hate to kick off such a depressing thread.. was going to swing by Still Hill Brewery taproom in Rocky Hill tomorrow, but checking their socials it seems to have closed permanently on 12/28. sounds like going forward their beers will be available on tap at the bergen house mead spot in middletown, but rocky hill is done.
Barrel House Z closed over the weekend. Cited decline in demand for alcohol broadly and craft beer specifically, less traffic, rising costs, big debt burden post-Covid. Sounds like it has really been a struggle for a number of years.
Vitamin Sea seems to do well in that same industrial park, but their beer is a better product in my opinion.
BHZ has always, mostly, made pretty mediocre beer. i would guess half the people parked in their lot just couldn't find a spot at vitamin sea. i parked there on saturday (VSB 7th anniversary party), if i had known they were going out of business i maybe would have popped in for a pour. the original release of zelato was pretty nice and they did a hazelnut stout a few years back that was good. most of their stuff was pretty forgettable. they don't really move in stores and you would hardly see it on draft at "good" bars on the south shore. vitamin sea doesn't distro to stores around here but they have a large footprint as far as kegs go and they turn over pretty quickly. surprised they lasted as long as they did
Old Planters in Beverly, MA closed New Year’s Eve. It was on the market, thought they had a deal. But the deal fell through late so they decided to close.
Really? I didn't hear that. I was there a few times - I haven't been down that way in a long time. I liked the concept they had more than the beer. They had some pretty decent bases, but they had some barrel blends that were questionable, to say the least.
ill be honest the social posts from and about the dirty truth are quite troubling, i hope to get up there and show some support this week. that would be a hard pill to swallow...
I think he's talking about this: https://www.facebook.com/dirtytruth...qcxZBUKRT2unwL83gNBDBZxY4ngVbMhU7KvNMSSzRXHsl
Sorry about the lack of clarity. The Dirty Truth is a bar in Northampton. Always—or nearly always—has an impressive and diverse draft list. It’s in Northampton.
