A departure from the ordinary

Stacked cases of Flying Machine Brewing Company's cans on a pallet in a parking lot, with a white van displaying the company's logo nearby.

Where dreams take flight

There’s a moment when you stop playing by the rules and ask, what if we just went for it? For North Carolina native Grant Steadman, that moment came in 2016. He left his career behind and set out to build something driven by creativity and rooted in our coastal community.

Four friends are sitting at a table inside a restaurant or café, laughing and enjoying drinks, with a large window showing greenery outside.

We created a place of experimentation & soul.

Flying Machine Brewing Company was born from that leap of faith, inspired by North Carolina’s legacy of innovation and the belief that beer, like flight, is worth dreaming about. We envisioned a place dedicated to originality and experimentation, where every drop is brewed and packaged right here in Wilmington.

Today, that dream is alive and thriving. We’re a family-owned craft brewery with a mile-long taplist and a loyal following that stretches from Wrightsville Beach across the Carolinas and beyond. Our taproom is a gathering place for locals and visitors alike. There’s adventure by the pint—and the story’s still unfolding.


Three people, two men and one woman, are inside a brewery, smiling and holding glasses of beer. The man on the left has glasses, a beard, and is wearing a gray shirt. The man in the middle is bald with a long beard, wearing a light blue shirt, and seated on a barrel. The woman on the right has blonde hair, wearing a helmet, black T-shirt, and sits on a barrel. Behind them are stacked metal beer kegs on wooden pallets.
A row of canned beverages labeled Flying Machine on a production line.
Black and white logo with bold letters 'FM' and 'BC' inside a circle.
A woman working in a brewery, pouring grains into a large brewing tank.

Brewing at a higher altitude

Every Flying Machine variety is an invitation to explore, rooted in tradition and fueled by imagination. We blend science with artistry to craft beers that delight, challenge, and reward. 

From water chemistry to fermentation curves, from grain selection to cold-side process, we obsess over each step. You’ll taste the difference in every pour. Our beers are clean when they should be, complex when it counts—IPAs with depth, lagers with structure, sours with soul. 

Ready to break some beer rules and chart a new course? Flying Machine is on a mission to make memorable, irresistible beers—balanced, intentional, and occasionally a little wild. Join us on the journey.

A man in a gray t-shirt, black shorts, and a black cap is holding a beer keg over his shoulder inside a brewery or brewery equipment storage area, with a white van parked outside visible through the open garage door.
A woman working in a brewery, stirring a large stainless steel vessel.
Shelves filled with cans of Flying Machine brand beer with a blue and white shark design.
Close-up of a person's hand holding several fresh green hop cones, with a blurred green background.
Group of people wearing yellow safety vests inside a warehouse, looking at something off-camera, with a large pile of green hops in the foreground.