The Bar Towel

Instead of starting a new thread for each brewery we hear in the news closing or otherwise that don't already have a thread dedicated to them, I thought I'd just start up a general one.

MacLean’s Ales Closes Brewery & Moves Production to The Collingwood Brewery
https://www.canadianbeernews.com/2023/1 ... d-brewery/
I'm going to guess this is Step One in Collingwood just buying out MacLean's. I can confirm that with this announcement Charles has retired.

I found this, posted 2 days ago: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-commercial-offi ... 1674405674
This is the space Fixed Gear took over from StoneHammer (the original brewer of MacLean's, funny enough). So I don't know if Fixed Gear has left or what's going on, because I also found this: https://www.canadianbeernews.com/2023/1 ... h-ontario/ which is also in the same space. Something strange happening here.

MatttthewGeorge wrote: ↑Fri Oct 13, 2023 1:15 pm I found this, posted 2 days ago: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-commercial-offi ... 1674405674
This is the space Fixed Gear took over from StoneHammer (the original brewer of MacLean's, funny enough). So I don't know if Fixed Gear has left or what's going on, because I also found this: https://www.canadianbeernews.com/2023/1 ... h-ontario/ which is also in the same space. Something strange happening here.

Wrinkly bear is a couple of store fronts down from the Fixed gear spot.
I’ve always thought Fixed Gear had been massively overstretching themselves with 3 locations.

MatttthewGeorge wrote: ↑Fri Oct 13, 2023 1:15 pm Instead of starting a new thread for each brewery we hear in the news closing or otherwise that don't already have a thread dedicated to them, I thought I'd just start up a general one.

MacLean’s Ales Closes Brewery & Moves Production to The Collingwood Brewery
https://www.canadianbeernews.com/2023/1 ... d-brewery/
I'm going to guess this is Step One in Collingwood just buying out MacLean's. I can confirm that with this announcement Charles has retired.

That’s a shame. I remeber having a pint of Arkell Best on cask at the Wooly and chatting with Charles(I had no idea who he was at the time, until he praised my choice, and got me up to speed about his history). He was just in the very beginning planning stages of getting the spot opened in Hanover. I told him how happy I was to have somewhere to stop in, when visiting the in-laws in Hanover.

I'm surprised there is so little discussion about burnout in this business. I imagine it must be rampant. As a homebrewer I constantly get people telling me I should start a brewery. No bloody way. It's got to be the quickest path to taking something I enjoy and making it a misery. People really have some strange romantic ideas about this business. I'd say the same applies to opening a restaurant or bar. You have to be a certain kind of person.

I don't think that's why MacLeans is closing, however I think the other investors might say otherwise. Maybe not burnout per se, but lost the love of it I'm sure.

That said, I think burnout was was one of the main reasons we lost Barncat.

Square Timber is closing.

https://www.canadianbeernews.com/2023/1 ... e-ontario/

Muddy York' opened and second location....and will now be closing the original location. According to this story, the two events are not connected.

https://www.canadianbeernews.com/2023/1 ... -location/

Just noticed that Little Beasts Brewery has been closed for 5 weeks now without an update. Doesn't look promising for them.

This isn't Ontario, but evidently Brasseurs du Temps (BdT) in Gatineau is closing. I know some beer folks had mixed feelings about it but I had some good times there and it was one of the first good beer places in downtown Gatineau, which IIRC didn't have much back in the day.

Not a brewery, but the Danforth location of Bar Hop closed last weekend.

Skeleton Park acquires both Signal and Spearhead:

https://thewhig.com/news/time-was-right ... ness-moves

Cass wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2023 6:57 pm Skeleton Park acquires both Signal and Spearhead:

https://thewhig.com/news/time-was-right ... ness-moves

This is another one where it surprises me a bit to see which brewery is doing the purchasing vs being purchased - I would have thought Spearhead was the bigger player. Will be interesting to see how this all works out.

JerCraigs wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2023 1:36 pm

Cass wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2023 6:57 pm Skeleton Park acquires both Signal and Spearhead:

https://thewhig.com/news/time-was-right ... ness-moves

This is another one where it surprises me a bit to see which brewery is doing the purchasing vs being purchased - I would have thought Spearhead was the bigger player. Will be interesting to see how this all works out.

Ha! The exact same thought came to my mind.

S. St. Jeb wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2023 2:30 pm

JerCraigs wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2023 1:36 pm This is another one where it surprises me a bit to see which brewery is doing the purchasing vs being purchased - I would have thought Spearhead was the bigger player. Will be interesting to see how this all works out.

Ha! The exact same thought came to my mind.

Yup, thought the same thing. Spearhead "felt" bigger but not sure that was based upon anything other than age and what I see at TBS/LCBO. The Signal property was a nice one being right on the river so that would be cool if it continues, but who knows what's actually viable these days.