Smuttynose Brewery in Hampton, NH has closed their Dover satellite location called Smuttlabs.
The company opened the satellite location in November 2019 to highlight their experimental beers and tavern fare. The company attributed the closure to the onset of COVID shortly after opening, fluctuations in the labor market and rising costs.
“While we are disappointed to say goodbye to the Smuttlabs brand, we are thrilled to extend positions at our Hampton campus to all Smuttlabs staff. Their talents will be put to great use as our company continues to grow with both brewery production and hospitality endeavors,” the company said in a statement.
The closure is another sign that the industry has not fully recovered from the challenges of the pandemic and the continuing collateral damage such as staffing challenges, supply chain issues and rising costs. Although few breweries closed during the two-plus year pandemic, some in the industry expect an uptick in closures over the next year as it becomes harder for small breweries to navigate the ongoing challenges.