I would consider myself a beer snob. When I walk into a store and don’t see any craft beers, I honestly start freaking out. Breweries are my safe space because I know the people there get it—they understand me. A regular beer drinker might think I’m “bat-sh*t beer-bougie crazy,” but at a brewery, I’m home.
That’s why it’s so hard to see so many breweries closing. Where are they going? What is happening? I get why some are shutting down, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Just this morning, I was reading about closures in San Diego and Texas. Then I saw a crazy stat: in 2024, there were more brewery closures than openings. It hit me hard. It made me wonder—what can we, the consumers, do to help save our favorite breweries? But also—what can they do to help us help them?
Rising costs seem to be one of the biggest reasons behind these closures. I get it, pricing is tough. But some of these prices are just wild. I won’t name names, but a while back I asked the price of a six-pack, and when I heard the number, I already knew that brewery’s fate. Sure enough, a few months later, they were gone. It’s hard to tell if these prices are what’s needed for these breweries to survive or if some places are just taxing us the consumer for being overly loyal to craft beer. Either way, some of the pricing is pretty outrageous.
I really hope breweries can start working together to find solutions because it hurts to see my favorites shut down and now I have to sit at random bars being offered PBR. There’s one spot that I still drive by, secretly hoping to see a “Just kidding!” sign on the door—even though it’s been closed for two years.
Craft breweries, we love you. Help us help you.
