The craft beer trade has confronted a big downturn over the past two years as dozens of breweries shut their doorways completely.
Among the signs of financial hardship within the trade had been seen within the attendance on the trade’s annual Craft Brewers Convention, which had a big decline from about 12,000 attendees in 2023 to 9,500 in 2024 and eight,000 in 2025, VinePair reported.
Variety of craft breweries declines
The financial downturn within the trade was additionally evident within the Brewers Affiliation’s 2025 Midyear Market Report, which confirmed that extra breweries had closed than opened within the yr ending June 2025, declining to 9,269 breweries from 9,352 in June 2024.
The brewery closing development adopted the earlier yr’s decline, when the variety of working craft breweries dropped nationwide to 9,680 in 2024, down from 9,747 in 2023.
Craft brewers typically blame rising prices pushed by inflation and tariffs, shoppers’ altering attitudes towards ingesting alcohol, and the excessive competitors for the beer greenback as causes for his or her financial challenges.
A few of these struggling craft breweries have wanted to file for chapter safety to offer them respiration house to reorganize and restructure money owed to remain in enterprise.
Craft brewers who just lately filed for chapter
- Bosque Brewing Firm, Chapter 11, Oct. 6
- Iron Hill Brewery LLC, Chapter 7, Oct. 3
- The Grange Public Home & Brewery, Chapter 11, Sept. 22
- Memphis Made Brewing Firm, Chapter 11, Aug. 7, 2025.
- Three Weavers Brewing Firm, Chapter 11, July 24.
Among the many craft brewers to just lately file for chapter had been Albuquerque-based Bosque Brewing Firm, which filed for Chapter 11 safety on Oct. 6; Exton, Pa.-based Iron Hill Brewery LLC, which filed for Chapter 7 chapter liquidation on Oct. 3; and Mount Nice, Iowa-based The Grange Public Home & Brewery, which filed Chapter 11 chapter on Sept. 22 to restructure its money owed.
Additionally, Memphis Made Brewing Firm filed for Chapter 11 chapter on Aug. 7, 2025, whereas Inglewood, Calif.-based Three Weavers Brewing Firm filed for Chapter 11 chapter safety to reorganize its enterprise on July 24.
Bootlegger’s Brewery recordsdata for Chapter 11 chapter to reorganize its enterprise.
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Bootlegger’s Brewery recordsdata for chapter safety
And now, troubled craft brewery and taproom Bootlegger’s Brewery LLC filed for Chapter 11 chapter to reorganize its enterprise and proceed working.
The Fullerton, Calif.-based craft beer brewery chain filed its Subchapter V petition within the U.S. Chapter Courtroom for the Central District of California in Santa Ana on Oct. 15, itemizing $1 million to $10 million in property and liabilities in its petition, based on RK Consultants.
Extra chapter:
- 34-year-old informal eating chain recordsdata for Chapter 11 chapter
- Main seafood firm recordsdata for Chapter 11 chapter
- 55-year-old ladies’s style firm recordsdata Chapter 11 chapter
Bootlegger’s Brewery launched in 2008 after its founder Aaron Barkenhagen took an entrepreneurship class at California State College at Fullerton in 2006 and remodeled his homebrewing pastime right into a small enterprise, based on the corporate’s web site.
“The Craft Beer market is expanding daily, and while many of these breweries have amazing products, their focus isn’t always on their consumers,” the corporate mentioned on its web site.
“As part of the OC community, Bootlegger’s Brewery is committed to ensuring that everyone who comes into one of our tasting rooms, buys a drink or tours our brewhouse becomes more than just a consumer,” the web site states.
The debtor web site mentions three tasting rooms positioned in Fullerton, Costa Mesa, and Redlands, however the firm appears to have closed the Redlands location, because the web site presently solely lists addresses for the Fullerton and Costa Mesa tasting rooms.
Bootlegger’s places:
- 130 South Highland Avenue, Fullerton, CA
- 696 Randolph Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA
Bootlegger’s Brewery presently produces eight year-round beers, together with El Chango Mexican-American Type Lager, Thai Tea Far Out West Coast Type India Pale Ale, Golden Chaos Belgian Type Ale, Far Out India Pale Ale, Knuckle Sandwich Double India Pale Ale, Outdated World Hefeweizen German Type Unfiltered Wheat Ale, Palomino Pale Ale, and Rocco Purple American Purple Ale.
Along with its beer menu, the Bootlegger’s Brewery places additionally supply a eating menu that includes burgers, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, melts, salads, appetizers, and desserts.
Bootlegger’s beer choice:
- El Chango Mexican-American Type Lager
- Thai Tea Far Out West Coast Type India Pale Ale
- Golden Chaos Belgian Type Ale
- Far Out India Pale Ale
- Knuckle Sandwich Double India Pale Ale,
- Outdated World Hefeweizen German Type Unfiltered Wheat Ale
- Palomino Pale Ale
- Rocco Purple American Purple Ale.
Associated: One other troubled beer model recordsdata for Chapter 11 chapter
