In honor of National Drink Beer Day, we’re spotlighting one of our favorite local breweries, Flyway Brewing. A classic story of a hobby-turned business, the tale of how Flyway Brewing was founded begins in 2012, when beer home-brewer Matt Foster brought some of the fruits of his labor on a yearly camping trip with his friends. While sipping on one of Matt’s original recipes – Daddy Mac’s Scotch-style Ale – he and his long-time friend Jess McMullen began dreaming of opening an entire brewery.
For many would-be entrepreneurs, that dream would of stopped there, but a year later, Matt packed up his family and a few kegs of his Free Range Brown Ale and set out on a road trip across the southeast to meet with other brewers, learn more about the trade and share some of his own brew. From there, Matt began making plans for Flyway and searching for a space, which he eventually found in Argenta, steps away from Main Street. Friend Jess McMullen eventually moved to Little Rock to become a partner in the venture as well.
Today, Flyway is central Arkansas’ only mid-sized brewery, and now even serves classic beer food pairings, such as nachos, sliders and their famous pretzels.
The team at Flyway is also spearheading another exciting movement in the Arkansas brewery world, the Arkansas Native Beer Project – an effort to grow and prepare all necessary ingredients to brew beer within the state of Arkansas.
Arkansas Capital is proud of all Flyway has accomplished in the short time they have been open, and we look forward to watching them achieve their goals in the future as well. You can learn more about them on their Facebook page, by checking out the Flyway blog, or visiting the taproom for a cold one!
