Marin Brewing to Close After 33 Years; Main & Six to Close, Citing Pandemic

Larkspur, California-based Marin Brewing Company will close this month after 33 years.

The North Bay brewery and restaurant announced the closure on Instagram Tuesday with a photo of co-founders Craig Tasley and Brendan Moylan from the initial brewery launch announcement in 1989.

“Thank you for nearly 33 years of patronage,” the brewery wrote. “It is with a heavy heart we announce the closure of Marin Brewing Company on January 31st. Please stop by for a beer and a meal and support our remaining staff while you can.”

The closure is due to economic strains from the COVID-19 pandemic, reported KPIX. Moylan told the CBS affiliate the brewery has fallen behind on rent after COVID-19 restrictions cut back business. He noted the “final straw” was when the brewery was unable to get financial support from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

Moylan’s other business, Moylan’s Brewery & Restaurant, will remain open. Marin produced 651 barrels of beer in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available from the Brewers Association (BA).

Jacksonville-based Main & Six Brewing to Close by March

Main & Six Brewing Company in Jacksonville, Florida, is closing its doors less than a year after being named Brewery of the Year (251-500 Barrels) at the BA’s Great American Beer Festival (GABF).

“It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to let everyone know that our brewery, Main & Six, will be closing within the next month and a half,” Dennis Espinosa, co-owner and head brewer, wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday. “We have a projected closing date of Sunday, March 13. But as with many circumstances in life in recent years, this may change or occur sooner.

“When I set out to open a brewery, my goal was to make the best beer possible and have an amazing environment, and I can confidently say we achieved both of those things,” he continued. “I can’t say enough about, or be more thankful for, the staff I have been so lucky to have work for us during this time. I have learned so much from all of them. Their hard work and dedication to the brewery and our customers has been all of their greatest attribute. I will always be grateful to them for this.”

Espinosa said the closure is due to “a combination of internal and external factors,” including the pandemic.

Espinosa and his mother Cindy Lasky opened the brewery in the historic Springfield neighborhood in 2017. Last year, Espinosa announced plans to expand the brewery into a vacant 3,600 sq. ft. neighboring building, adding a restaurant, kitchen and barrel-aging room, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported. He also shared plans to add a rooftop space and additional outdoor seating, increasing the brewery’s total space to 7,200 sq. ft. Jacksonville’s planning commission delayed the expansion, citing concerns it would “interfere with church activity nearby,” but approved the plans in June following public support for the brewery.

Main & Six produced 260 barrels of beer in 2020, according to the BA.

Hermitage Brewing to Close Doors After 13 Years

San Jose, California-based Hermitage Brewing will cease operations Sunday after 13 years.

“There’s no easy way to say this but Hermitage’s journey is sadly coming to an end,” the brewery said in a post on its Instagram page, which is now private. “We appreciate all the memories and loyal customers we’ve had in the past 13 years … but all good things must come to an end. We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us from day one or even recently.”

Founded in 2009, the brewery was known for its barrel-aged sours and single hop IPAs. It also provided incubator services for other San Jose breweries such as Strike Brewing Co., Santa Clara Valley Brewing (closed in December 2019) and Almanac Beer Co. (now in Alameda, California), reported The Mercury News.

The brewery’s website has already been shut down. Hermitage produced 2,109 barrels in 2020, according to the BA.