Surly Brewing Co., the creator of the phrase “destination beer hall,” is closing its enormous beer hall.
The plan is to close “indefinitely,” and the final day will be Nov. 2.
“We ran all the numbers,” reads a statement on the brewery’s website. “We looked at all the possibilities. But try as we might to find a way to keep the doors open and our team employed, the writing was on the wall: There was no longer a way forward for the Beer Hall. Since the start of the pandemic, Beer Hall revenues are down 82% compared with the same period last year. If the Beer Hall remained open, Surly would lose at least another three quarters of a million dollars this winter. A drastic change was needed to stabilize the company and ensure the continued operations of our core business, brewing.”
On Monday, a group of Surly kitchen and hospitality employees announced their intent to unionize as part of Unite Here Local 17, which represents more than 6,000 workers in Minnesota hotels, restaurants and other hospitality establishments.
We will continue to update this story as more information is available.