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With more almost 7000 breweries currently operating in the US, craft beer’s once unfailing landscape has changed, as D14 Brewery owner Matt McCulloch understands all too well.
On October 20th the D14 Brewery & Pub celebrated its fourth anniversary and closed its doors a week later another victim of craft beer’s increasingly competitive environment.
Launched in 2014, by Matt McCulloch in Milwaukee’s trendy Bay View neighborhood, D14 was a small three barrel operation. And it may have been that neighborhood’s upscaling demographics that led to the brewery’s unsustainable financial condition according to Milwaukee Magazine….
“Bay View is changing pretty rapidly and the cost of housing is growing exponentially,” said McCulloch “The people moving in certainly figure into the craft beer demographic, but they are professionals not likely to be in the bar until 2 a.m. on a Tuesday. Those who’d be in the bar four nights a week are moving out. I feel that had something to do with it.”
On October 17th McCulloch made it known that D14 would be closing via his Facebook page…
Good news is we have a new sour beer hitting the taps today! The Final Hour Sour is a very nice barrel fermented sour. More tart than my typical sour so slightly less approachable. Nice tropical fruit notes and a dry finish.
Bad news is that this beer is aptly named. D14 will be closing its doors for good before the end of the month. To say it breaks my heart to say this, is an understatement. I won’t get into all the why’s, except to say it is simply time to move on.
That being said our 4th Anniversary (and farewell) party will go on as planned this Saturday. I will stay open for sure until the 26th. I will likely bottle any remaining beer and have a bottle Release and final blowout the following week.
Thanks everyone… Matt
So now Milwaukee, an historic brewing town that gave birth to distant legends like Pabst, Joseph Schlitz, Blatz and Miller, has lost a much more recent and albeit smaller brethren.
But unfortunately, given today’s more complex and competitive brewing climate, we expect that it won’t be the last….
