A little more than two years after announcing it would open, Boston Beer’s Dogfish Head taproom in Miami will shut its doors on November 5 due to “marketplace factors beyond our control,” according to an internal memo.
“This was a difficult decision that ultimately came down to the dramatic rent increases throughout Miami, particularly in the Wynwood neighborhood where our taproom is located,” Scott Hempstead, senior director of local brands and taprooms, wrote.
“As we were approaching the end of our 10-year lease, which dates back to Concrete Beach Brewery, we were in active conversations with the landlord about extending that lease for Dogfish Head Miami,” he continued. “However, our taproom was facing a significant rent increase, and after careful evaluation, we came to the conclusion that extending the lease is not a sustainable option.”
After an “ongoing residency” that kicked off in February 2020, Dogfish Head inherited the space from Concrete Beach Brewing, a brand Boston Beer launched in 2015. The Concrete Beach brand lived on after the closure of its taproom in the form of its Havana Lager, which is distributed in Florida.
In a statement provided to Brewbound, a Boston Beer spokesperson said the company will work with the location’s employees on their next steps. The taproom employs fewer than 40 workers, 10 of whom are full-time, according to the spokesperson.
“Our coworkers are our top priority, and we will be meeting individually with each one of them to help them determine their path forward,” the spokesperson said.
The announcement of the taproom’s closure comes one week after its former general manager, Erika Chavez Zayas, posted about her “complicated relationship with BBC” on LinkedIn, following her departure from the company a week ago.
“The overall culture advertised was one of candor, transparency, inclusivity, and diversity,” Chavez Zayas wrote. “Unfortunately, the culture delivered was the opposite and that just didn’t align with my ethics. It’s exceedingly difficult to be confronted with complacency in the face of inequity. Upon raising concerns, no meaningful change transpired and it became evident that the fox was guarding the hen house.”
A Boston Beer spokesperson said the closure and her posts are unrelated, and the company is “taking those posts very seriously” and “investigating the matter.”
In its home state of Delaware, Dogfish Head operates a taproom at its brewery in Milton, two brewpubs in Rehoboth Beach and an inn in Lewes.
Boston Beer’s other retail locations include two Samuel Adams taprooms in Boston; Angry Orchard in Walden, New York; Coney Island Brewery in Brooklyn, New York; and Angel City Brewery and Truly LA in Los Angeles.