Denver Brewery Sold, Longtime Brewers Join Forces
De Steeg Brewing is the second Denver brewery to be sold this week, according to Westword. News of De Steeg’s sale comes a day after North Carolina’s Thirsty Monk announced that it will acquire and rebrand the Deep Draft Brewing Company.
Craig Rothery, who founded DeSteeg in 2013, reportedly sold his brewery to Ken Klispie and Tom Martinez, who plan to increase production of De Steeg’s experimental beers while also launching a second brand, Blind Faith Brewing, that focuses on trappist-style ales. The Blind Faith name is a nod to Martinez, who is blind. The brewhouse and taproom will be retrofitted to accommodate him.
“We are both beer geeks, love the craft and we love creating beers,” Klispie told Westword.
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In other Denver beer news, Wit’s End Brewing will close its taproom at the end of the year and begin sharing a brewhouse and tasting room with Strange Craft Beer Company.
Wit’s End head brewer Tyler Bies will serve as head brewer for both companies while Strange Craft founder Tim Myers will manage the operations and business. Wit’s End founder Scott Witsoe will step down from his management role and focus on recipe creation.
“Sharing brewing facilities, staff, and rent reduces overhead significantly,” Myers said in a press release. “Combining brew staff allows for greater recipe creativity and innovation — which we hope will lead to more satisfied patrons.”
Tasting Room Openings, Brewpub Announcements
Two months after being acquired by Sapporo Holdings, San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing will open a pilot brewery and bar across the street from its Potrero Hill brewery on Saturday, according to the brewery’s blog. Anchor said it will offer “classic and new beers” at the space, which will be open daily.
After 10 months of renovations, Goose Island will reopen its original Clybourn Brewhouse “in the coming days,” according to the Chicago Tribune, although a firm opening date doesn’t appear to be set. The Tribune called the new space “sleek, modern, comfortable hip.”
In other Chicago news, Pipeworks Brewing revealed plans to open a brewpub in Logan Square in early 2019, pending the approval of community groups, according to the Tribune. Pipeworks reportedly plans to install a 10-barrel brewing system for “experimental beers” at the location.
Earlier this week, White Labs, a California-based fermentation sciences lab, opened a restaurant and tasting room at its Asheville, North Carolina, facility.
Finally, Yards Brewing Company announced that it will open its new 70,000 sq. ft. brewery and taproom in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties neighborhood next month. The brewery will feature a 100-barrel brewhouse capable of doubling the company’s current output of 42,000 barrels annually.
The Commons Sets Closing Date
Portland, Oregon-based The Commons Brewery will officially close on November 11, according to The New School.
As Brewbound reported in September, The Commons announced that it would shutter due to “lagging sales and battling cash flow.” San Diego-headquartered Modern Times will begin leasing the property in order to open a 7,000-barrel brewery in January called “The Belmont Fermentorium.”
Mike Wright, founder of The Commons, is reportedly keeping a 7-barrel pilot system, although his future plans are still unclear.
Small Breweries to Close in California, New York
Three California breweries have either ceased operations or revealed plans to close in the last two months. Concord-based Black Diamond Brewing announced Tuesday that it was closing after 23 years in business.
“Due to unfortunate circumstances, the locks have been changed and Black Diamond Brewery is closed for the foreseeable future,” the brewery wrote in a Facebook post, which has since been removed.
Oakland-based Pacific Coast Pub and Restaurant also announced via Facebook that it would close in November after 29 years due to “uncertainty” surrounding its lease.
Walnut Creek-based Farm Creek Brewing Company, which opened a little more than a year ago, closed on September 23 due to the owners moving out of state, according to The Mercury News.
Meanwhile, three New York breweries are also going out of business. Nedloh Brewing, which opened in in Bloomfield in 2014, announced this week that it will close at the end of the month, so owners Nate and Josie Holden can focus on “the next chapter in our lives and careers.”
New Woodstock-based Henneberg Brewing Co. posted a Facebook message in late September Facebook saying its last day would be October 28. Founder John Henneberg wrote that he wants more time “to cherish life, horsey rides around the yard, dance parties in the living room, bedtime books” with his children.
“I’d rather spend these moments with them than miss out and work in the brewery until 1 or 2:00am,” he wrote.
Finally, the owners of Birdland Brewing Co. plan to keep the Horseheads-based brewery open through Black Friday — the company’s 5-year anniversary — before shuttering “due to unforeseen health issues,” according to a Facebook post.