The ‘For Sale’ sign went up on two West Coast breweries as the number of breweries for sale seems to be on the rise.
What’s behind the uptick in breweries going up for sale? “A combination of a maturing craft beer market, increased competition on the shelf from both beer and non-beer alcohol, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a generation of craft brewery founders reaching retirement age,” wrote beer industry reporter Kate Bernot in a recent BrewsNews article.
Standing Stone Brewing in Ashland, Oregon closed in May and it was recently announced that the brewery is up for sale as a turnkey operation. The brewery, which has been in business for 25 years and is located in the downtown area of Ashland includes a full-service restaurant and 10 bbl brewing system.
Meanwhile, Counterbalance Brewing in Seattle, Washington just announced last week that they too were up for sale as a turnkey operation. The brewery has been in business since 2015 and is located in the Georgetown neighborhood near downtown.