(MacLeod Ale Brewing: Van Nuys)

“It’s not over till it’s over” for one Los Angeles brewery that celebrates cask ales in the land of craft beer.

Here’s the deal…

In November, MacLeod Ale Brewing, a brewery with its heart in the British Isles and two locations in Los Angeles, shocked its fans with the sudden announcement that its original venue in Van Nuys, CA and its brand new location in Highland Park will cease brewing and operating entirely.

MacLeod also notified the Los Angeles Brewers Guild that it “had to lay off its entire staff and close down both locations.”

In the memo, the brewer detailed the company’s struggles….noting that they were “over budget in several categories” and had “too much debt due to expansion. The brewery also admitted that it had experienced a “sudden crash of sales [down 15% in Oct, 21% in November]” and that its new Highland Park location had opened too late and was underperforming.

So things looked black going into the holidays, but speaking with The Drinks Business on January 3 MacLeod Ale Brewing CEO Jennifer Febre let it be known that the brewery was still making moves to survive…

“At the time of my publicly shared private memo to the LA Brewers Guild, things looked very bleak and frankly hopeless. However, since that day, my family and close associates have had a chance to step back, assess, discuss, strategize, etc. and plot a path forward. It will not be easy, and we still may not succeed, but we are not ready to close our doors yet.”

“After our announcement on 14 November, we were actually able to reopen the pizza kitchen in Van Nuys after just two days of closure,” Febre said. “Both taprooms are open and operating daily now and pouring a wide selection of MacLeod beers.”

Febre stressed that Macleod’s hardships are not the brewery’s alone…that many Los Angeles breweries are in trouble…

“We have seen news reports of other breweries struggling and/or closing down. This is the sad reality of our times. While government funds are no longer offered, businesses like ours are still suffering the consequences of the pandemic and resulting financial instability.

“We are hopeful that due to our lack of reliance on distribution, and our well-honed ‘pivoting’ skills, we can maneuver and keep MacLeod open for the foreseeable future. We wish the same for all our fellow LA Guild breweries.”

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(All image credits: MacLeod Ale Brewing)