There have been two recent announcements of brewery closings in the San Antonio area, and considering the current saturation of the market, I expect more in the coming months. Weathered Souls Brewing announced its closure over a month ago, and that one has since shut its doors for the last time. And just recently, Busted Sandal Brewing issued a statement that they will be closing all three of their locations.
Weathered Souls Director of Sales and Marketing Kimberly Machado had the following statement about why the brewery would be shuttering:
The industry has been facing several challenges, and for us, the rising costs of ingredients and a noticeable decline in alcohol consumption played a significant role in our decision. Despite our best efforts to adapt, the financial pressures became difficult to sustain. It was a tough choice, but after careful consideration, we felt it was the right time to close this chapter.
The brewery had attempted to expand to a tap room in Charlotte, NC in 2022, but that closed down after six months due to financial struggles. They also had to deal with the higher cost of ingredients due to supply chain issues dating back to COVID. And one of the brewers and founding members, Marcus Baskerville, decided to leave earlier this year. Weathered Souls opened in 2016 and became one of the top breweries in Texas, winning multiple awards, and it was particularly noted for its Black is Beautiful movement. Machado had the following to say about the company’s legacy:
Our hope is that when people talk about Weathered Souls in the future, they remember the community we built, the creativity we poured into every brew, and the way we pushed boundaries to give San Antonio something it had never seen before.
As for Busted Sandal, they are currently in the process of closing all three of their locations. In an Instagram post, they said that they had “no more tricks up our sleeves” to keep the company open. They went on to say the following:
We are truly appreciative of the decisions you have all made to support our business the best you could in the past few years during tough times. If we could simply charge $12 for pints of beer to cover the increased costs of doing business, we would… but the beer industry doesn’t operate the same way other inflation-ridden goods and service industries can.
The brewery location in North San Antonio had its farewell party on October 12th. The Helotes beer garden will close on November 12th, and the Kerville location will close on November 10th. Busted Sandal opened in 2013 and has put out several award-winning beers over the years while also expanding to three locations. The Instagram post concluded with the following statement:
Again, we are sad to close the doors and say goodbye to you all. We will miss you tremendously!
The San Antonio area (including the Hill Country) has over two dozen breweries along with quite a number of taphouses, and costs have been going up on the ingredients to make beer. Second Pitch Brewing in North San Antonio closed earlier this year and an attempt to re-open failed. Black Laboratory cut back on the beers it is brewing to focus more on hard seltzer, and it is possible we might see similar moves with other breweries as well as more closures. But for now, at least, we should do what we can to support our favorite breweries that are still open.
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