EVERETT, SEPT. 4: After close to a decade, local Everett brewery Crucible Brewing announced that it would be closing its doors at the end of the year due to ongoing struggles with finances.
On Aug. 29, Crucible posted across its social media platforms announcing the closure.
“After much thought and reflection, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the doors of Crucible Brewing at the end of the year,” the post read, “This journey has been one of the most incredible experiences of our lives, and we are deeply grateful for the support, laughter, and memories we’ve shared with all of you.”
Co-owner Dick Mergens shared that Crucible is no longer able to afford rent and between decreasing beer sales and inflation, they weren’t able to keep up.
Mergens and co-owner Shawn Dowling wrote in the post that they felt it was time to “pass the torch and move on to new chapters in our lives.”
Mergens and Dowling are looking for another brewery to take over the lease. If you are interested reach out to [email protected]
This month we spoke to Mergens about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on local breweries. He said since the shutdown, Crucible has been on a steady decline.
Crucible hosted a fireside chat on Facebook Live, Saturday Aug. 31 answering questions about the closure. He shared during the Live that Crucible was in debt to its landlords and haven’t been able to keep up with rising costs.
“By far the worst decision we ever had to make but we did have to lay off the entire staff,” Mergens said during the Facebook Live. Mergens and Dowling plan to run the brewery themselves until a new tenant is chosen or they close at the end of the year.
Pour Decisions, a collaboration between Crucible and Soundbite Cider located in Seattle was planning to close whether Crucible stayed open or not, Mergens said. Pour Decision will close on Sept. 14.
“As we prepare to close our doors, we want to thank each and every one of you for your unwavering support. Whether you were here from the beginning or just discovered us recently, you’ve made this journey worthwhile. Thank you,” the post ended.
