The craft beer industry isn’t getting any better after a three-year downturn, with breweries and taprooms continuing to permanently close their doors as the year comes to an end.
The sector could end the year in a worse condition than its -5% volume rate, Brewbound reported in a Facebook post.
Craft breweries continue to close
Over 250 breweries in the U.S. closed down in the first six months of the year, and more closings have followed in the second half of the year.
Craft breweries that have closed in the second half of the year include Bosque Brewing Company, which filed for bankruptcy but shuttered its business after its Chapter 11 case was dismissed.
Another popular beer brand, Entropy Brewing Company, closed without filing for bankruptcy, and several others filed for Chapter 7 liquidation and closed down, including Rogue Ales & Spirits, Strike Brewing Company, Iron Hill Brewery LLC, and Dissent Craft Brewing.
Sanitas Brewing Company closed down its business, including taprooms in Boulder, Englewood, and Lafayette, Colo.
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Sanitas Brewing Company closes down its business
And now, Colorado-based Sanitas Brewing Company, which offered a unique beer discount for customers, has shut down all three of its taproom locations and gone out of business.
Sanitas Brewing Company revealed on its website that it permanently closed its Boulder, Englewood, and Lafayette, Colo., taprooms by Dec. 20. The brewer’s website hours, listing all three taprooms open on Dec. 31, from noon until 6 p.m., are no longer accurate, as the business has shut down.
The Lafayette taproom closed on Dec. 18, Englewood closed on Dec. 19, and the original Boulder flagship location closed on Dec. 20, according to Westword.
The brewing company did not reveal a reason for shutting down its business, but reasons given by other breweries for closing have been rising costs of ingredients, labor, and products, slowing taproom traffic, and fierce retail competition, according to American Craft Beer.
Sanitas Brewing Company’s closed taprooms:
- Boulder: 3550 Frontier Avenue
- Englewood: 200 W. Belleview Avenue
- Lafeyette: 400 W. South Boulder Road
Sanitas Brewing Company’s co-founders Michael Memsic and Chris Coyne opened the business in 2013, fulfilling their passion and dream of owning a brewery, according to their website.
After 10 years of operating its original location, Sanitas Brewing Company expanded and opened taprooms in Englewood in 2023 and in Lafayette in 2024.
Sanitas distributed in five states and four countries
The company distributed its beer outside of Colorado as well, selling its beers in Connecticut, Maryland, Nebraska, and Rhode Island, as well as Australia, the Czech Republic, and Sweden.
“To anyone who has ever had a beer from Sanitas Brewing Company or just enjoyed time with loved ones on our patios, thank you,” the brewery wrote in an announcement on its website.
“We have come to the very tough decision to close Sanitas Brewing Company,” the message said. “Our goal is to remain open until December 20th, 2025.”
The company did not reveal any plans, such as selling the brewery’s assets or filing for bankruptcy.
“It is no secret that the craft beer industry is currently facing significant challenges that impact business viability, and Sanitas is not immune to these realities,” the message said. “…Please trust that closing is the right, albeit bittersweet, decision today.”
Sanitas offered half-price train beers
Sanitas for years offered an original promotion for its customers at its Boulder taproom, as the brewery provided half-price “train beers” for 15 minutes when a train passed by the brewpub on the train tracks near its backyard patio, as Pub Pass described.
The brewing company also partnered with food vendors, such as McDevitt Taco Supply in the Boulder taproom and C Burger and Atlas Coffee in the Englewood taproom, according to its website. ‘
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“Thank you to every person who came to our taprooms, picked up cans of Sanitas at the store, or chose a draught pour of Sanitas off someone else’s menu,” the statement said.
Sanitas’ beers included Saison, IPA, Hazy IPA, Bandito Mexican Lager, Everyday Mountain Pils, Lemon Berry Sour, Passion Fruit Sour, and Deluge Sour Ale.
Sanitas Brewing’s beer selection
- Saison
- IPA
- Hazy IPA
- Bandito Mexican Lager
- Everyday Mountain Pils
- Lemon Berry Sour
- Passion Fruit Sour
- Deluge Sour Ale.
Related: Popular beer brand closes after Chapter 11 bankruptcy dismissed
