3 Floyds permanently closing Munster brewpub

Also might be cheaper to sell off the existing brewpub/brewery rather than raze and rebuild on it and then just buy some of the vacant land over on 45th and build new near the distro brewery.

 

A bummer for us Chicago cyclists. The ride to 3F is such a fun ride. 18th Street gonna need to install a lot more bike racks!

 

That...doesn't make sense.

 

Given that all the reporting seems to involve Nick Floyd being worried about people's safety, this doesn't seem like a legit reason for a permanent closure. I suspect the announcement has to do with either tax implications or labor regulations behind the scenes.

 

Why not? A brewpub has to have a license to serve alcohol separate from a brewing license, right? They also have to have trained servers, etc. They have to have licenses for serving food, right? Are they going to get a waiver for all that stuff just for DLD? I don't see the city approving it. Maybe FFF can outsource the whole thing and we can have a vendor with a food license serve funnel cakes and hotdogs...I just don't see how the town of Munster would approve that headache for one event. If they had a brewpub drawing business into the town on a daily basis, I can see them rewarding FFF for it by permitting DLD, but no pub, why deal with that headache as a town?

 

Yeah this is a good point. Back when they only owned the land of their current building/parking lot all of their food and drafts were exclusively sold from that parking lot. Next they acquired the building directly to the north (Where the distillery is now) and had FFF drafts in that lot one year.

Eventually they acquired more parcels of land across the street and to the north of the building and then you would see their food/draft available all over the fest, but before it was only right outside their building.

 

Again, there has to be alterior reasons here. With so many bars and restaurants closed, breweries have been the benefactor. I live next to one of the owners of a major Chicago craft brewery and their 2020 numbers dwarfed 2019. To go sales are up and outdoor seating has been packed. Yet, FFF has been releasing fewer one off beers than before the pandemic and they don't take advantage of the enormous parking lot for outdoor seating all in the name of safety? I don't buy it and this coming from someone who loves FFF.

 

True. We all have known of 'the bubble' going back 5 yrs ago. I guess I'm in the minority most likely when I say I would take a dozen Three Floyd's type breweries over nearly any of the hype breweries that are popular today (phase three, mikerphone, foreign exchange etc etc)..I guess I just want a beer that tastes like a beer, and not stuff just loaded with puree and sugar.

True. We've all known the 'bubble' is coming and this probably is the time to get out for those teetering. I guess I just really enjoyed Three Floyds. And, I'm sure I am in the minority when I say I would prefer a dozen Three Floyds-esque breweries than nearly all of the newest/hype breweries..I want beers that taste like beers. Beers can be made without being loaded with lactose, vanilla, puree. Three Floyds by and large stuck to their guns, and I liked that.

 

Wait, everyone working the festival were licensed and/or trained servers? I was under the impression many of them were volunteers getting paid in DL bottles...

As far as "driving business"...I think the amount of business the festival brings into the town is no small thing...

Let alone how much FFF has paid Munster in taxes, and continues to pay in taxes, regardless of a brewpub being operational in the middle of a pandemic or not.

They do still have a distillery that was open to the public before the pandemic--are they not licensed with whatever licenses you think someone is required to have in order to host an entirely unrelated-to-the-brewpub festival? The festival is, was and always has been about a beer brewed by the production facility, not the brewpub...

 

I was wondering this myself. Maybe "permanently closing" might have some legal implications that are better than "temporarily closing for 1-2 years"? Nothing to stop them from re-opening, I guess.

Or maybe I'm just hoping a little too hard.

 

I believe some of the people handing out bottles and giving 21+ wristbands were volunteers. People pouring drafts were licensed - whether brewpub or distillery employees, or otherwise. Indiana requires those serving alcohol to have a license. You can buy a single-day license (used to be about $15). And excise is notorious for checking these all over the state where alcohol is served.

 

I believe the reason is simply to end the ownership structure of the current brewpub, with the possibility of a replacement venue completely owned and operated with the current FFF ownership structure at some point in a few years after everything returns to normal.

http://www.chicagonow.com/the-beeronaut/2020/12/three-floyds-weekend-craft-beer-december-18-21/

 

Well, I would certainly be excited.

 

Damn, where can I find that deal. Although towards the end it must have gone something like this:
"I'm here for my free daily pint"
"Okay, there is about a 2 hour wait for a seat."
"%&@(@*%@*(@%"

 

I don't think they have a separate brewing system for the "brewpub" just the production brewery. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

However the brewpub is what allowed them to serve beer on-site. A production facility alone cannot do that.

Also the distillery is licensed differently and cannot serve beer, just the spirits.

 

The distillery typically served one FFF beer.

 

Oh really I went there a couple times but never recalled seeing beer available. But maybe I just missed it. I did got there to try the spirits after all.

 

There wasn’t much attention called to it so the focus remained on spirits. IIRC one tap handle tucked away at the bar and the menus said “ask server” or “rotating” or something similar.

 

I assume the distillery space closure was part of the brewpub closure and maybe I’m wrong. If you are citing closing of the brewpub due to safety of customers and staff, why would you be concerned about that for the pub and not the distillery space?

 

My point is, they aren't serving beer out of the brewpub, as a brewpub, in the brewpub, or any other such permutation during the festival. It's a beer festival. Hell most beer festivals have nothing to do with a brewpub or brewery or anything of the sort whatsoever, aside from them being guests in a space where they are pouring.