3 Floyds permanently closing Munster brewpub

“Exploding with tartness...” Yeah, I’m going to sit this one out. I’ll enjoy some Center Square though.

 

Hah! I was just reading this too. I wouldn't be surprised if they were bought out.

 

But why? They are in very few states and banks were bending over backwards to give them cheap capital pre pandemic according to newspapers. Take the cheap debt, expand, expand, expand, then sell.

 

They are pushing hard into the eastern seaboard, New York, Philadelphia, etc. They have expanded their footprint substantially over the past two years. And people seem to forget that the already have two different production facilities; one it the original (which is where they bottle) and one just around the corner on 45th (where they can).

Not sure about cheap debt; I think the expansion plan was grandiose, and cooler heads prevailed - why borrow that much capital, when the return is what? The plan for the new brewpub was glorious, but methinks that Floyds realized that they had missed the wave, and they would be throwing money after a market that had already moved on to the next big thing.

(Read: Orange/mint exploding slushies with a 2.3% abv - who knew?)

 

The additional markets could be priced into the deal. These regional breweries are in a tough spot. It's easy to lose the cool factor and end up sitting on shelves.

 

You all realize that FFF has gotten to this point without ever spending one dollar on marketing. What makes you think they have desire (or need) to sell?

 

Exactly.

FFF is ooooold craft beer money. If they wanted to sell they probably could have done it 30x over by now.

Don't ya'll think they would have had hundreds of offers at this point? They've probably flipped off ABINBEV and its ilk so many times they don't get offers anymore out of spite or fear.

 

Nick seems to be able to follow his whims and earn a good living and then has a nest egg (the brewery) he can cash out of whenever he wants to retire. It isn't like he is a 65 year old man who is being pushed out of the work force and needs quick cash. By the same token, the fun for some people is building the business- if he wanted to he could cash out FFF and focus solely on scaling War Pigs into an international BrewDog type business.

 

I respect that they've run it themselves for so long and didn't sell out like the Lagunitas guy did. It's one of the things I appreciate about them, I hope they never sell.

Some people forget it's not just about money, they've put their lives into this and don't want to see someone else tarnish everything they've been working on.

 

That's exactly what the distillery was - something different to do, and a separate entity from the breweries.

 

I thought it was a cash grab.

 

I know from talking with people that worked at the brewpub that the bartenders and waitstaff that went to work in the distillery when it opened weren't making any money, because the place was almost always empty. That place was losing a ton. Too bad, as it's a beautiful room...

 

Empty? Was the distillery ever open for patrons?

 

Absolutely. Very nice place and drinks were excellent.

 

As was said, yes, they were open for business, but the few times I went there, it was empty. But what a space - the moss wall (or whatever it's called) and the light fixtures in and of themselves are worth a trip. I had heard a rumor that they might reopen the brewpub in the distillery, but as a mix of the two, but that never materialized (evidently). As always, no one really knows....

 

Wow news to me. How was the bourbon?

 

Most everything they offered was clear - rum, gin, akvavit, white whiskey. I'm guessing that they have stuff in barrels ageing but they were so young in the process at that time that they weren't available.

 

I used to frequent the place. As their whiskey aged they’d occasionally offer 9-month and 12-month pours. Cool spot, was looking forward to watching them grow as their barrels aged. Hopefully they’ll reopen when the pandemic is under control.

 

I tried Blurple Gatti last night I agree with others it’s basically a barleywine but pretty good

 

they may have better luck coming
Out with NWI pricing rather than relying on brand hype. $60 for a bottle of craft spirits in NWI is steep. Three Floyd’s always offered quality beer and good prices at the brewpub. There was no value in how they priced their cocktails.