Full Circle Brewing Company

So sad to hear they’re closing! Someone needs to buy this full on brewery! The beer is great. The atmosphere is rugged but safe. I don’t know… it must have been a life decision more than a business decision.
I’m going tonight… Nate at the movies final run.
Update: not really closing… changing hands to a new dynamic owner. More to come!

My husband enjoys breweries, so on our vacation we passed by this brewery. What a wonderful place, great beer according to my husband and some of the best root beer I have ever tasted. Bill one of the owners was playing one of many harmonicas, and they have burlesque shows and silent movie nights. We brought home a growler of root beer.

Traveling thru Fresno we stopped for a beer and were pleasantly surprised by the great variety of beers on tap. Kenny was great to chat with and filled us in on the Full Circle history. Very eclectic atmosphere. Quiet night with no live music but it was nice to sit at the bar and get great service.

We stopped by this place last weekend because it was on the winery trail. I loved the décor of the place and also loved all the different beers they had to offer. They host live entertainment during the later part of the day. Where this place is located you could never believe a brewery was here. I meet the owner and he was very nice. I suggest you get a half gallon of his local beer to take home.

Atmosphere is not the best and it’s in a sketchy-​ish neighborhood but it’s an adventure! People in there are really nice though so don’t be afraid. They make their own beer, mead and root beer! They call it how it’s brewed. For example, if a beer tasted like a wheat beer, but it’s called a lager it’s because it’s made how a lager is supposed to. That’s their personality.
I had a flight of 6 beers. Some of them I liked, some of them were meh. I really enjoy their mysterious red ale (it wasn’t the High Speed Rail Red Ale). I would come back to taste their other concoctions. They also have shows there sometimes…

The beer is good, but it changes a lot from batch to batch. The crowd here is a little old for me. Not quite old enough to be hippies, but old enough to wish they were. Music can be good, but sometimes the cover is too high. Not wild about the burlesque nights. Its a stageful of women who should keep their clothes on.

Good local beers that you can’t find in stores. The atmosphere is as relaxed as you will be after you drink just a few. With a good value and a good variety, I would love to see more things and more people at Full Circle. Go check out the next roller derby game from Central California Area Derby, a women’s athletic team that practices and hosts games on the property outside of the building.

Full Circle is an interesting place. It’s located in a terrible neighborhood right off of Ventura close to the railroad tracks and near the rescue mission. It’s also in an old brick warehouse which is attached to some really rundown little houses.
However, the place is just full of character. They have a bar up front and then as you walk toward the back it opens up into a dining area with a stage. Off to the left is the brewing room and you can see the fermenters and such in there.
The beers are varied, and very tasty. We did a sampler and it included TWELVE beers! I’ve never done been to a micro brew that had twelve of their own beers on tap at once. So this place has a beer for every taste.
So I will say if you’re a little adventurous and you like quirky places with a cool vibe, this is the place for you.

What a cool place! I am new to Fresno and had never hear of it until a few days ago. A friend and I stopped by on a whim, and we were totally taken aback. Apparently Fresno’s Gaslamp Society (part of the «Steampunk/​Gaslight Goth/​Neo-​Victorian» scene) was using the brewery’s large seating area to put on a show full of period-​appropriate dancing and music. The show was great to watch, and Full Circle has an awesome space for hosting events.
On to the most important part of any brewery review… the beer. I got the sampler, which was a lot of beer for my dollar and included everything they had on tap. Their dark and amber-​colored beers were absolutely delicious, and the high gravity options were very well-​balanced. The lighter options didn’t stand out as much to me, but all were good.
There are no food options available at the brewery, but you can bring your own. This place is all about the beer (and the mead, which is also good).

My wife had been telling me about this place ever since we got together. Earlier this evening I finally got to try it. This is a shining example of local craft brew. I opted for the full flight. I tried all 12 brews. The standouts were the red ale and the dopple bock. The barleywine was a real surprise. I’m normally not a fan of those but theirs is fine. My wife really likes their pommegranate mead. The bartender told me that one of the things that makes their beer so good is that they age it. I wish that I could get their beer in San Antonio, but since my wife is from Fresno I know that I’ll get more chances to go back.

Full Circle Brewery is absolutely hellish during the summer and I cant stay away. Every time my friends want to go see a Burlesque show there, a part of me dreads it because I know I will walk out of there needing a second shower after spending the evening sweating buckets and drinking barely chilled in house crafted rootbeer, cider, and bottled water. You know what though? I freakin’ love the place! I’m not a beer drinker, I lose 20 pounds of water weight during the summer and and get an arm working out from fanning myself nonstop, and I freeze my tookus off during the cooler months, but despite all of that, I can’t seem to get enough. Don’t ask me to explain it, just go and see for yourself. It’s wonderful.

This is a great venue to listen to some jazz, ala Art Hop/​Jazz Hop night. I’m not much of a beer drinker, so I tried a glass of their red wine. Uh, I guess I would liken it to ordering fish at a steakhouse. Back to the venue; very eclectic surroundings w/​your choice of table seating, booths, or theater chairs. It’s a great casual place for about 100 people. I’d have a party there!

I love, I love this place because the beers are fantastic and the people selling it are genuine. I love the vibe of the joint and it keeps me coming back for more. The establishment itself is an island unto its own because it’s a run down section of Fresno. I affectionately call it skid row because that is what it reminds me of when I made the mistake of driving past Full circle going south. FYE just don’t drive down that way because it’s scary but not a big deal some people might get paranoid at the Mad Max vibes it gives off.
The review:
The Good
Excellent Beer, I’m currently drinking the Pilsner and even bought a Growler to take home with me. Growler def: A jug which they fill up with whatever beer you want and you take home and you drink and when your done. You come back and refill. Pretty amazing I think personally. Super cheap and affordable.
They also make their own wine «mead» to be exact and it’s strong. I had trouble finishing a glass because the flavors were so intense but nonetheless it was good. I had never tried something like it in all my travels.
They have shows almost every night, which vary and they usually charge a cover charge but you can listen to what is going on from the bar. Just a tip.
The owners are awesome!
The bad:
They don’t serve food but it’s really not a negative because they have a extensive list of delivery. Which they don’t mind you ordering to the bar.
Now that I think about it, not really negatives going for it.
Oh the area it’s located but it seems safe enough. Like I said an island unto its own because once you’re inside you won’t realize your in Mad Max land.
Overall, fine establishment and I will continue to frequently this brewing company.

No food to eat, but who cares? Their beer is really great and the brewmaster is always there in case you want to talk with him!

Interesting place with interesting beer. Old building a (former post office) has spooky vibe. Being a brewer I was pretty critical of quality and on beer alone I would give it only 2 stars. There’s a lot missing in these beers. Not sure exactly what? My guess is the yeast quality or malts? Who knows. It’s just not that good. The ClusterFuggle was pretty good and I did like the «BarleyWine». But that’s about it. I got a great tour from a very nice guy who explained in detail everything and I admire the brew house ingenuity. The fresh house made root beer was very good!

Wonderful burlesque show. If you don’t enjoy sweating like crazy, then I would suggest you pick a cooler time to visit this place because they have no air conditioning and when it is crowded it is hot!!! I loved the entertainment though and hangin with my friends was great!

I’ve gone to Full Circle twice now and each time I have enjoyed myself. The owners are incredibly nice, humorous, and very keen on customer service. Upon entering my friends and I were greeted promptly at the bar. The Cluster Fuggle beer is decent, but the Pomegranate Mead is outstanding. The mead offering was unique and flavorful in my opinion. I had a friend who chose the Russian Stout and was very pleased with it. While it came in a smaller glass, the 11% alcohol content more than made up for it. The prices are fair as well. Most drinks and pints are in the $ 5 range.
The overall atmosphere was very relaxed. This isn’t your typical bar on a Saturday night. No screaming adults, ghetto fights, or elitists here. All the bad hype surrounding downtown Fresno is dismissed once you walk into Full Circle. There is plenty of parking outside as well for those of you who complain there isn’t any. The seating is plentiful in the stage area and about average for bar seating. The décor is random, quirky, and unique for Fresno. Don’t expect Budlight posters everywhere. Neon lights and local art decorate this place!
I am very pleased to have found this place and will continue to go in the future. The different events they host will continue to make this is a cozy place to frequent. I would definitely recommend to check this place out if you have not already. Don’t forget to buy a growler! Cheers!

There are rare moments when I wish I had a smartphone. My attempt to visit Full Circle is one of those moments. With my trusty Mapquest print outs in hand, I made my way to the outskirts of the Downtown grid. If this place were in Denver, it would’ve been commonplace in the LoDo neighborhood. Along University Avenue in San Diego, there’s faux industrial condo buildings that mimic the environs that Full Circle sits within.
The brewery is located in an area with a mix of industrial, retail and residential that many Fresnans probably wouldn’t want to visit at night. It’s two or so blocks away from the baseball stadium and the core of downtown. If city planners had ‘infill’ in their vocabulary, Full Circle’s neighborhood would be gentrified and full of yuppies and hipsters already. Anyways, my commentary is besides the point.
My lack of portable technology screwed me over on this attempt. Full Circle’s got really limited hours. I was relegated to finding a local distributor of their beer. I had me some Cluster Fuggle cream ale and it was pleasant. It’s 5.8 abv but it’s flavor doesn’t connote that. It’s a perfectly light summer beer. Being that this one of two micro-​breweries in Fresno that I’m aware of, I hope that it does well.

Went here last night because the wife saw that a singer she likes was playing here. Have to say that this place was a very nice treat to discover; another place we like in Fresno, yay! None of the pictures here on Unilocal or on their website do this place justice, go check it out yourself.
So yes, this place is quite large. The have a good sized bar with stools, several booths, a collection of of tables and chairs, and a couple of rows of theater seating before their very nice stage. There is art of all sorts, everywhere! Loved looking around the place and seeing anything from sculpture to painting to pottery to other sorts everywhere I looked; I wonder if they rotate the art and featured artists about from time to time… I loved the exposed beam barrel ceiling of the place too, I kept fantasizing about how cool it would be to have this place as my own apartment… one can dream.
This place has good acoustics, great for music! Would probably be good for a theater performance too. Hell, they could move all of this to the back of the place and make it a good dance hall too.
It’s a brewery, so lets get on with the beer already. I did not try the mead, but will one of these days. My wife really liked the Cluster Fugger, an American Cream Ale; she had two pints, which for her is going crazy (equivalent to you drinking a pony keg on your own in one evening), so you know it’s good. I didn’t particularly like their wheat ale, but from living in Bavaria once upon a time, I have ridiculously/​impossibly high standards. What I really think is their opus is their Russian Imperial Stout… delicious and dangerous!
Mark, the cool dude behind the bar, was very informative about the beers and their brewing process. After a pint and a half of that Russian Imperial, it’s hard to remember parts of that night, but I do recall him mentioning how they use food grade rice for the rice beers (I believe the Cluster Fugger is one such beer), and that their Russian Imperial is aged for a minimum of 16 months, often closer to 24 – 36 months!
They currently offer just some little snack type of things like a bag of chips or some nuts, but are developing what will likely be a pizza and grill/​sandwich kitchen. This will be a great addition to an already great space.
I hope to forget a little bit less each time I go there in the future, difficult to do given the strength of the stout. I will check on their website frequently to see what music they have in the works.

This weekend, Sammy and I drove down to Fresno to visit some good friends of ours. While in town, we were able to swing by one of Fresno’s two breweries, Full Circle Brewing Company.
To label Full Circle as just a brewery would be misleading. In fact, beer was the last thing Full Circle made. Homebrewers Don Anderson and William (Bill) McCory started off brewing mead. In fact, it’s their mead that brought Sammy and I to their brewery to begin with.
Their orange blossom mead is probably the ugliest looking beverage in the world. In all seriousness, it looks like drain water, gray-​ish brown, opaque and thick. Thank goodness it doesn’t taste like drain water. The smell of orange and honey is definitely apparent but the other aroma that caught me off guard was the smell of walnuts.
Their pomegranate mead is their best selling mead, and for good reason. The aromas and flavors of pomegranate are readily apparent. I even pick up some chocolate notes and maybe a hint of wood. It is sweet and tart but not unbearably so. The pomegranate flavors seem to dominate a little more than the honey.
What we did try was a sample of their pulque. Pulque (pull-​keh) is pulque, to describe it any differently would be incorrect. Put another way, maguey is to pulque, as wine is to grapes, as honey is to mead, and as malted barley is to beer. It is the main agent of saccharification. However, Full Circle uses Agave to make their pulque instead of traditional maguey. The result is an interesting beverage with the aroma and flavor of tequila without the harshness of the alcohol.
Despite the eight paragraphs preceding this one, Full Circle does brew beer, seven different styles to be precise. They brew a brown ale (5.5% ABV), an 1850 London Porter (5.5% ABV), red ale (5.3% ABV), a Russian Imperial stout (11% ABV), Cluster Fuggle Cream Ale (5.6% ABV), an American Wheat Ale (5.2% ABV) and their Badass Barleywine (11% ABV).
Described as an «extra stout porter», the 1850 porter is moderately roasty but not overwhelmingly so. It is medium-​full to full in body with a bit of creaminess to it. Unlike other porters, there is no husky graininess, astrigency or bitterness in the flavor making this a smooth drinking porter. I did notice a slight sourness in the finish. While it is not uncommon to have some optional sourness in a dry stout, it is not normal in a porter. From a historical context, English brewers would brew a porter of «stout» body and strength. So the «Victorian Age» 1850 Porter would today be defined as a dry stout, which would explain the sourness. Even though this beer was approximately 5.5% ABV, it was still too heavy for the hot Fresno afternoon and something lighter was called for.
Doing a complete 180 degree turn, I ordered their Cluster Fuggle Cream Ale as well. The cream ale is their best selling product and it’s easy to determine why. Neither the malt nor hop aromas dominate but there is a detectable sweetness in the aroma. The beer is straw colored with a lasting, white head. I don’t remember the malt nor hop flavors dominating, more subtle with low hop bitterness. The slight sweetness is apparent but far from cloying. The beer is light on the palette.
Full Circle Brewing Company is old skool. They are the homebrewer who turned pro that never forgot his homebrewing roots. Despite their small size, they are not afraid to dream big. With a pizza kitchen to be added soon, Bill has his eyes set to brew sake next. Not many places can lay claim to having such a diverse portfolio of products. If you are ever in Fresno, I recommend visiting Full Circle Brewing Company. It is an experience unto itself.
This is an abbreviated version of my full review. To read my full review as well as view some photos, please visit my website here: