Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned Wynwood Brewing Company, Miami’s first craft brewery and taproom, will close its doors next month after more than a decade in business, Eater reported Wednesday.
The closure, in addition to the shuttering of A-B’s Golden Road brewpub in Sacramento, is the latest tremor from the fallout of A-B upending its craft division through reorganization, layoffs and divestment of craft brands last year.
The Wynwood taproom’s last day of operation will be February 4. However, it is not the end of the brand – production of Wynwood’s core beers, including La Rubia blonde ale, Pops Porter and Father Francisco tripel, will move to Veza Sur, another A-B-owned, Miami-based craft brewery.
Wynwood announced the taproom closure Monday on Facebook, writing: “When Wynwood opened 10 years ago, we were the first craft production brewery in Miami. Since then, we brewed and built an amazing brand in La Rubia to be shared with friends and familia for all occasions and celebrations. It was quickly embraced and has become a household favorite across South Florida.
“To allow our team to focus on La Rubia’s continued growth, we have made the decision to merge Wynwood with our sister brewpub Veza Sur Brewing Co just up the street,” the company continued. “Moving to Veza Sur will allow us to focus on expanding La Rubia while still being able to brew our signature beers like Father Francisco and Pops Porter and still offering a pub and patio location to enjoy them in our neighborhood.”
Wynwood was founded in 2013, and acquired five years later by craft portfolio platform Craft Brew Alliance (CBA). In late 2019, A-B – a partial shareholder in CBA – acquired the remaining 68.8% stake in the company, bringing Wynwood, Redhook Brewery, Widmer Brothers, Kona Brewing, Omission Beer, Cisco Brewers, Square Mile Cider and Appalachian Mountain Brewery under the A-B banner. The deal was not finalized until late 2020, after CBA divested of its Kona business in Hawaii (retaining all mainland business) to appease the Department of Justice.
Following the deal, CBA’s brands merged with A-B’s existing 15 Brewers Collective brands. The brands were then split into three divisions: national brands, eastern brands and western brands. The other craft brands A-B acquired during the last decade included: 10 Barrel, Blue Point, Breckenridge Brewery, Devils Backbone, Elysian, Four Peaks, Golden Road, Goose Island, Karbach, Platform, Virtue Cider and Wicked Weed.
Last year, A-B sold several of those brands to Canadian cannabis firm Tilray, including:
- Shock Top;
- Breckenridge Brewery (Littleton, Colorado);
- Blue Point Brewing Company (Patchogue, New York);
- 10 Barrel Brewing Company (Bend, Oregon);
- Redhook Brewery (Seattle, Washington);
- Widmer Brothers Brewing (Portland, Oregon);
- Square Mile Cider Company (Portland, Oregon);
- Hiball Energy (which A-B discontinued in May).
A-B launched Veza Sur in April 2017, before the formation of the Brewers Collective. The “Latin-American inspired craft beer brand” joined other large-beer-affiliated craft breweries in the Wynwood neighborhood such as Boston Beer’s Concrete Beach Brewery (later transformed into a Dogfish Head outpost), and Cerveceria La Tropical, a Cuban-born brand that Heineken USA is invested in.
The Veza Sur brewpub faced scrutiny in 2021, after a lawsuit was filed, alleging A-B misrepresented the “ownership and authenticity” of Veza Sur and its products.
In 2023, Wynwood dollar sales declined -21.6% and volume declined -28.3% in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels (total U.S. xAOC + liquor plus + convenience), according to full-year data from the market research firm. Veza Sur dollar sales declined -44.3% and volume declined -51%.
The CBA breweries produced a combined 640,000 barrels of beer in 2022, a -3% decline year-over-year (YoY), according to the Brewers Association (BA) in the May/June issue of New Brewer Magazine. The BA does not separate out CBA brands in its annual production report.
Only four former CBA brands remain within A-B’s portfolio: Kona, Cisco Brewers, Wynwood and Omission.
Golden Road Sacramento Taproom Closes
In other A-B craft news, Golden Road abruptly closed its Sacramento taproom Monday after more than five years, the Sacramento Beer reported.
“The difficult decision to close the Golden Road Sacramento Brewpub reflects the current operating realities facing the entire restaurant and hospitality industry, and we are committed to supporting our people through this transition,” Golden Road general manager Craig Weiner said in a statement shared with Brewbound.
“We are tremendously grateful to this community and their support over the years, and though the Sacramento brewpub is closed, we look forward to continuing to bring them the beers they know and love at their favorite bars, restaurants, and bottle shops.”
According to the report, locals were notified of the closure by a paper posted on the brewery’s door, reading: “Sacramento! It’s been an honor being here for the past five years. We have made the difficult decision to close our doors effective 1/22/24. While we work to take care of our people in the best way possible, be on the lookout for our beer in other retail locations around Sacramento.”
Golden Road dollar sales declined -11% in 2023, while volume declined -20.8%, according to NIQ. The brewery produced 215,000 barrels of beer in 2022, a -7% decline YoY, according to the BA.
A-B’s craft brands produced a collective 2.625 million barrels in 2022, making the company the largest producer of non-BA-defined craft beer. A-B’s craft brands collectively declined -4% YoY, down from the more than 2.7 million barrels produced in 2020 and 2021.
Within the Brewers Collection, just two craft brands posted YoY growth in 2022: Goose Island (+6%, to 495,00 barrels) and Wicked Weed (+19%, to 115,000).
In February, A-B ceased operations of Platform Beer Co. in Ohio. However, the brand continued on as a trio of IPAs produced at other A-B facilities. Layoffs followed at other A-B owned craft breweries.
In May, two of the founders of Appalachian Mountain Brewery and Cidery agreed to purchase the Boone, North Carolina craft brewery from A-B. At the same time as the Tilray deal was announced, A-B announced the sale of Virtue Cider to founder Greg Hall. Hall remains a consultant with Goose Island, which his family founded in 1988 and sold to A-B in 2011.