Field Trip: Aviator Brewing
NC Beer Explorer visits multiple locations of the ever-expanding enterprises of Aviator Brewing in Fuquay-Varina and talks with Owner/Beer Boss Mark Doble.
FIELD TRIP
Ben and Rebecca Marmaduke
9/5/20257 min read
I have always dreamed of flying – not high in a passenger jet looking through tiny windows – but lower to the ground, with vast panoramas below me stretching toward an endless horizon. I haven’t experienced the airborne vistas I just described in my waking life, but Mark Doble, Owner and Founder of Aviation Brewing, has. He made his flying dreams come true by building his own airplane, and then he realized his vision for owning and operating his own brewery – and he didn’t stop there!
When you visit Aviator Brewing you see themes of flying everywhere. Mark loves flying, seeing things from a different perspective. He is a mad scientist/entrepreneur/problem-solver/visionary, and you can’t talk about Aviator separately from Mark because Aviator IS Mark. We visited the Aviator hub on a sunny September afternoon to check out the taverns, beers, and food, but the surprise twist was that we found our conversation with him inspiring!
The Basics
Locations visited:
Hangar Bar, Whiskey Bar, The Morning Hangar
688 Brewing Drive
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
Aviator SmokeHouse BBQ Restaurant
525 E. Broad St.
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
Aviator TapHouse & Kitchen
600 E. Broad St.
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
Aviator Pizzeria & BeerShop
601 E. Broad St.
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
Website: aviatorbrew.com
Social media: facebook.com/AviatorBrewing, Instagram @aviatorbrewingco, X @aviatorbrew
Vibe/Atmosphere:
Hangar Bar - immense, spacious, energetic, inviting, enterprising
Taphouse & Kitchen - appealing, friendly, welcoming, nostalgic
Smokehouse - rustic, cozy, welcoming, unfussy, comfortable
Pizzaria & Bottleshop - casual, approachable, welcoming
Beers We Tried: Costa Baja, Quantum Haze, Shogun, Oktoberbeast, Chop Shop, Black Mamba
Parking: street, nearby lots
Important NC Beer Explorer Tip: When consuming alcohol, always have a designated driver. Be safe out there, friends!
Aviator Brewing at 688 Brewing Dr., Fuquay-Varina
The Big Time
Mark thinks BIG — as in, starting with a bottle shop and then growing his business into something beyond most of our imagining. In 2007, Mark began to build his complex of breweries, taprooms, bars, and restaurants with almost no starting capital by leveraging every cent of credit he could snag. By 2008, he opened his first facility at a small airplane hangar at Triple W airport, and then the brewery/taproom moved to a larger facility in 2010. It has continued to grow into a conglomerate of enterprises, all within a two-block radius of downtown Fuquay-Varina.
“Life starts when you move out of your comfort zone and seek challenges that test you. Everyone has something inside them that wants to push to the edge – and even beyond – of what they think they can do,” Mark told us.
(We’re still contemplating the personal implications of this shared insight. For now, we’re pretty satisfied with curating and sharing our NC beer explorations with our readers.)
High Tech Brewing
Mark draws deeply from his expertise as an electrical engineer who worked in high tech for decades and traveled all over the world, building and fixing complex communication networks. He has personally designed and even built much of his newest facility. He has harnessed a customized AI large language model to eventually run his new brewhouse, saying that AI is just another tool to advance human capability.
Newfound Friends
We started our Aviator Brewing visit at the Kitchen and Taproom located within the historic 1903 Varina train depot. Inside the long building, there are multiple areas, including a 38-foot African mahogany bar and ample indoor seating for the restaurant. Outside, there is a street-facing patio and performance stage for live music.
We chose to sit at the open-air bar on the corner of the old depot and immediately found ourselves engaged in conversation with bartender Erin and a couple of locals (quick shoutout to Kimberly and Ray). We enjoyed an excellent warm pretzel with house-made honey mustard and cheese dip, along with a flight of Aviator beers (see tasting notes below).
All Around Downtown
Our next stop was across the street to the Aviator Pizzeria and Beer Shop. We chatted with the friendly wait staff and perused the spacious restaurant area and adjacent beer store/taproom. We will have to wait until our next visit to try the thin-crust pizza and take in the rooftop bar.
Everybody Knows Your Name
Our hostess Michelle welcomed us warmly, showed us to a table, brought us some water, and chatted us up as we waited for Mark (she offered us beers, but we like to pace ourselves). Looking around the Hangar Bar, we felt that the smiling staff had a shared sense of pride in Aviator, and the comfy regulars had gathered to reconnect with their friends and neighbors. Mark shared anecdotally that people who hadn’t seen each other in decades sometimes ran into each other at the bar.
When he arrived, Mark invited us back to yet another bar within the main building, the Whiskey Room, a cozy space with a tasteful display of aviation-related relics and memorabilia.
After our “official” conversation and interview, Mark gave us a tour of his new brewery on the back side of the main building. There we got to see his self-designed and hand-assembled canning line. Note that a canning line is extremely complex and needs to operate flawlessly at high speed – not all a typical DIY endeavor. Touring the remainder of the 60 bbl brewhouse we saw many other examples of the hands-on ingenuity which has allowed Mark to create such a large and diverse business with no outside investment.
Flying over the Great Smokies at low altitude, I see deer and brown bears running up the hillside. An eagle floats across my field of view, and later, I follow the Carolina coast down to Savannah, gliding across vast, uninhabited marshes and beaches.
Final Stop
Our last stop was back to Broad Street to the Smokehouse for dinner. We once again felt “invited in,” this time by our waitress, Alexandra, with whom we talked easily and pleasantly. We moved to NC from Texas a few years ago, so we were thrilled to find smoked brisket on the menu, and it is really delicious. When you visit the Smokehouse, also try the EPIC loaded pulled-pork nachos with a hint of vinegar tang on the meat. And those hushpuppies with honey butter and the terrific mac-n-cheese! Holy hips and waistline! Thanks, Alexandra, for suggesting those sides.
We paired our selections with Black Mamba Oatmeal Stout and Chop Shop Session IPA – both great choices. See our tasting notes below.
Even with heightened expectations, our visit to the Aviator Brewing Empire did not disappoint. You can easily make a full, enjoyable evening at any one of the locations, or you can park and stroll around all four. Since it opened in April, the New Brewery/Hangar Bar is already fully operational with multiple bars and restaurants and is destined to become a major regional attraction – and there is more to come!
With all that said, what is next for Mark and Aviator? He has his plans, but he is not revealing all the details as of yet. We only know it includes getting closer to his customers – and not just in Fuquay-Varina. As for us, we will surely be back to enjoy the delicious food, beer, and hospitality and to be wowed once again by what is next!
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Learn more about Aviator Brewing at these links:
Next, we walked two blocks to the new brewery/entertainment complex. Our pictures cannot fully capture the magnitude of the new 44,140 square-foot brewery and distillery. The multiplex includes a full-service restaurant, a retail store, a drive-through coffee shop, and a large outdoor pavilion with a lawn. This is a BIG place! The centerpiece is the massive Hangar Bar that includes a very high ceiling (like a hangar), two jumbotron-like screens for sports, a large central bar, and a performance stage. On the west side of the lawn sits a wingless Douglass C-54 World War II airplane called “Spirit of Freedom,” which has a significant history dating back to the Berlin Airlift of 1948 (you can learn more about it here).
Watch as Ben finds his perfect beer in less than a minute...
Flights of Imagination
NCBE's Beer Notes - Aviator Brewing Co.
Costa Baja
Style: Mexican Lager
ABV: 4.8%
Color: pale straw, clear
Aroma: malt, fresh baked bread
Taste: malty sweet, spicy notes, herbal, earthy secondary notes. Served with lime which balances and enhances the flavor profile.
Mouthfeel: bubbly
Aftertaste: short
Quantum Haze*
Style: NEIPA
ABV: 6.8%
Color: hazy yellow
Aroma: muted hops, citrus, catty
Taste: pineapple, grapefruit, subtle hoppiness peeking through
Mouthfeel: balanced
Aftertaste: long and grapefruit-y
ShoGun*
Style: Rice lager
ABV: 5.1%
Color: pale yellow
Aroma: delicate, mixed bouquet of flowers
Taste: rice wine, green apple
Mouthfeel: light
Aftertaste: long sour apple
OktoberBeast
Style: Marzen
ABV: 6.2%
Color: Amber
Aroma: malty, maple, bran muffin, dog shampoo (soapy and fruity)
Taste: pumpkin Matcha, light alcohol, sake
Mouthfeel: medium
Finish: lingering malt
Chop Shop*
Style: Session IPA
ABV: 4.8%
Color: honey golden
Aroma: malty, floral, piney
Taste: mellow hops, orange, clove (pairs well with smoked pork)
Mouthfeel: medium-full, effervescent
Finish: lingering malt
Black Mamba*
Style: Oatmeal Stout (Nitro)
ABV: 6.5%
Color: blackbrown
Aroma: coffee, chocolate, dark fruit, molasses, vanilla ice cream
Taste: latte, chocolate, coffee, toffee, vanilla, roasted nuts
Mouthfeel: creamy, velvety, low carbonation
Finish: lingering malt, burnt unsweet cocoa
