Field Trip! Flying Bull Restaurant and Brewery
Flying Bull is a unique brewery that is equal parts brewpub, cocktail bar, and upscale restaurant. Owner/founder Joel Miles – along with his partner Anna Bloch – have built a stunning showcase in the Durham Central Park area. Their family journey and vision have made it all possible.
FIELD TRIP
Ben and Rebecca Marmaduke
6/11/20266 min read
The impact is immediate when you walk into Flying Bull Beer Company’s Morris Street location. You pass a roomy street-facing patio on the way in, and then a knock-dead gorgeous bar comes into view. To the left is a space clearly designed for friends to gather over pints while catching a hockey or football game, complete with multiple tables and a big-screen TV. Stainless steel brewery tanks gleam through a glass wall, while to the right, paneless industrial metal windows separate the bar from an elegant dining room.
Talking with co-owner and founder Joel Miles, we learned that the restaurant and taproom grew from the vision he and partner Anna Bloch shared: creating a place where everyone could enjoy exceptional food and terrific beer without compromise. After sampling Flying Bull’s beers and dinner menu, we can confirm that vision has become reality.
The Basics
Location: 300 Morris Street, Durham, NC 27701
Parking: street and paid lots
Website: flyingbullbeercompany.com
Social media: facebook.com/flyingbullbeerco, instagram.com/flyingbullbeerco
Vibe/Atmosphere: Multi-use, multi-faceted: brewpub/sports bar, upscale cocktail bar, upscale restaurant. Overall: upscale industrial
Beers We Tried: Recession Proof Kolsch, Aches & Alements Scotch Ale, Pom Springs Sour, Stampede Golden Rye Lager, Mackinaw Peach Wheat, Somebody’s In Love Imperial Porter
Important NC Beer Explorer Tip: When consuming alcohol, always have a designated driver. Be safe out there, friends! Follow these simple tips for safer consumption.
No Compromises
Hands, Hats, and the Pandemic
Most of the time, you'll find Joel sporting his signature straw fedora, but figuratively he wears many hats every day—entrepreneurial, operational, managerial, and financial—as he keeps Flying Bull running smoothly. Sometimes that means getting his hands dirty (or even bruised—see photo below) while tackling whatever challenge the day brings.
And, of course, the beer!
Flying Bull offers 20 taps featuring core and seasonal beers alongside ciders and seltzers.
We began with Recession Proof Kölsch and Pom Springs Pomegranate Sour. Ben is a devoted Kölsch fan and gets irritated when the style is overly Americanized or simply brewed poorly. Recession Proof earns high marks, delivering fresh bread maltiness balanced by noble hops with subtle herbal, spice, and stone fruit notes. Every sip invited another.
Pom Springs hit Rebecca right where she lives. Pink-gold and hazy, this tangy fruited sour evoked pomegranate, cracker, and stone fruit with just enough hop bite to keep things lively.
Flying Bull consistently offers an impressive range of styles. Joel gravitates toward hop-forward IPAs and complex ales, while Tyler has added his mastery of lagers to the lineup. The result is a tap list that rewards exploration, from Bull in a Bottle Shop NEIPA and Dancing With Bulls West Coast IPA to Aches to Bullvarian Lager and Czech It Out Pilsner.
(Be sure to check out our tasting notes below for even more details on the beers we sampled.)
Joel Miles of Flying Bull is hands on – and it shows.
The 9th street location closed in February of 2026, and online discussions suggest many hated to see it go. But... the Morris location is their consolation.
A Dream takes Flight
Joel and Anna’s first brewpub venture was on bustling Ninth Street in Durham. One day, Joel happened upon an available restaurant space that even included a backyard suitable for a beer garden. He called Anna and jokingly asked, “Do you want to start a brewery?”
To his surprise, she replied, “Hell yes!”
Before long, Flying Bull Brewing Co. was born.
The lease was signed in February 2020, and the pandemic arrived just one month later. With nearly everything shut down, Joel, his family, and friends spent their time building out the original space. In August of that year, Flying Bull was allowed to open while many competing businesses remained closed because breweries were classified as “agricultural.” Combined with a spacious biergarten ideal for social distancing, the timing proved fortuitous. Flying Bull flew off the launch pad and quickly became a success, soon outgrowing the space and inspiring plans for a larger concept closer to downtown Durham.
Despite the financial and logistical hurdles of the post-pandemic world, Joel and a dedicated crew built the Morris Street location "from gravel" in 2023, opening its doors in early 2024.
The Steak Frites at Flying Bull Restaurant and Brewery is fabuous.
The Pan Seared Snapper at Flying Bull Restaurant and Brewery is firm-textured and not at all fishy.
The Space
At first glance, the space strikes a balance between industrial character and contemporary elegance. Look closer, however, and thoughtful details begin to reveal themselves: five-gallon beer keg light fixtures, a custom ironwork trellis and liquor display suspended above the bar, and a "beer tower" incorporating a sight glass and other brewing equipment. Where many breweries embrace deliberate roughness, Flying Bull favors sophistication, clean lines, and quiet confidence.
Joel’s vision was to create a space equally suited for casual gatherings with friends and date-night-worthy dining before a show at the nearby Carolina Theatre or DPAC.
Which brings us to the food.
Oh, yes, the Food!
We've visited many brewpubs serving good—or even elevated—bar food: gourmet burgers, spicy wings, and wood-fired pizzas that would impress a native New Yorker. Only a rare few, however, offer a separate dining room with a thoughtfully curated menu like the one we experienced at Flying Bull.
We relished the Snapper and Steak Frites and are already planning a return visit for the Rack of Lamb, Braised Pork, Risotto, and numerous small plates. Each entrée is accompanied by a suggested beer pairing, another thoughtful touch made even more interesting by the fact that Flying Bull’s chef, Tyler Foley, also serves as head brewer.
With a flight already in front of us, we happily experimented with different pairings alongside each bite.
The Snapper featured a pan-seared filet with sautéed cannellini beans, braised Tuscan kale, and lemon-caper gremolata. Rebecca thought it paired beautifully with Mackinaw Peach Wheat.
The Steak Frites featured hanger steak with brewpub compound butter, rosemary fries, roasted garlic tarragon mayo, and a petite salad. Ben found it particularly enjoyable alongside Flying Bull’s higher-ABV beers and English styles. He also paired it with Someone’s in Love Imperial Porter and discovered that each enhanced the complexity of the other.
Everything we sampled was perfectly cooked and expertly seasoned, revealing layers of tart berry, chocolate, smoke, and even a whisper of floral in the beers.
The glass of Mackinaw is missing from this flight board because Rebecca wouldn't share it with Ben.
Czech It Out!
To borrow a phrase from the aptly named Pilsner, you really do need to "Czech out" Flying Bull Beer Company, whatever the occasion.
Whether you're celebrating a graduation, planning a date night, or simply gathering with friends over a pint, you'll find the mood, the food, and the beer just right.
NCBE's Beer Notes - Flying Bull Beer Company
Recession Proof*
Style: Kolsch
ABV: 4.9%
Color: Pale yellow, clear, light foam
Aroma: Bread crust, subtle stone fruit
Taste: Fresh bread maltiness balanced with noble hops, stone fruit, hint of spice
Mouthfeel: Light/medium light. Medium carbonation
Aftertaste: Sweet bready malt w/touch of bitterness
Overall: An excellent Kolsch for Kolsch lovers
Pom Springs*
Style: Pomegranate Sour
ABV: 5.7%
Color: Pink-gold, hazy
Aroma: Pomegranate, cracker
Taste: Pomegranate, stone fruit, cracker, slight bite
Mouthfeel: Medium body
Aftertaste: Tangy
Stampede*
Style: Golden Rye Lager
ABV: 6.2%
Color: Gold, thick beige foam
Aroma: Rye, sour
Taste: Sourdough rye bread, tangy, caramel
Mouthfeel: Med/light MF, medium carbonation
Aftertaste: Same as taste
Mackinaw
Style: American Wheat w/Peach Puree
ABV: 5%
Color: Light straw, clear, white foam
Aroma: Peach, light strawberry
Taste: Tart peach, herbal note
Mouthfeel: Light, crisp, champagne-like
Aftertaste:Tart/bitter
Aches & Alements (Untapped’s #1 rated Scotch Ale!)
Style: Scotch Ale
ABV: 7.2%
Color: Brown/red, translucent
Aroma: Toffee/caramel, scotch, cigar smoke
Taste: Coffee, caramel/toffee, balanced but titled sweet
Mouthfeel: Medium/full, lt/med carbonation
Aftertaste: Bittersweet coffee/toffee
Overall: Very nice complexity. Highly drinkable.
Somebody’s In Love *
Style: Imperial Cocoa Raspberry Porter
ABV: 8%
Color: Deep dark brown
Aroma: Berry, chocolate, hint of floral
Taste: Tart berry/cherry, bittersweet chocolate, hint of floral. Smoke in background
Mouthfeel: Medium, low/med carbonation
Aftertaste: Tart berry
Overall: A unique imperial. Subtleness that belies the style and the 8% ABV.
