Circle Brewing Closing (both Austin and Elgin locations)

[boilerhorn 1,464]

Austin location already shuttered.  Elgin location closing.  Ran out of money, it appears.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/article/circle-brewing-closing-austin-18375336.php

A popular Austin brewing company shuttered its original location earlier this year after more than a decade, leaving only its newer Elgin operation open. For fans of the brand's Blur hefeweizen, there's some more bad news out there this week.

On Monday, September 18, Circle Brewing announced that it is completely shutting down after almost 15 years in business.

"It is with a heavy heart and the utmost sadness that we must announce the closing of Circle Brewing Company," the owners Ben Sabel and Judson Mulherin wrote on Facebook, acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic played a major factor in the demise of the business.

Started in 2008, the original Braker Lane location opened its doors in 2010, first as a distribution-only brewery and eventually as a taproom. That era saw an enormous upswing in breweries opening all over Central Texas, like Austin Beerworks, Jester King, and 512 Brewing, among dozens of others.

In 2019, the company purchased 23 acres in Elgin, just east of Austin. The idea was to create a brewery that was fully farm-to-glass: grown, brewed, and poured onsite.

"Then Covid came along to ensure the buildout took forever and cost twice as much," the owners wrote.

Sabel and Mulherin write that their biggest regret is not seeing the Elgin vision through.

[wild_turkey 3,223]

Oh wow, that sucks. I sort of know those guys and always wanted them to do well. Terrible news.