Flying Fish Brewing Company
Flying Fish Brewing Company is a craft brewery founded in 1996, producing year-round, seasonal, and limited-release beers distributed via wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer channels across the Mid-Atlantic, now operating from Baltimore under new ownership acquired in 2024.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersSomerdale, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Flying Fish Brewing Company does
Flying Fish Brewing Company is a craft brewery founded in 1996 by Gene Muller as one of the East Coast's original craft breweries and reportedly the first to sell beer online. The company produces a diverse portfolio of year-round, seasonal, and limited-release beers organized into distinct series, including the Bones Series (Hazy Bones, Juicy Bones, Breezy Bones, Double Bones), Exit Series (Exit 13, Exit 16), Die-Hard Series, Sentinel Series, and Baseball Series, alongside year-round staples such as Hopfish IPA, Farmhouse Summer Ale, Abbey Dubbel, and Fried Ice Cream Stout. Production originated at a Cherry Hill, NJ facility, expanded to a larger sustainability-focused Somerdale, NJ brewery in 2012, and the original Somerdale tap room has since closed.
The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market spanning direct-to-consumer online ordering with pickup and delivery, wholesale distribution to bars, restaurants, hotels, and retailers (with a 5-case minimum on cans and keg/sixtel formats for draft), and a branded merchandise and gift card e-commerce storefront. Marketing relies on organic social (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, X), a Substack newsletter, beer festivals and community events, and an interactive Tap Map for consumer discovery across Maryland and the broader Mid-Atlantic. Following acquisition by private equity firm Elk Lake Capital in 2016, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2023 after accumulating approximately $10 million in liabilities against $1.3 million in assets. In February 2024, Baltimore-based Guilford Hall Brewing purchased Flying Fish's brand and intellectual property out of bankruptcy for $152,500, and operations now continue from Baltimore under the new ownership structure.
Flying Fish Brewing Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Flying Fish Brewing Company
- Legal name
- Flying Fish Brewing Co.
- Website
- https://flyingfish.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Flying Fish Brewing Company is a craft brewery founded in 1996, producing year-round, seasonal, and limited-release beers distributed via wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer channels across the Mid-Atlantic, now operating from Baltimore under new ownership acquired in 2024.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Flying Fish Brewing Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Beer
- NAICS
- Breweries (31212), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (42481)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB), Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)
Keywords
Where Flying Fish Brewing Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Somerdale
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Flying Fish Brewing Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct Beer Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of craft beer through online ordering for pickup and delivery, as well as merchandise sales through their online store.
- Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale distribution of beer to bars, restaurants, retailers, and hotels through established distribution partnerships. Products sold include kegs, sixtels, and canned beer.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel, glassware, accessories, and exclusive merchandise through their online storefront.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Wholesale canned beer - 5 case minimum |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Flying Fish Brewing Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Flying Fish Brewing Company is a craft brewery that produces and sells a portfolio of ales, IPAs, dubbels, sours, lagers, braggots, stouts, and seasonal/limited-release beers in cans, kegs, and sixtels. The brewery sells directly to consumers through online ordering for pickup and delivery, alongside branded merchandise and gift cards. It also supplies draft and packaged beer to wholesale accounts in the on-premise and retail trade.
Product overview
Flying Fish Brewing Co. is a craft beer brewery founded in 1996, now operating from Baltimore, Maryland after being purchased out of bankruptcy by Guilford Hall Brewing in 2024. The company produces a diverse portfolio of year-round, seasonal, and limited-release beers organized into distinct series. The core lineup includes the Bones Series (Hazy Bones, Juicy Bones, Breezy Bones, Double Bones) featuring hazy IPAs and pale ales; year-round staples such as Hopfish IPA, Farmhouse Summer Ale, Abbey Dubbel, and Fried Ice Cream Stout; seasonal releases including Salt and Sea, Oktoberfish, and Caramel Espresso Porter; the Die-Hard Series with bold limited releases; and the Sentinel Series featuring high-ABV specialty beers. The company also offers variety packs (Box of Bones, Block Party), merchandise, and gift cards through its online store. Beers are available for direct order, wholesale distribution, and retail across Maryland and beyond.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bones Series: Year-round IPA series including Hazy Bones, Juicy Bones, Breezy Bones, and Double Bones varieties.
- Box of Bones
- Exit Series
- Die-Hard Series
- Sentinal Series
- Baseball Series
Products and services
- Year-Round Ales and IPAs Continuously available craft beers in IPA, pale ale, dubbel, amber, and hazy styles sold in cans and on draft to consumers and wholesale accounts.
- Year-Round Braggots and Stout Continuously available specialty styles including fruit braggots and a dessert stout, sold in cans and on draft to consumers and wholesale accounts.
- Seasonal Beer Series Rotating seasonal craft beers released across the calendar year, sold to consumers and wholesale accounts while in season.
- Limited-Release Beer Series Small-batch and themed limited-release beers, often tied to local culture, sports teams, or collaborations, available while supplies last.
- Box of Bones Variety Pack Canned variety pack of the Bones-series hazy IPAs sold directly to consumers and through wholesale channels.
- Block Party Variety Pack Assorted canned variety pack featuring year-round Flying Fish styles for consumers and wholesale accounts.
- Draft Beer Program (Kegs and Sixtels) Draft beer offerings supplied in kegs and sixtels through the wholesale channel to bars, restaurants, and taprooms.
- Flying Fish Merchandise Branded apparel and accessories sold through the brewery's merchandise store to consumers and fans.
- Flying Fish Gift Cards Gift cards usable for brewery purchases, sold to consumers for personal use and gifting.
Companies that use Flying Fish Brewing Company
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Flying Fish Brewing Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Flying Fish Brewing Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Guilford Hall BrewingcoreGuilford Hall Brewing, a Baltimore-based brewery founded in 2021, purchased Flying Fish Brewing Company's brand and intellectual property out of bankruptcy for $152,500 in February 2024. This acquisition brought Flying Fish under new ownership while preserving its brand identity, recipes, and signature flavors. Flying Fish now operates from Baltimore, continuing its 30+ year craft brewing tradition.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Flying Fish Brewing Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Victory Brewing Company: Pennsylvania-based craft brewery with a broad portfolio, regional wholesale, and DTC experience — comparable to Flying Fish in product breadth and Mid-Atlantic craft market positioning.
- Weyerbacher Brewing Company: Pennsylvania craft brewery with an emphasis on specialty/strong ales and a similar recipe-driven, sub-brand-heavy approach to the Mid-Atlantic craft market.
- Troegs Independent Brewing: Pennsylvania craft brewery with year-round IPAs/ales, seasonal releases, and a taproom plus wholesale model — comparable on product mix, regional Mid-Atlantic reach, and independent craft positioning.
- Dogfish Head Brewing: Mid-Atlantic craft brewery (Delaware) with a similarly adventurous, recipe-driven lineup, wholesale footprint, and taproom experience — a peer on heritage, innovation cadence, and East Coast craft positioning.
- Heavy Seas Brewing: Baltimore-based craft brewery producing year-round, seasonal, and limited-release beers with multi-channel wholesale and DTC distribution — directly comparable to Flying Fish on product format, geography, and go-to-market.
- Cape May Brewing Company: New Jersey craft brewery with broad year-round and seasonal lineup and regional Mid-Atlantic distribution; the planned merger partner for Flying Fish in 2023, making it a closely comparable craft peer.
Broad incumbents
- Yuengling & Son: Historic Pennsylvania brewer with a much larger footprint and broader distribution across the Mid-Atlantic; competes for the same on-premise and retail taps but at significantly greater scale.
- Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams): Major craft-adjacent incumbent that owns multiple craft brands including Dogfish Head; competes for the same wholesale shelves and on-premise taps across the East Coast.
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Large national craft brewer with broad distribution across the same Mid-Atlantic and national accounts where Flying Fish competes; sets the benchmark for craft wholesale execution at scale.
Regional players
- Guinness Open Gate Brewery: Diageo-owned experimental brewery also based in Baltimore; competes for local taproom traffic and on-premise craft placement in the same metro as Flying Fish's new headquarters.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Flying Fish Brewing Company social profiles
Digital presenceFlying Fish Brewing Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Flying Fish Brewing Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Flying Fish Brewing Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Flying Fish Brewing Company M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Flying Fish Brewing Company
What does Flying Fish Brewing Company do?
Flying Fish Brewing Company is a craft brewery that produces and sells a portfolio of ales, IPAs, dubbels, sours, lagers, braggots, stouts, and seasonal/limited-release beers in cans, kegs, and sixtels. The brewery sells directly to consumers through online ordering for pickup and delivery, alongside branded merchandise and gift cards. It also supplies draft and packaged beer to wholesale accounts in the on-premise and retail trade.
Is Flying Fish Brewing Company a public or private company?
Flying Fish Brewing Company is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Flying Fish Brewing Company founded?
Flying Fish Brewing Company was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Flying Fish Brewing Company based?
Flying Fish Brewing Company is headquartered in Somerdale, United States, in the North America region.
How does Flying Fish Brewing Company make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct Beer Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution and merchandise Sales.
Who are Flying Fish Brewing Company's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Victory Brewing Company, Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Troegs Independent Brewing, Dogfish Head Brewing, Heavy Seas Brewing and Cape May Brewing Company. Broad incumbents are Yuengling & Son, Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.. Guinness Open Gate Brewery is listed as a regional player.
Does Flying Fish Brewing Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Flying Fish Brewing Company.
What industry is Flying Fish Brewing Company in?
Flying Fish Brewing Company's product category is Craft Beer. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAA, Beer Brewing & Brands, with a secondary code of THAFALAB, Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service). Its NAICS code is 31212 and its SIC code is 2080.