We’ve had a bit of a pause on the brewery-closing front in the last few months, but it appears to have kicked back in this week. As you saw last week, Orkenoy announced that their last day was yesterday (see below for Block Club’s story).
I missed this social update last week, so I’ll include it here and thanks to FoGDB Russ for sharing it with me: Carol Stream’s 206 Brewing announced on Facebook that they will also be closing at the end of this month, having only just opened in March of last year.
We also have news on the closure of Keg & Kernel in Dekalb, as well as a couple of Michigan breweries calling it a day. Do a quick Google News search for other closures outside of our coverage area and you’ll see a few more as well.
All of this happened in the week that the Brewers Association released their annual Craft Brewing Industry Production Report, which informed us that last year saw nearly 500 new breweries open … while over 400 breweries closed. Are we at a stasis point in American craft brewing? I’ve always had a hunch that we’d plateau somewhere around 10k breweries in America, and now it seems the churn is starting to kick in.
I don’t feel the need to go too in-depth into that report, but of all the things that might be eyebrow-raising on the list, the most surprising to me — more than Athletic Brewing at #10 and FFF creeping upwards to #20 — is seeing Montucky Cold Snacks jump onto the list at #40, right behind Revolution Brewing. It’s no Liquid Death, as branding achievements go, but moving that much product by only selling a single light lager … well, it tells you where the movement in craft beer is heading, isn’t it?
An update from the Corrections Department: Last week we noted the new Noon Whistle Hobson Oak beer and mentioned the SOB beer that preceded it. Apologies to Hop Butcher and Miskatonic, who also also crafted a Hobson Oak beer way back in ‘18 along with Solemn Oath.
The Hobson Oak has its own website to this day. People love this tree. This is also a good place to mention that HB also got a ton of those Untappd Community Awards and I absolutely miscounted them, so apologies for not acknowledging them there either.
As penance I drank an Only Interested In Bangers this week; it was delicious.
Block Club reported on yesterday’s closure of Ørkenoy Brewery after four years at the Kimball Arts Center.
A blonde ale made with lavender named 13th Poet? Yes, that’s a Taylor Swift themed beer from Buffalo Creek Brewing.
The Chicago Tribune was onhand for the Chicago Sky’s draft watch party at Revolution Brewing.
Fox 32 chatted with Horse Thief Hollow on their program to provide spent grains for feeding cattle at the Chicago High School of Agricultural Sciences.
With comment from Ed Marzewski of Marz Brewing, WTTW looks at the increasing amount of cannabis-infused food and drink options in Illinois four years after legalization.
Downtown Glen Ellyn is hosting its first craft beer crawl on May 4 with ten different stops available.
Downtown Dekalb’s Keg & Kernel brewery (which is owned by Tangled Roots Brewing Co.) announced plans to close at the end of the month. More here.
The Edwardsville Intelligencer hung out with the hundreds of “Lager-likers, Pilsner-pourers and Stout-sippers” at this year’s Spring Beer Festival.
“Where Does Indiana Stand In The National Craft Beer Decline?” asks … this country music radio station.
Central Iowa’s Adventureland is getting a new “craft beer experience” this summer, which is exactly what you want to visit right before riding a bunch of roller coasters.
The Social Brews, a 45-line self-pour beer bar and coffee shop is coming to downtown Detroit soon with a series of rotating chefs providing an everchanging menu.
The Detroit Free-Press has a full story about On Guard, the collaboration beer they brewed with Batch Brewing to celebrate “the essential role of a free press in maintaining a democracy and honors local journalists for staying on guard to shine light on the truth, hold power accountable and serve their communities with the information they need."
After 11 years in business, the Chelsea Alehouse Brewery announced it would close in early May, citing “financial challenges after the Covid pandemic.”
Brewery Nyx also announced plans to close their all-gluten-free brewery four years after opening.
MLive covers the news that after 24 years, Ludington’s Jamesport Brewery would expand production, going from their old 3-barrel system to a new 5-barrel one.
Other breaking news from MLive: “Founders Finally Has Fries”
The auction to sell off the assets from Grand Rapids Brewing Company is now closed; per this story, the sign alone went for over $2K.
Forgotten Star Brewing is launching their own food truck but my main takeaway from this Star-Tribune story is hot damn that’s a cool building to have a brewery in.
The Star-Trib also has more on the new owners of Warrior Brewing in Duluth.
Also in Duluth, Blacklist Brewing and Superior Cannabis hosted a “joint effort” 420 Fest over the weekend, which included a “paint your own bong” attraction.
Sauce Magazine has a nice list of restaurants with respectable beer lists around St. Louis.
Leaf Man Lager is the new partnership beer between Cleveland Metroparks and Fat Head’s Brewing to raise money for the Metroparks Trails Fund. The original Trail Pale Ale has raised over $100K for the fund so far.
Inventors Brewpub in Port Washington will open on April 30th.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel covered the collab brew between Mikerphone, Torzala and SteelTank brewing companies, because the owners are all graduates of the same high school, as did OnMilwaukee.
Happy 20th birthday to Rush River Brewing Company.
The Milwaukee Record’s Meet A Brewer series turns its lens to Sam Engel of Black Husky Brewing.
A bunch of stories were flying around last week about an arrest warrant being issued for the co-owner of Minocqua Brewing, but that was deemed a “clerical error” shortly thereafter.
Sorry, travelers: Bavarian authorities said that you can’t smoke weed at this year’s Oktoberfest (among other places).
They didn’t find him, but GBH has a nice piece this week trying to track down Tony Magee, Lagunitas Brewing’s founder and stoner savant.
I wouldn’t have thought Portland’s brewing scene needed a shakeup, but per this National Geographic story, a new wave of nanobreweries are doing just that. Now I wanna hang out at the Little Hop House.
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Sad about Orkenoy closing! They also had a very good cocktail program (and great aquavit Bloody Mary).