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(Courtesy Barley Forge Brewing)
Trailblazing California Craft Brewery to Close
Costa Mesa’s first-ever production brewery, Barley Forge Brewing, has announced that it’s closing, the victim of rising rent and an increasingly competitive craft beer landscape.
This from its Facebook announcement…
It is with heavy hearts and mixed emotions we have decided not to renew our lease, scheduled to expire October 31, 2019, and close Barley Forge.
Brewing beer is a capital intensive and increasingly competitive endeavor and, simply stated, we have arrived at a point where the lows outnumber the highs.
This reality, combined with an unprecedented and unsustainable rent increase our landlord is demanding, has made untenable the prospect of continuing to operate a full-scale production brewery in a neighborhood that has rapidly shifted from its industrial roots to a retail environment.
It has taken no small measure of radical, albeit heart-rending, acceptance to reach this conclusion.
It has been a wild and fantastic ride since Barley Forge opened October 25, 2014. We are incredibly proud of our many awards and achievements, our dedicated staff, the relationships we forged both in the industry and the community and the many wonderful people we have had the privilege to serve.
And whatever you do, please continue to support independent craft beer…
With much love…
Mary Ann, Greg and all your friends at Barley Forge past and present
Cigar City Brewing Partners with the Tampa Bay Lightning
Beer and hockey? Sure. Professional hockey and craft beer? Def! And now the Tampa Bay Lightning has tapped Cigar City Brewing to bring its Jai Alai, Guayabera and Florida Cracker beers to Amalie Arena as the team’s official craft beer partner.
Cigar City’s annual Hunahpu’s Beer Festival will also moving to Amalie Arena next year.
The uber- popular festival which revolves around the once-a-year-release of Cigar City’s Hunapu Imperial Stout, will make its 11th annual return on March 13, 2020, the first at the arena.
