Exploring Life & Business with Mike Barlas of Flytrap Brewing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Barlas.

Hi Mike, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Through the years, I have developed a passion for craft beer and brewing. Around 2007, while getting my MBA at UNCW, I was introduced to home brewing by a friend. We really enjoyed beer but had absolutely no clue how it was made. We followed the instructions on a kit and had no idea what we were doing. I remember the aromas vividly. It felt like magic. I was hooked and wanted to learn everything I could about beer and brewing. At the time, Front Street Brewery was the only brewery in town, so it felt like there was a real opportunity be a part of the growth of the craft beer scene in Wilmington. I spent the next several years studying everything I could about brewing, developing a plan, and brewing lots and lots of beer in my garage. That journey lead to the opening of Flytrap Brewing in October of 2014. Almost 10 years later we are still a small batch, neighborhood brewery focused on making a spread of fresh, flavorful, and well-balanced brews for our community. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has not been smooth or straight. Flytrap was started on a shoestring budget with a very small brewing system. When we opened, I was our only brewer and responsible for managing the entire business. It required every waking moment for several years to keep the doors open and begin to build something that could sustain itself and modestly grow. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Flytrap Brewing is named in honor of the Venus flytrap, a carnivorous plant whose only native habitat in the world is about a 100-mile radius around Wilmington, NC. A primary vision in starting the brewery was to create a community-centered business that was a happy and welcoming place to work and patronize. We are a small-batch brewery that brews directly for our taproom and does not do any outside distribution. Our batch size is roughly 100 gallons, and we utilize 12 fermenters for production. This allows us to continually brew a wide selection of offerings that are always served at the peak of freshness. Brewing on a smaller scale also gives us the opportunity to utilize ingredients that could be harder to use and source on a bigger scale like whole fruits, local pecans, natural spices, and local Wrightsville Beach Sea Salt (Sea Love). We strive hard to support and connect with local nonprofits, artists, makers, food trucks, musicians, and many other talented, creative members of our community. 

Contact Info:

• Website: flytrapbrewing.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/flytrapbrewing
• Facebook: facebook.com/FlytrapBrewing
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/flytrap-brewing-wilmington