Tap Handle #749: Flying Machine

March 28, 2020

Tap Handle #749: Flying Machine

Tap size: 10.5"
Rarity: less than 10 seen
Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

From the moment I saw this tap I really wanted it, and many thanks to Zack at Flying Machine Brewing for allowing me to acquire onefor the Museum. The brewery combines a "muted steampunk" theme with elements of the flying machine made famous by the Wright Brothers, and the tap reflects that theme. At the top is an old world globe with a metal band encircling it. Attached to the band is an airplane and the name of the brewery. The shaft is shaped like a fluted column. Below the globe and attached to the column is a large rectangular block where a label can be placed or the beer variety can be written with a marker (I'll be profiling their Empire of Air Hazy IPA). Under that is a steampunk symbol featuring gears and wings. I have not seen another.

Click through to read more about Flying Machine Brewing, their Empire of Air Hazy IPA, and to see more photos of this innovative tap...

Flying Machine Brewing Company was founded in Wilmington, North Carolina in 2016 by Grant Steadman and David Sweigart. Both men were North Carolina natives and had been friends for years. Steadman was a lawyer who needed a change, wanting a more creative outlet with a community focus. Sweigart worked in finance, but wanted to do something more productive, building something hands on and interacting with people more. The two men had part ownership in a brewery in Colorado but wanted to open one in their home state. They developed a 40 page business plan and were looking for a head brewer when they met Carl Cross, who was working at Edmund’s Oast Brewing in South Carolina. Cross got hooked on home-brewing in college and went on to study brewing science in England. After that, he took a job cleaning tanks in Denver, just to be in the heart of the city’s growing craft beer scene. Eventually, he traveled to Vietnam to open a brewery. Cross was initially skeptical, since he’d been approached before by other friends and colleagues looking to open a brewery. But after seeing the business plan and the success of the Colorado brewery, he came on board. The brewery's "diluted steampunk" theme, iconic look, and operating philosophy took inspiration from the Wright brothers’ famed flying machine, which speaks to risk-taking and innovation in order to achieve great things.

It took a year for the team to find a site, to plan and negotiate with the city, address resident concerns, and break ground. To deal with concerns about noise from live music, the brewery founders changed their plans – including moving live music inside and adding sound dampening measures – to satisfy the city and residents. They built a 16,600 square foot building, with about a 10,000 square foot area for production and the rest dedicated to an inside taproom and a two-story outdoor patio that opened in 2018. The site sits on a cross-city trail and overlooks a lake in the central part of town. Brewing is done on a 20 barrel system. A single-barrel pilot system was dedicated for small-batch brewing and experimentation, and they built a dedicated area for a barrel-aging and sour program. Out of the 20-25 taps in place, between 15 and 20 were dedicated to their own beers, with the rest for expansion. In addition, there are two nitro taps and two beer engines for traditional English cask-style beers. The brewery also serves wine, kombucha and coffee. The brewery will eventually feature a “beer lab,” to allow the team to experiment and study beers, as well as a blending facility.

The tap room features a massive bar, indoor bocce ball court, and continues the steampunk theme, with wrought-iron light fixtures hanging above the bar, an other-worldly espresso machine, a free standing staircase, and parts of flying machines adorning the walls, lighting fixtures and taps. Crowler fills of 32 ounce cans are available, and a canning operation is coming soon. Food is not served but there is a food truck schedule on Facebook. Live music is provided in the way of a weekly Sunday Jazz Fusion, and also "Secret Record Nights" events each month. Distribution outside the tap room includes local bottle shops, bars, and restaurants, with a plan to go state-wide. And as part of its giving back to the local community, Flying Machine provides spent grains free of charge to a local farm to use as feed for cattle.

Flying Machine Brewing's Empire of Air is a New England-style hazy IPA is soft and supple, exhibiting a decadent nose of exotic tropical fruit blanketed over a mouthfeel reminiscent of velvety mango creamsicle with a refreshingly crisp finish.