Craft Beer Openings And Closings

In spite of the toll that Covid-19 is taking on the brewing industry, we continue to get a surprising number of new brewery notifications. Unfortunately there are also an increasing number of closings…

Wiseacre Brewing Opens New Production Brewery and Taproom

Launched in Memphis, by brothers Davin and Kellan Bartosch in 2013, Wiseacre Brewing has opened a new production facility in Downtown Memphis. The brewery’s second location, the new 40,000-square-foot facility, (dubbed Wiseacre 2), will be able to produce 100,000 barrels of beer per year, nearly quintupling the brewery’s previous capacity and paving the way for both the development of new beers and new packaging options as well as for expansion into new markets.

“Of course, we would have never chosen to open our new brewery during a global pandemic – the initial hit to our draft sales and taproom sales was brutal and obviously couldn’t have been anticipated when we started planning this two years ago” said Kellan Bartosch. But our new facility did give us increased canning capacity and that was a major reason that we were able to keep all members of our brewery production staff employed.”

In addition to the taproom and artisan snack bar, Wiseacre’s facility features world-class brewing technology that preserves the freshness of the beer longer.

New equipment includes a 4-roller malt mill, which keeps the malt husk intact while finely grinding the malt’s endosperm for a cleaner, more precise flavor.

The canning of beer will be done on a 24 valve Krones machine that will fill cans at speeds up to 250 cans per minute.

Buffalo Creek Brewing to offer Alpine Outdoor Biergarten in Chicagoland

A Lake County destination brewery, 30 miles NW of Chicago, will be opening a new “socially distant” Alpine Biergarten on Black Friday.

Located in Long Grove, IL, Buffalo Creek Brewing, a German style brewery, will transform its scenic grounds into an alpine winter retreat throughout the upcoming cold months as a way to continue serving safely during the pandemic.

“We’re mimicking the Europeans and creating a true alpine winter biergarten experience,” says owner/brew master Mike Marr, based on his travels abroad. “The beer will be cold but the atmosphere will warm your soul!”

Set against a scenic pine forest backdrop, Buffalo Creeks Alpine Biergarten will feature multiple roaring fire pits, patio and barrel table heat lamps, sheepskin throws, twinkle lighting, holiday décor, outdoor table service, as well as over two acres of winter wonderland to explore and stay socially distanced from others.

Philly’s Legendary Grey Lodge Craft Beer Bar Closes

A victim of the latest round of COVID-19 shutdown, Philadelphia’s Grey Lodge Pub, one of the first bars in the city to celebrate craft beer, took to Facebook on November 19 to announce that it is closing its doors for good.

Renowned not just for support of craft beer, but also for its  Groundhog Day party, and regular “Friday the Firkinteenth” events, the Grey Lodge’s closing is a blow to the city, but in spite of the fact that, it’s brewing arm, Lucky Cat Brewing will live on

It’s the end of the line for the Grey Lodge Pub, owner Mike Scotese announced Thursday. “I know the spirit of the Grey Lodge will live on in the friendships we have made. Once again, thank you.”