What breweries in Wilmington are doing for 2026
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– “A good place to hang out, you can’t center things around alcohol all the time”
That is what bar manager at Front Street Brewery, T.J. Ventrice, says when talking about the brewery for the year ahead.
With Waterman’s Brewing Company, and several other locally owned brewing companies closing down over the past few years, the market for breweries has been impacted in the cape fear.
For the new year, several brewing companies already have plans to attract more customers, like serving things beyond alcohol.
Ventrice talks about what makes them stand out compared to other breweries.
“On of the things that I say makes us stand out is having a full-service food menu. A lot of breweries are big on having a food truck, which is good for them. Our business model has done really well on having a full-service kitchen”, said Ventrice.
Front Street Brewery has been serving customers for 30 years, and Ventrice says their strive to success is consistency. As they moved forward, Ventrice says they have gone beyond serving alcohol, like having full on menus and community events.
While they have been at it for a long time, others like Waterline Brewing Company are making their presence known.
Recently, they celebrated their 10th anniversary, and often do unique events to attract customers, like Goat therapy. Delany Moser, the tap room manager for Waterline Brewing Company, says the passion for the community is what makes them keep striving for success.
“We are always striving to be different. We are striving to not only provide the community, but the consistency of our beer. We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t have love for the brewery, and love for our owners. They make this place an amazing place to work for”, said Moser.
With new year coming, so does change in people, as drinking trends have gone down the past few years. Ventrice says he knows that all too well but says Front Street Brewery already has alternative plans to still satisfy customers.
“Alcohol sales have been declining the past few years. We offer other stuff products besides alcohol. We have THZ seltzer, and our staff can do a mocktail if that is something you want”, said Ventrice.
Ventrice says for the new year, they have exciting plans, like new menus, and new brews. They also have exciting events for not only the company, but the community as well.
“We are actually going to collaborate with the Brooklyn Arts Center, and we’re going to do a charity event with the Cape Fear River Watch. We are going to do a barrel selection release over there, which is going to be really cool. It’s going to be happening on March 6th, and we are really looking forward to that”, said Ventrice.
