looking ahead, Fullsteam is planning to open an on-site taproom in the next year or two, adding to the growing beverage community in Rocky Mount alongside past Brewmill success stories like HopFly and Bright Penny.

And what about Durham? While Fullsteam’s former Rigsbee location is now closed, its new 9,000-square-foot Boiler Room facility in the American Tobacco Campus is still full steam ahead. “We’re still planning ATC—it’s just going to take a long time. In the meantime, we need a physical location to place our brewery, so Rocky Mount Mills made a lot of sense for us,” Wilson says.

Until then, fans can still grab a pint at Fullsteam’s Boxyard RTP location—and maybe plan a day trip to Rocky Mount to see where the next chapter of Southern beer innovation is already fermenting.

Check out more stories from around the Triangle with Midtown magazine.