NOT a “Little Shop of Horrors”: FlyTrap Brewery

Tucked in the Brooklyn Arts District of Downtown Wilmington, Flytrap Brewery fits in perfectly with its community. Don’t expect to see Rick Moranis sing about his homicidal plant. The Taproom is a comfortable space where local artists display their craft and carnivorous plants grow in the front window. This is not a large warehouse style brewery or a highly polished tourist destination but instead a tasteful, cozy space. It’s a neighborhood brewery where locals gather for a pint of Flytrap’s latest creations.

FlyTrap beers are not available anywhere other than the taproom, they are not to be found in local restaurants or bars. The staff was friendly and very passionate about the beers they are working on as well as the business they are helping to develop. The taproom doesn’t serve food of their own, but they do offer chips and crackers along with dips and spreads from The Veggie Wagon (also at Good Hops Brewing). The Veggie Wagon makes a great pimento cheese that is a must-try if you ‘re in the mood for a snack. 

Flytrap is still in their first year of operation so they are focused early milestones. As much as I enjoyed my visit, part of me wished I waited a bit later to review this brewery. At the time of my visit the taproom only had four FlyTrap beers on tap. To be honest, I am more excited about the beers they are developing than I am the beers I sampled.

• Render’s Red: This was my favorite of the four offerings. It had a nice amber color and smooth finish. It is a nice drinkable beer with a smooth malty tone.
• Saison: I love Breweries that color outside the lines and while I’m not sure this beer stuck the landing, I admire the attempt. A fun beer to sample with its floral aroma and a light golden color.
• Hoppy Trippel: This is FlyTrap’s best-selling beer. It has a high alcohol content and appeals to the hops lovers: the perfect beer for a college town or a neighborhood full of young people. For me it was way too hops heavy with a way too long finish.
• Belgian Dubbel: This is a nice Belgian beer that has a rich caramel color, with the typical sweetness and light malt flavor common to this style of Belgian.

Hops built the craft beer movement, by drawing beer lovers away from the watered down, tasteless domestic beers and into the craft beer revolution. I think that sours are the next stage of the movement drawling wine drinkers in to breweries. Flytrap has a generous number of sour craft beers from other breweries. They even offer a sours menu and are developing a Gose beer using salt from nearby Wrightsville beach. It’s this this kind of avant-garde brewing that excites me about Flytrap’s future. Please visit Flytrap next time you’re in Wilmington and let me know what you think.

Michael Cole lives in Sanford, NC, and loves great food and beer. His taste tends to favor malts over hops so he an avid fan of ambers and dark beers.