Fermental

I was very impressed with this spot and highly recommend it if you're in the Wilmington, NC area. Great selection. This placed is absolutely packed with beer, most from excellent breweries. My only quibble is that the layout and presentation leaves something to be desired. Cases of various options are stacked 3' high in places. Pricing is higher than average but given the quality, is reasonable. I'll be back.

 

A little pretentiousness from staff but overall the quality of the beer selection, beers on tap and the boutique layout of the establishment is outstanding. Prices a tad high, but they specialize in high-end beers so that expected. Highly recommend to anyone looking for top notch beers in the Wilmington area.

Very good bottle shop. Good food trucks. Nice area out back to chill to the band.

 

Vibe:
Super chill. Warm, cozy, and familiar. People here seem friendly and I felt comfortable chatting up strangers. The inside is about the size and shape of a double-wide trailer, so it's not big; but, the interior is broken up into about half a dozen or so rooms and areas, where you'll find various corners, couches, and set ups where a small group of friends can set up shop and hang out over some beer and wine. The bar serves both beer and wine by the glass, but only seats about a half dozen, elbow to elbow. The walls are all lined in shelving, and that shelving and racks, which is in turn all full of beer and wine bottles for sale. Very cool.

Quality:
Highest of marks here. They know good beer. When I went, they had Duchesse De Bourgogne on tap. That says it all. The bottle selection is likewise high calibre. You won't find macros here. They also seem to know good wine (I'm less an authority there and I didn't really try much of what they had).

Service:
There's a small bar with one bartender. Not sure how stable staff are, but my server was great. Knowledge wasn't suuuuper deep, but offered some great selections of various styles quickly when asked. The owner/manager seemed more of the uber geek type (though I got the feel maybe he wasn't the most pleasant/warm personality... but hard to judge since I didn't really talk directly with him).

Food (sort of):
They sell cheese and meats and you are able to buy them and eat them there if you wish. That's cool.

Selection:
They have about half a dozen or so beers on tap, and the picks are great and offer the full gamut of taste profiles, from the easy drinking cream ale to hoppy IPA to the uber stout. The bottle selection is not super big. Hard to say how big exactly, but this isn't the place to go if you're looking for a bottle mega shop. But, the choices appear to be very good, and lovingly picked. Nice emphasis on local (Wilmington) and regional (NC) options, but they have a nice assortment of other stuff (including imports), too. (Again: DUCHESSE... ON TAP).

If I lived in the area, this would probably be my pub of choice for those "just wanna go hang out and have a few pints" moments.

This place is great, in the week we were in the area, we went 3 times.

They have some real gems at this place including Prairie - Apple Brandy Noir, and they had a keg of Prairie - Paradise, which is only available via keg, no bottles. While we were in town they also had an Almanac Tap Takeover with some pretty great beers as well.

This place looks like a shack from the outside and the parking lot is unpaved and it's not well marked, but the atmosphere and selection once you step inside the door is unsurpassed, things could be a bit better sorted but the staff is knowledgeable and know where most of the stuff you're after is hidden, tucked away, or stocked.

We absolutely loved this place, we will be back when we are in the area again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Really the only store in the Wilmington/ Carolina Beach area that I have found, but also a top notch selection. Had a little bit of everything. Some breweries off the top of my head: Bell's, Founder's, Terrapin, Sweet Water, Boulevard, Thirsty Dog, Hoppin' Frog, Victory, Oskar Blues, Clown Shoes. There are bombers (lots), 4 packs, 6 packs, 12 packs, and 1 cooler of singles. Really good selection of local stuff too. Doesn't look like much from the outside, but worth the trip in for sure. Very helpful and also have tastings and live music.

 

 

My Go to in Wilmington, always spend too much while stopping in. Very small store in what looks like used to be a house, plenty of great bottles to choose from arranged very interestingly around the shop. Always have a solid beer on tap to sip on while making my selections. I never go to wilmington without stopping in here!

 

 

Definitely a spot worth visiting if you’re in Wilmington. A house re-modeled as a store, Fermental offers a unique ambiance you won’t find anywhere else and is one you won’t soon forget.

The selection is top-shelf for any beer aficionado. Can be a bit pricey if you have one of those overly-sophisticated palates, but the quality and variety more than make up for it. The staff is extremely knowledgeable in their stock and do a very good job at providing information and offering free samples without being pushy.

Though I haven’t attended any of their weekly soirees, I’m looking forward to going to their live band shows out back that feature local bands and free wine and beer tasting.

The only real drawback is its location. Market Street is extremely busy at times and the parking situation leaves much to be desired, but sometimes you have to take what you can get and make it work.

Fermental makes it work. It is more than worth the traffic and potential parking headache to partake in their vast selection of exquisite beer. If you’re in Wilmington and love beer, Fermental is a MUST see. You won’t regret it.

Not your typical beer & wine shop. This place will quickly become a hidden gem in the Ogden area of Wilmington. I was able to grab a six-pack, enjoy a beer with good company and pick up some hops/brew supplies to experiment with back home.

The shop was once a house so there are a few different rooms to explore and lounge around. It has a family-style charm, complete with a bathroom guest book to leave your mark.

The selection was impressive and unique. I tried some hop-flavored candy I had never experienced and noticed that they had wine-flavored ice cream. Tons of beers I had never tried but the staff had some great recommendations. This is a great after-work hangout spot, or just a great place to go talk good beer/wine.