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11 Incredible Breweries in Wilmington, NC (You’ll Love)

Best breweries in Wilmington, NC
Breweries in Wilmington, NC – Tony Prato / Shutterstock.com

If you want to have craft beer, there are many great breweries in Wilmington, NC, you can visit. These brew great ales, sours, and many other types of beers.

From breweries that are located inside a historic building to ones where you can listen to live music to breweries with an outdoor patio, the breweries in the city have a lot to offer. You can also get delicious food at some of them as some have a great food menu and at some, you can find food trucks.

With this Wilmington breweries guide, you can easily decide where you want to go for great craft beer in the city.

Best Breweries in Wilmington, NC

Wrightsville Beach Brewery

View of beer at Wrightsville Beach Brewery
Beer at Wrightsville Beach Brewery

Wrightsville Beach Brewery, located at 6201 Oleander Drive, is a brewery where you can get great craft beer and delicious food.

There are many different styles of beers to choose from at the brewery. Besides that, you can get great locally-caught seafood and oysters at this restaurant, as well as other food options, such as burgers, pizza, French toast, salads, and pasta.

Throughout the week, there’s often live music at the brewery.

In addition to great food and drinks, the brewery contributes to local charities. Each month Wrightsville Beach Brewery has a “Beer of the Month”. It donates the proceeds from this beer to 11 local non-profits.

Each month, the proceeds go to a different non-profit, and in December 11% of the proceeds of all beers go to all non-profits.

Address: 6201 Oleander Dr, Wilmington, NC 28403

Flying Machine

Flying Machine from the inside
Interior of Flying Machine

Flying Machine is a great brewery in Wilmington that combines old techniques with contemporary styles.

At the taproom, which is located at the production facility of Flying Machine in midtown Wilmington, you can choose from more than 30 beers, wine, and cider. The tap list includes many great-tasting beers, including German beers.

In addition to that, there are often rotating food trucks at Flying Machine, which means that you can get great food while having a beer at Flying Machine.

Furthermore, the brewery has both an indoor bar and a patio bar with outdoor seating, and there are often events taking place at Flying Machine.

Address: 3130 Randall Pkwy, Wilmington, NC 28403

Waterman’s Brewing Company

View of the beer garden of Waterman's Brewing Company
Beer Garden of Waterman’s Brewing Company

Waterman’s Brewing Company is a microbrewery that opened in 2017. You can find this brewery at 1610 Pavilion Place in Wilmington.

At the brewery, you can get great in-house brewed craft beers, and there are many different types of beers to choose from, including Sours, Stouts, and Lagers.

In addition to that, you can get great food at Waterman’s Brewing Company.

For example, you can get a variety of tacos, such as fried shrimp tacos and veggie tacos. You can also get great burgers, fish & chips, and other food options.

You can also bring your dog to the brewery.

Lots of different events often take place at the brewery, including events with live music by local artists.

Address: 1610 Pavilion Pl, Wilmington, NC 28403

Panacea Brewing Company

Burger and beer at the Panacea Brewing Company
Beer and burger at the Panacea Brewing Company

Panacea Brewing Company is a brewery that was launched in 2016. At the brewery, you can get kombucha, elderberry syrup, local draft beer, kombucha beer, and much more.

You can find the current selection of kombucha and beers on the brewery’s website. The menu also includes non-alcoholic kombuchas

The brewery also has a plant-based kitchen where you can get all kinds of delicious dishes that are made from scratch.

For example, you can get great tacos that are made with tofu and other ingredients at Panacea Brewing Company. In addition to that, there are many different types of burgers, fries, soups, salads, and other food options.

It is also possible to have brunch on Sundays at Panacea Brewing Company.

Address: 4107 Oleander Dr (Unit H), Wilmington, NC 28403

Wilmington Brewing Company

Outside of the Wilmington Brewing Company
Wilmington Brewing Company

Wilmington Brewing Company, founded by Wilmington natives, is one of the best breweries in Wilmington and you can find its taproom at 800 South Kerr Avenue.

The taproom has both a large indoor and outdoor seating area. At the taproom, you can try out one of 15 rotating draft beers that are brewed at the brewery.

You can find all kinds of games at the taproom that are fun to play.

In addition to that, you can often find a large variety of food trucks at the brewery. The food trucks serve many types of food, from tacos to BBQ to burgers. You can see which food trucks will be at the brewery on the website of Wilmington Brewing Company.

Address: 824 S Kerr Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403

Flytrap Brewing

Flytrap Brewing is a brewery dedicated to making the best possible beers, and the brewery focuses on Belgian and American ales. Flytrap Brewing opened in 2014.

The brewery’s beer list includes a variety of hand-crafted core brews, as well as seasonal and special beers. You can also get a flight of beers if you want to try a few.

Besides beer, you can also get a selection of wines at Flytrap Brewing.

What’s nice too, is that you can see art by local artists on display in the taproom. Every two months, there are other works of art on display.

In addition to that, each month there are many events during which you can have a variety of food, such as tacos, coffee, pizza, and sushi, and sometimes there are other types of events.

Address: 319 Walnut St, Wilmington, NC 28401

Broomtail Brewing

People outside of Broomtail Brewing
Outside of Broomtail Brewing

Broomtail Brewing is a dog-friendly brewery that was founded in 2014 by husband and wife team, Barry and Lisa Owings. The brewery can be found at 6404 Amsterdam Way in Wilmington.

At Broomtail Brewing, you can get high-quality and delicious craft beer, made using ingredients from all over the world.

From Ales to Sours to Stouts, there are many different drinks to choose from.

Broomtail Brewing has two locations, the main brewery and the Broomtail Brewing Pub & Arcade.

At the Broomtail Pub & Aracade, you can try out all the beers and sours of Broomtail, as well as other types of drinks, such as wines and slushies. In addition to that, you can play all kinds of arcade games at this location and there’s an outdoor beer garden. This is also great if you’re looking for fun date ideas in Wilmington.

Also, as part of the beer-making process, new beers are tested in the Broomtail Pub.

Address: 6404 Amsterdam Way Unit 100, Wilmington, NC 28405

Edward Teach Brewery

Edward Teach Brewery is a pirate-themed brewery where you can enjoy a variety of draft beers. There are 8 draft beers to choose from and the brewery is always working on new brews.

The brewery is located inside a historic building that dates back to the year 1907. This building used to be a fire engine house from 1907 to 1971. Throughout the years, the building was used for a variety of purposes.

Besides going here for beer, you can also enjoy the events that often take place at Edward Teach Brewery.

Address: 604 N 4th St, Wilmington, NC 28401

Front Street Brewery

Front Street Brewery from the outside
Exterior of Front Street Brewery – MicheleMidnight / Shutterstock.com

Front Street Brewery, one of the city’s best breweries, is a brewery that opened in 1995, making it the longest-operating brewery in Wilmington.

The brewery, which can be found on Front Street, is located inside a historic building from the year 1865. The building was used as a dry goods store, a carpet store, a showroom for musical instruments, a clothing store, and for other purposes.

You can choose from more than 10 flagship beers and seasonal beers. For example, one of the best flagship beers is the “Dram Tree Scottish Ale”.

You can also get a selection of whiskeys that were hand-picked by the brewery to be bottled for the brewery at Front Street Brewery.

Address: 9 N Front St, Wilmington, NC 28401

Ironclad Brewery

Ironclad Brewery is a brewery where you can get great craft beer in Wilmington that was established in 2014. The brewery is housed inside a beautiful, historic building in Wilmington’s Historic Downtown that dates back to the year 1925.

The brewery has a creative selection of beers. If you want to try a beer that will surprise you, this is a great spot for that.

Ironclad Brewery sources its hops from a farm in Alpena, Michigan. Also, the brewery creates its own ingredients together with local businesses.

Address: 115 N 2nd St, Wilmington, NC 28401

Waterline Brewing Company

Waterline Brewing Company is a brewery that is located in a restored part of the old Jacobi Hardware warehouse, which is located under the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. This building dates back to the 30s and 40s.

You can get a variety of brews at Waterline Brewing Company. To see what’s currently on tap at the brewery, you can look at the brewery’s website. The brewery has six flagship ales: “Waterline Kolsch”, “Pale”, “Oatmeal Stout”, and three other ones.

For its brews, Waterline Brewing Company uses a state-of-the-art steam-fired five-barrel system.

A large variety of events takes place at Waterline Brewing Company. For example, you can often enjoy an event with live music, sometimes there are comedy shows, and there are many other types of events.

Address: 721 Surry St, Wilmington, NC 28401

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Wilmington Breweries Tips

When visiting one of the places on this Wilmington breweries list, I recommend looking at the websites of each brewery to see if there’s an event taking place that you would like to attend.

Also, some of these breweries are great if you are looking for a place to have dinner or lunch, as many offer delicious food or host a variety of food trucks.

Buildings in Wilmington
View of buildings in Wilmington

Breweries in Wilmington Map


Thanks for reading my guide to the best breweries in Wilmington, NC. As you see, there are a lot of great places where you can get craft beer in the city!

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