Moving across the country to start a brewery is a sure sign of commitment to the craft. That’s exactly what Flyway Brewing’s Jess McMullen did in order to see his and Matt Foster’s vision realized.
McMullen and Foster are now counting down the days until they full-on open their doors to the public on Dec. 19.
Tucked away on 314 Maple Street, Flyway Brewery sits, excited to be an addition to Argenta. Upon entering the space, you can see that a lot of effort went into the design.
The spacious tap room harbors a mixture of wood and industrial elements that ultimately make Flyway feel like an incredibly comfortable, yet funky, modern hangout.
The theme is an ode to the brewery’s name. McMullen says, “Our name comes from the bird migration route … that starts in the corner of Canada and comes down right through the Mississippi.”
Scanning the room you’ll notice round, green tables amidst picnic style wooden options as well as metal high tops. The various metal elements were meant to bring the brewery into the tap room, and the colors were chosen with a specific purpose in mind.
McMullen says, “If you were cruising down the Mississippi in a boat … we wanted to incorporate those colors, with the Earth tones in the floor, we’ve got a winter blue sky in the ceiling,” he explains, “and these tables are actually green because these are our trees … and the chairs are the roots. We want the people to sit down and get rooted.”
Already, the team has three of their four core beers on draft, including – Migrate Pale Ale, Free Range Brown Ale, Shadow Hands Stout – and hope to add the Early Bird IPA soon.
Migrate Pale Ale – Flyway Brewing
Flyway Brewing
The Migrate is a fruity, hoppy brew which manages to be extremely drinkable. The Free Range Brown is an approachable dark beer with notes of roasted caramel malts, coffee, and a hint of chocolate. Shadow Hands has a dry finish with more hops than your average stout. Foster says, “We were trying for the flavor, and trying to avoid bitterness – that’s what we’re doing with a lot of our beers.”
Don’t miss the Early Bird IPA, which features Centennial Hops. Foster says, “We want it to be one of our best.”
The brewery will offer feathers, their take on beer flights. McMullen’s dad created forty handmade wooden feathers. “No two are the same,” says Foster, as he describes the incredible amount of work his and McMullen’s family put in to help make the brewery a reality.
Foster and Tim Berkley will be brewing for the most part, and McMullen will be running the front of the house. For now, the team expects their hours to be from Wednesday – Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. and from Friday – Saturday from 12 to 9 p.m. and on Sunday from 12 to 8 p.m.
This brewery has been a long time coming. McMullen and Foster met in Asheville, NC, in the ‘90s and experienced the explosion of the beer scene there. They’re excited to be a part of Rock City’s emerging scene.
McMullen says excitedly, “This town is going to be a beer town, it’s going to be a tourist town for beer.”
